Corporate Training Partners

How to be a Communicator, not a Presenter
By Peter Sprague

Newsflash: It's called the "Communication and Leadership Manual." Did you "communicate" or did you "present" when you gave your last speech?

The diagnosis today is "Presentationitis." A speaker with this condition exhibits symptoms such as:

Lectern bound
Total commitment to notes
Phrases that read well but don't sound like something the speaker would actually say in a conversation
Overdependence on visuals, especially bulleted lists presented in PowerPoint
Audiences that drift off after wondering, "what exactly does this presentation have to do with me?"

When you "present" to your audience, it's a one-way affair. You do this TO the audience, instead of WITH the audience. And how many of us like to have things done to us?

No, your audience would much rather join you on a journey in your speech. They want you to "communicate" WITH them. They want a two-way street. They want to be fully engaged in your talk. But how can you accomplish this?

Your Speech-alist has a prescription for you with three parts:

1. Use questions
2. Speak conversationally
3. Work out front

How can you use questions? Just like I'm using them here - to start a paragraph. To end a paragraph. Just imagine your audience listening to you as if you were in a one on one conversation. After you make a statement to communicate a crucial point, what's the next logical question? Ask it! Say it out loud. Pause. Give a questioning look. Watch for the nods in your audience as you observe them saying to themselves, "yeah…what about that? I was wondering that too." Then move your speech forward by answering the question.

I find that questions help me as I prepare my speech. I talk to myself. (I prepare in private to avoid the looks I'd get when I talk to myself in the grocery store and other public places!) They keep me focused. They help me organize my material in a logical manner.

Questions are a powerful tool. For full involvement, ask them and wait for an answer. To maintain control, ask them and you give the answers. Questions engage a listener in your talk and help your audience participate, even though it's in silence. Questions help you communicate.

You've read about the importance of speaking conversationally, but how can you do it? It starts with preparation. I used to sit down and develop my speech at my PC. Typing away, talking to myself, but not out loud. Guess what? I had speeches that were decently written presentations, but they didn't sound like me. Like how I really talk. Like how I sound when you and I are just chatting at the Picadillly before the meeting. And it's that chatty tone, that conversational feel, that makes a speaker a real communicator. Why? Because when you achieve this tone, each member of your audience feels like you are speaking only to him or her. Your own personal dialogue. Yep - when you speak conversationally, you're really communicating.

Now I prepare differently. I think a lot longer about my speech. I make some handwritten notes to create an outline. I take a walk and think and talk about my speech. I let my speech develop from how I talk, not how I write. I add to my outline - not script, but ideas and key words.

When I'm ready I deliver my first draft of the speech into a tape recorder. Working only from my outline. This helps me capture my thoughts conversationally. Then I transcribe the tape into a script for final preparation. I can tighten it up, get rid of digressions and extra thoughts that won't keep my audience focused. And I end up with a script that sounds conversational.

The last tip is to work out front. In front of the lectern, not behind it. And yes, I mean without your notes. Which means you have to practice, practice, practice to get comfortable with the flow of your speech.

Here's a practice tip: If you develop a snappy phrase that you want to use in a speech, practice saying it over and over. Thirty times. Fifty times. Even if it's just a 15 second statement. Tremendous repetition will lock the phrase into your memory for easy access when you're on the platform, freeing you from your notes with confidence.

When you work out front you really connect with your audience. You maintain eye contact 100% of the time. You lock eyes with individuals for 2 or 3 seconds, during which time it's just you and that one person. You allow yourself to use all of your body language to communicate. You gain the advantage of using space and staging in your talk (hmmmm…..sounds like another article?). Working out front is the sign of a pro.

One tip - use the handheld mike when you're out front. It's a prop that gives you credibility. Watch how different performers use a handheld microphone. Don't they look great with it? You can, too, so use your Toastmasters speeches to practice this technique.

It's about communicating, not presenting. Will questions help you communicate? Help you connect? You bet. Especially when you're working out front, just having a pleasant conversation with your audience. When your audience comes up to you and says, "your talk reminded me of a time when…" and the person gives you his story, not yours - well, that's when you know you connected. Because the speech you give may start from the platform, but it really takes place between the ears of each audience member. So when you communicate, you connect and you serve your audience well.

Peter Sprague is the President of Corporate Training Partners, Inc. where he works with companies to transform potential into profits. You can contact Peter at 727.321.5077 or psprague@corporatetrainingpartners.com.