Developing The Speaker Within You

By Neil Findlay

Do you need to speak or present in public?

If the answer is yes, then Developing the Speaker Within You was written for you. Here are hundreds of experience based, practical tips to make your next presentation even better.

Written in an easy-to-read conversational style, this is the ideal how-to guide to have at your finger tips, with easy-to-find answers and ideas to improve every element of your next presentation.

For any public speaker or presenter, success is measured by influence; how accurately and effectively we communicate; how high is the audience retention of our message.
Successful speakers are memorable; their message etched indelibly in our memory, sometimes for all time. How a speaker delivers, the tools they use, how they manage and coordinate their verbal, vocal and visual languages will inevitably determine their success.
The delivery of any address is often the make-or-break element in achieving success and will usually determine whether an audience absorbs our message, whether they remember it and are influenced by it months or even years later.
What a speaker or presenter delivers, its relevancy, and the process used to craft and deliver a credible and memorable address is critical to that most precious of objectives: delivering take-home value to our audience. Many speakers struggle in this vital area.

Developing The Speaker Within You takes you step-by-step through the essentials of using notes, PowerPoint, how to manage nerves and even how to effectively communicate through a translator.
Read with me, and enjoy a free-flowing conversational journey to understand both your audience and your purpose; ensuring your presentation is appropriate for the occasion; helping you present the right content, the right message for your audience.
One frustration of speaking can be delivering to an audience that is not paying attention, drowsy or even fails to turn up. Sometimes this is due to circumstances beyond our control, such as the timeslot that we are asked to speak in, where we are placed in the order of events or having people leave to catch early flights.
Developing The Speaker Within You provides real-world, proven solutions to these and other related issues to help you gain and maintain the attention of your audience.

Most speakers have experienced the challenges, even the embarrassment when things go wrong on-stage; proof that what can go wrong, will go wrong.
Developing The Speaker Within You takes you through many real-life examples of how things can, and do go wrong and what to do about it; how to prevent most problems from even occurring in the first place, and what to do about it if they do. You will experience the benefits of pre-speaking checklists to eliminate problems before they occur, and experience increased confidence as you step up to the dais.

Developing The Speaker Within You will take you through the vital steps to ensure a venue is prepared and suitable for your presentation; what to look for on-stage and off-stage; how to manage audio-visual equipment and what to discuss with the audio-visual team before you get up to speak.
Chapter 28 reveals how to handle the most fearful of events: the impromptu address. The WoW, or With Out Warning address is where you have little warning, little time to prepare yet are required to perform with distinction and as if you had been preparing for weeks.
Regardless of your audience and objectives, the cultures and languages you may have to manage, there are simple, proven steps contained here that will give you increased capability and confidence as you stand before your next audience.
Developing The Speaker Within You is loaded with hundreds of practical, proven tips to make you and your next presentation a winner; to deliver value whether you are speaking to ten people, or ten thousand.

Seconds to download: a lifetime of success.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Neil Findlay
• Release date: May 6, 2012
• ISBN: 9780646572543

Neil Findlay

Neil Findlay was born in 1969, the son of a bricklayer and a primary schoolteacher. Brought up in the working class village of Fauldhouse in West Lothian, after leaving school at 16 he was an apprentice and tradesman bricklayer for ten years with his father’s small business, became active in his local Labour Party and struck up a great friendship with Tam Dalyell MP. After returning to education, he worked in social housing before becoming a school teacher. A West Lothian Councillor for nine years, he was elected to the Scottish parliament in 2011, serving in various front bench posts and contesting the Scottish Labour leadership election in 2015. Scottish campaign manager for Jeremy Corbyn’s two leadership elections, Neil is current chair of the Scottish Parliament’s health and sport committee. He enjoys fishing, golf, gardening and going for a pint.

Book preview

Introduction

For all of those who speak in public, whether at a small community meeting, a Master of Ceremonies at a wedding or as a conference keynote the opportunities are great. But often the potential challenges and problems can be even greater, sometimes with consequences we would rather avoid. Developing The Speaker Within You looks at many of the common issues that arise and provides hundreds of practical, experience based tips to optimize the success of your next speaking experience, whether you are a first timer or an experienced speaker.

Chapter 1: The Right To Speak

Modern times grant most people the freedom to speak, depending on the environment we are speaking in.

We take it as right, as a given, and expect to be able to speak on the subject of our choosing and in the venue of our choosing free from harassment or retribution.

Indeed, in most countries people can do so with reasonable expectation that they won't be punished or harmed for what they say. Even if those within earshot disapprove of what is spoken.

Whether on a political issue, or as a consumer, legal or environmental advocate most of us just assume it is OK to tell it as it is (at least in our opinion).

But in some places it is vital to gain permission to speak, and this entails having our prospective address vetted or screened to see if it is approved by relevant authorities before we deliver it.

Call it censorship if you will, but the principle remains: permission in that environment has to be obtained in order to speak.

Yet another environment is that of the speaker in a public forum where freedom of speech is considered customary.

We will leave spruikers out of this for the moment.

On second thoughts, no, we'll include spruikers, because the principle is exactly the same.

Whether a speaker is standing at a street corner on their soap box, or at a conference lectern they should not think for a moment that their audience is ever a captive one.

Many speakers fail to understand that in a country where freedom of speech is the norm, we still have to gain the approval of those to whom we speak. Not formally, legally or contractually as a rule, but we have to gain the assent, the buy-in of those listening before we can ever expect them to accept what we say.

Many people think that just because they have the right to speak, that this confers the permission to speak.

The reality is, however, that nothing could be further from the truth.

Whilst speakers in the free world may have the freedom of choice to speak, that does not grant them the guarantee that listeners will, of their own free choice, listen.

This right to be heard is given. It cannot be taken, but has to be earned out of the credibility & respect that we as speakers build up over time.

The right to speak may be a given, but the right to be heard must be earned.

Likewise, a good speaker should never demand attention, as in a right, but command attention as in something earned.

Public speakers are basically on trial every time they get behind the lectern: not usually in a legal sense, but to see whether they can command the attention of their audience.

So then, the freedom to speak, which is a given, does not equal the freedom of people to listen to us, which we as speakers have to earn. This means our content and delivery has to be up to the standard our audience expects, and beyond, in order to be assured of a willing and receptive audience.

In effect, our audience must give us permission to speak, to uncensor us before we can expect their undivided attention. This is the perhaps the ultimate right of veto, and one which experienced speakers will perceive quickly and without asking.

Chapter 2: The Invitation To Speak

Often a speaker will be conducting their own product launch or promotion, in which case they can set the ground rules.

But in the case where a speaker is invited to speak, a whole new scenario unfolds, and there are many issues to consider in order that a successful outcome for both the hosts or organizers and the speaker are achieved.

In this case the role of the host, whoever is doing the inviting, becomes very important.

There are a suite of issues to deal with, and as always, it is wise to cover these off prior to any agreement to speak.

In short, the speakers role is to make their host look good. It's not about the speaker a.k.a. ourselves, but the host, and their event. As soon as we take the focus off ourselves and understand that our whole effort is to make our hosts event successful, things take on a different perspective.

It is always smart to conduct a careful interview with our host before progressing too far.

Things to consider are:

What is the event all about.

What is the requested topic, if any.

Where, and when is it being held.

Who will be attending, and how many.

What are its goals, and is there a theme, for instance if it's a conference. It's really important to ensure that our contribution actually fits and adds value to the event and the organizers.

Ultimately, our aim is to provide attendees with real take home value (so absent in many events) and ensure that the event is not just a talkfest.

An important matter to consider is that of integrity. Does the organizer and their requested topic fit with our beliefs and values. Nothing matters more than our integrity in this regard. We simply cannot be engaged merely as a hired gun in support of views that we don't support.

Are there any local or cultural issues, perhaps no-go areas that we need to be aware of. It is unacceptable to offend either our hosts or their audience through our ignorance, carelessness or bravado on stage.

What particularly is our role in the event. Are we a keynote speaker, part of a speaker line up or are we participating in a panel discussion.

If other speakers are presenting, who are they, and what are they presenting on. Sometimes it pays to consult with the other speakers to ensure that we compliment, not replicate or contradict each other and so add better value to the attendees.

How much time do they want. This is really important,