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Gathering Information & Materials
(c) 1997 LJL Seminars
The most difficult and also the most important part of
making a presentation is actually getting started.
Your first step is to collect and read as much
information as possible about your subject. Take notes.
The next step involves selecting the information and
deciding how much of it you will present. To accomplish
this, you need to know how long your talk will be.
Naturally, the amount of material you will discuss in an
hour differs from the amount you will handle in a
full-day presentation; however, the format or structure
should be the same in both cases.
Deciding on the format is your next step. It is at this
point that you need to decide how and in what sequence
you will present the material you have chosen.
Other matters to consider are:
1. What visuals will I use?
2. Where will I stand when I speak?
3. How can I present the material clearly and in an
interesting fashion?
When asked to speak in public, the first things some
people think about are: "What am I going to where?",
"Will there be a lot of people there?" "What if I mess
up?"
These are all important questions, but they represent
just a small part of what needs to be taken into
consideration when preparing a presentation.
Quality Speech MaterialWe often ask ourselves, "What if
my speech is not good enough?" If we construct our
speeches with care and properly prepare and practice,
our speech material will always be good.
Don't be afraid to take risks and present new material.
Remember, practice makes perfect.
Speech Preparation as a ProcessGenuine speech
preparation means digging something out of yourself. You
need to both gather facts and arrange your thoughts. It
is not enough to simply collect ideas. You must also
nurture them and reflect on how to present them and
reflect on how to present them in a unique, organized
manner.
A speech needs time to grow. Prepare for weeks. Sleep on
your topic, dream about it and let your ideas sink into
your subconscious. Ask yourself questions. Write down
your thoughts. Keep adding new ideas.
Once you've determined your purpose for delivering this
speech, state the purpose in a sentence and focus your
speech around that purpose. Ask yourself, "How does this
purpose relate to the audience?"
Let your purpose drive your speech
Try to come up with a good title, too. Aim not only to
inform your listeners, but also persuade them.
As you prepare each presentation, you should develop a
simple and orderly outline. You will need to decide the
sequence you will follow from these organizational
patterms:
* Sequential
* Categorical
* Problem and solution
* Contrast and comparison
In developing the sequence of your presentation,
mind-mapping or webbing techniques can be very useful.
Remember to decide, too, on the transitions between
sections and examples you will use. Real-life anecdotes
can be particularly effective.
The use of personal stories always works best for my
audiences. Most professional speakers always use
personal stories and quite often it is a personal story
that becomes their "signature" story.
To be successful it is extremely important to start
gathering information as soon as possible. Many people
ask me, "Lenny, how far in advance should I begin
preparing for my speech?" I always tell them, "Your
should begin preparing your speech the moment they ask
you to speak!" The sooner you begin the more time you
will have to practice your speech.
I'd like to leave you with one of my favorite Mark Twain
stories. As many of your may or may not know, Mark Twain
was a great speaker. In fact, Mark Twain is one of the
earliest known professional speakers and when asked one
day if he could prepare a speech for an upcoming
engagement, he responded ,"If you want me to speak for
an hour, I am ready today." "If you want me to speak for
just a few minutes, it will take me a few weeks to
prepare."
As with most speakers, it usually takes more time to
prepare a short version of a speech than a longer one.
When you prepare your next speech, try preparing two. -
one that will run approximately one hour and one that
will only run 10 minutes. You will find that Mark Twain
was right. " In either case, you must gather your facts
and decide on what is most important.
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- Lenny Laskowski
- Lenny Laskowski is an international professional speaker and the author
of the book, No Sweat Presentations - The Painless Way to Successful Speaking and several
other publications. Lenny is also available for hire to speak to your organization,
college or association. Lenny also provides in-house seminars and workshops. Why not
contact Lenny today for your next function or event. Lenny can be found at his Web site, http://www.ljlseminars.com/ or can be contacted by
email at the following address: Sales@LJLSeminars.com.
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