Workshops | Home|Part Three-How to Handle Questions

HOW TO ORGANIZE

THIS MONSTER

OR

(WHERE DO I START?)

LBFD SPEAKER’S BUREAU

RESOURCE MANUAL #2

This manual was compiled by Battalion Chief Steve Lewis.

 

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Topic or Objective

·        You have to ask yourself the question, “Why am I speaking?”  Do an audience analysis (see Resource Manual #1).

Methods of Gathering Information

·        Brainstorming – Have a yellow tablet nearby to always catch those “moments” when something pops into your mind.

·        Videos – Watch a number of videos to “jump start” your thought processes.

·        Asking questions – Interview individuals who are knowledgeable on the subject.  Ask questions like:  “Is there anything I didn’t ask that you think I should?” or, “What do you know about the subject that you wish you knew when you were starting out?”

·        Periodicals – Every industry has it’s own trade magazine.  Go to their offices and ask for any old issues of magazines; go to the library.

·        Internet – Look for specifics in regards to:  quotations, statistics, stories, definitions, comparisons, etc.  Remember all these specifics have to support the “objective” (see Appendix 1).

Time Frame

·        If the person in charge has not given you a time frame, 20 minutes is usually the maximum.

·        Remember, an average speech is ok, as long as it’s brief.

·        When you are poorly prepared, you’re wasting people’s time.

·        End when you are supposed to.

·        But…don’t end too soon.  If they ask you to speak for 20 minutes, use it all.

·        The only thing worse than a long speech is listening to a “BAD” long speech.

The Infamous Outline

·        You can gather all the information you want, but at some point you have to organize it.  An outline provides that organization.

·        An outline provides for spontaneity.  It allows room for the speech to change a little each time it is given.  You want the outline to only give you the main points, with you filling in the rest from your “normal conversational” style of talking.

·        A normal outline may look something like this:

I.                  Introduction

II.               Discussion/main body

III.            Conclusion

THE MAIN BODY DISCUSSION

·        As you begin to work on the outline, start on the main body first.  You won’t be able to work on the intro until you’ve finished the main body, then you have something to introduce.

·        In the discussion/main body section, try to keep the points to talk on to about 3.  Audiences can remember 3; its been proven that any more than that, people won’t remember.

·        If its impossible to narrow down to 3, try to combine several points that have the same theme or ideas.

·        As you begin to arrange the points you’re going to talk on, remember to keep them in a logical and obvious arrangement.  The audience shouldn’t have to guess where you’re going with this talk, it should be crystal clear to them.

·        Some typical styles or patterns of arrangement are as follows:

1.                Time Pattern – List the points in the chronological order that they actually happened.

2.                Physical/Space – Organize the points with a geographic or physical pattern in mind, i.e., “Let me talk today about the frequency of first aid calls we respond to in North Long Beach, Central Long Beach and East Long Beach.”

3.                Topic Pattern – Arrange the points in regards to the topic based on your own instinct, judgment, common sense.

4.                Problem/Solution Pattern – Use this when you’re proposing a “change,” i.e., you have a dangerous intersection near a school (explain the situation), and then give them your solution to the problem (explain).

5.                Cause/Effect Pattern – This is used a lot in scientific discussion or when you’re assigning “blame” to someone or something.  Explain what is happening in regards to this topic, and how its affecting you or others.

6.                Analogy/Extended Metaphor Pattern – An example of this: “In my talk today I want us to think about the flight of a plane.  As a plane takes off from the ground and ascends into the sky its not unlike the topic I’m talking about today, as we develop relationships with people…”

7.                Chronological Pattern – Past-Present-Future.

8.                Divide a Quote – Give a famous quote and then either tell how it relates to your subject, or talk on the quote by dividing it up and talking about each part of it.

9.                Divide a Word – i.e., “I’m here today to talk about fire safety.  Let me use the word fire to present my topic.  The letter “F” represents Formalizing a plan of escape.  The letter “I” represents…”

10.          Numerical Pattern – Arrange the topics or points by numbers, i.e., Item #1, Item #2, and so on.  Make sure there’s a logical pattern to them, i.e., from hardest to easiest, simple to hard, no controversy to most controversial, etc.

THE INTRODUCTION

·        The first and only reason you have an introduction is to get the attention of the audience.  You want to get them “fired up” for the main body of the speech.

·        You’re going to tell them why its important to listen to you on this subject.

·        Don’t use the introduction time to start thanking everyone for everything.

·        Don’t do the following during your introduction:

1.            Apology – Never, never ever apologize for yourself.  If you do, they expect something bad.  Its just sets a horrible tone for the talk.  It will draw attention to something that the audience may never have noticed until you brought it up.

2.            Use Clichés – They just don’t “grab” your attention, for example:  “we are at a crossroads…”

3.            Be a Nerd – Don’t use words, acronyms or phrases that you think may impress the audience.  You may think the audience does or should know the “common” terms used within your world, but it only tends to confuse them.  If you have to use an acronym, make sure everyone knows what it means.  But don’t ask, “Does anyone not know what I mean?”  Just explain the word without prompting, realizing that if there is just one person in the room that doesn’t know it, that’s enough.

4.            Give a Travelogue – Don’t use the introduction to tell how you got to the airport, drove around our beautiful city, went shopping at the fantastic mall, etc.

5.            Be a Propmaster – Don’t come to the front of the room when its your turn and start spreading out your notes, put on your reading glasses, pour a glass of water, look for the podium light switch, etc.

SOME GREAT WAYS TO BEGIN YOUR INTRODUCTION:

1.                Use personal stories or anecdotes (make sure it relates to the subject).

2.                Use famous or humorous quotations.

3.                Use statistics.

4.                Ask rhetorical questions.

5.                Give facts.

6.                Use an audio-visual

7.                Use a joke (be careful with this one).

8.                Make your intro audience-centered – provoke them, compliment them, show how you have a common bond, show your knowledge of them.

At the end of your introduction, give a quick preview of 1 or 2 sentences of what you’re talking on.  People like to know where they’re going.

CONCLUSION

·        This is where we wrap the speech up.

·        A lot of people can’t close a speech.  They just sort of drift around and then say something like, “Well, that’s about it; any questions?”

·        In the conclusion you should summarize the main points of your speech, then close it with a “BAM.”

·        If the introduction is the audience’s first impression of you, the conclusion is their last impression of you.

·        The audience should know it’s the “conclusion.”  You don’t want to catch an audience off guard.  Let them know where they’re going.

·        Don’t make the conclusion long.

·        Don’t make these common mistakes:

1.            Don’t add more points.

2.            Don’t thank the audience on and on.

3.            Don’t just say something “meaningless” at the end.  Give them a jolt.

4.            Don’t give a wimpy conclusion, apologizing, making excuses.  Give them a sense of completion.

5.            Don’t bounce all around.  We don’t want any “pinball” action, talking about the first point again, then the third, then the second, “Oh, and that reminds me of another point.”

6.            Don’t run out of gas and finish by drifting off in a whisper.

7.            Make sure your conclusion matches your objective.

·        The following are some surefire ways to “grab” your audience and leave them with a good lasting impression:

1.            Tell a story that relates to the topic.

2.            Use a quotation.

3.            Refer back to your intro

4.            Ask a question.

5.            Recite a poem.

6.            Tell them what you want them to do.

7.            Make a prediction.

8.            Ask the audience for help in solving the problem.

9.            Ask for a commitment.

TRANSITIONS

·        Transitions are used between each section of your talk and between points.

·        They are the “glue” that holds presentations together.

·        Transitions separate the poor and average speaker from the “good” speaker.

·        They are the words or phrases that signal how ideas are connected.  They get you from one point to the next.

·        A good speaker takes you to the next point of his/her talk smoothly.  It has been practiced as much as the points of the talk.

·        There should be a distinct cut-off of what you were talking about, and what you’re now talking about.  Don’t drift to the next point by saying something like, “Oh, that reminds me of something else…”

·        The easiest way to do transitions (and somewhat boring too) is to organize your talk by numbering the points you’re going to talk on.  You can even tell the audience in your introduction that you are speaking on a certain number of points.

·        Try to find another way to state the obvious.  For instance, instead of saying “in conclusion,” and then concluding, try to use the following transitions:

“What can we learn from this?”

“Let me leave you with one final thought.”

“In the three remaining minutes, let me remind you of what we’ve discussed.”

·        Remember, there’s always a different way to state the obvious, but you have to practice coming up with something.  You have to “brainstorm” ideas on how to come up with transitions, they won’t come to you during the speech.

·        Use internal summaries; refer back to previous points in your talk to get to your next point, i.e., “Ok, we just saw in my 1^st point that…now in my second point let me discuss…”

·        Make sure your intro style matches your conclusion style.  For example:  if you had an entertaining speech, make sure you end in an entertaining style.  If your speech was to persuade them, then conclude your speech to persuade them to do something.

Using Humor in a Speech

·        Remember, most people like to laugh.

·        Laughter is a tension releaser.  Most audiences are a little nervous when you get up to talk; they’re not sure about you.  A little icebreaker relaxes everyone.

·        Build “jokes” into stories (without lying).  Don’t say, “Here’s a joke.”

·        Most authorities agree that humor is better than jokes.  Is there a difference?  Yes, a big difference.  Most people can’t get up and tell a joke effectively, but most of us can take a joke and “weave” it into a plausible story.  The audience will know it’s a “made up” story and enjoy listening along.

·        Remember, humor doesn’t have to produce a “belly laugh” from the audience.  I’m usually happy to get a smirk or a head shake from the audience.

·        Anyone can use humor effectively, you don’t have to be a “natural.”

·        Its been proven that humor helps retention in learning.

·        Humor must relate to the topic.  Some stories may be funny, but if they don’t relate to the topic, the audience will be confused.

·        If no one laughs, no big deal.  As long as the humor is related to the topic, the audience will be ok with it.  Remember, comedians can’t always get audiences to laugh at all of their humor.

·        If the audience is extremely “cold,” make light of it.  Don’t ridicule them though, make yourself the reason the humor is not getting through.  Pick on yourself, audiences like that.

·        Don’t explain a joke.  If the humor doesn’t work, move on.  Explaining a story or joke only irritates the audience.

·        Be as funny as “you” normally are.  Don’t try to be a Rodney Dangerfield if you’re normally a quiet, reserved person.  Use humor as you normally use it.

·        Poke fun at yourself; make yourself the focus of the humor.  Audiences appreciate it when a speaker does this because they can relate to the fact that they’re not perfect either.  They respect you more because you’ve brought yourself down to their level.

·        Take a “real” story and embellish it a little; although don’t change the facts and lie.

·        The following are things you DON’T use for humor:

1.            Religion

2.            Race

3.            Sex

4.            Intelligence

5.            Birthplaces

6.            Handicaps

7.            Ethnicity

8.            Sexual orientation

9.            Religious leaders

10.      Childlessness

11.      Political leanings

12.      Dirty or off-color jokes

13.      Sarcasm

14.      Physical appearance

Types of Humor to Use

·        Personal stories – People can relate to your life, because the same things go on in their lives, also, they are a form of gossip, and people can’t resist good gossip.

·        Analogies – Comparisons between objects and concepts, i.e., “Supervisors are like trash cans, everyone dumps their garbage on you and expects it to disappear in a week.”

·        Quotes – Famous or otherwise.

·        Describe a cartoon strip you’ve read that relates to your topic.

·        Definitions – Use funny ones; make ones up for your own purposes.

·        Change abbreviations and acronyms for your use – i.e., PBS normally stands for Public Broadcasting Service, but you make it:  Plenty of British Shows.

·        If you are using a list of serious items in your talk, add a few silly or funny ones at the end.

·        Observations of normal things you see – Make it funny, i.e., If it took a vote of the city council to approve the light bulb, we’d be in eternal darkness by the time they could agree on anything.

·        Parody news headlines – i.e., When Y2K was around, there were plenty of headlines you could use for topic material.

·        Look for predictions that are made in the newspaper or magazines.

·        Letters to the editor are a great source of material for funny quotes and comments.

·        Bumper stickers – Pay attention to stickers that you could use for speech material.

·        Pay attention to funny signs – i.e., seen at a printing company:  “You want it when?”  “Ha, Ha, Ha.”

·        Laws that exist that are funny – i.e., Murphy’s Law, or make up your own funny laws, i.e., Tornado Law, which says that all tornados gravitate towards mobile home parks, so cities should build fake mobile home parks on the outskirts of their cities to fake-out the tornados.

·        Greeting cards – If you find some that are funny, remember them and write them down.

·        Country-Western songs – Take a look at some of the lyrics, there’s some funny stuff there, just don’t get hooked on the music.
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