Giving presentations with pizazz - public speaking

Information Outlook, April, 1999 by Mary K. Dzurinko

We had it made. A colleague and I were contracted to conduct an Internet work shop for paralegals. We wrote a fifty-page handout containing explanations of e-mail, Internet, listservs, and search engines and including over one-hundred 'annotated web sites. we prepared a dynamite PowerPoint presentation. We devised games and prizes to keep the audience involved and enthused. We were ready. Well, as my mother always said to her children, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch." She was a wise woman.

We arrived at the workshop site to find workers scampering up and down the scaffolding that covered the outside of the building. The phone line in the assigned room couldn't handle a live Internet demonstration; we waited two hours to get Internet access. Federal Express misplaced our handouts; we adjusted our presentation until they appeared. A fire alarm sounded two hours into the morning session; the building was evacuated. During the afternoon session workers accidentally cut off the buildings water supply; all restroom and drinking facilities were closed. The sound system was inadequate; I doubt that over the cacopbony of hammers and drills the taping equipment picked up half of what we said.

The workshop was a success! Despite all the obstacles, attendees gave the session positive evaluations. We had worked hard not only on the materials and information, but also on our personal speaking and presentation skills. We were ready - faced with adversity we used it to our advantage. (However, after the workshop was over, I knew how Mulder and Scully feel when they encounter paranormal phenomena on "The X-Files.") I have read that public speaking is more stressful than moving across the country, getting a divorce, or coping with the death of a loved one. Effective public speaking is a developed talent that takes practice, practice, 'and more practice. It is part training, part acting, part attitude, and part listening. once this skill is learned, practiced, and polished, it becomes an integral part of your managerial "bag of tricks."

Do you realize that you speak in public forums every day? You attend managerial meetings and present reports. You lead staff meetings. Your participate in professional workshops. You conduct online research training classes. You represent your department at institution-wide meetings. You go to a job interview. You are involved in community activities and speak out on local concerns or preside at meetings. Even that telephone conference call you have every month with all the other librarians in your institution is a public speaking opportunity. Detailed preparation may not be needed for all of these situations, but each requires clear thinking and clear speaking.

Successful consulting depends on the ability to clearly and confidently present proposals, discuss plans, and present reports. Many times I'm asked to respond to or explain something "off the cuff." It is at these times that public speaking skills prove most useful. The consultant who cannot articulately speak about his or her services, explain how they will benefit a client, and clearly present project plans isn't successful. The same is true for all information professionals.

With that in mind, the LMD Consulting Section sponsored a session on public speaking at the Indianapolis SLA Annual Conference. We assembled a panel of people who face the public on a regular basis and asked them to provide practical tips about the development and maintenance of speaking skills. David Lantz, an Indianapolis businessman and member of Toastmasters International, titled his presentation "It's not what you say, it's how you say it." Toastmasters International (www.toastmasters.org) is an organization that provides training for people interested in developing and practicing their public speaking skills.

Lantz commented, "I want to speak to you today about how to make sure that your audience hears what you say." Citing a study in the Harvard Review, he pointed out that ninety-three percent of communication is nonverbal - seven percent words, thirty-eight percent tonality, and fifty-five percent body language. A speech starts before you even begin to speak. Lantz suggested that speakers practice the opening and dosing of a speech, talk with members of the audience before speaking, and get to know the type of audience in front of them. He noted that a good way to lose an audience is to hand out notes that follow exactly what you're going to say before your make your the presentation.

Lantz offered The S.O.F.T.E.N. Approach: Practical Pointers for How You Say It:

1. Smile. You are happy to be here.

2. Open Posture. You are friendly and relaxed and confident.

3. Forward Lean. You are going to say something interesting and important.

4. Territory. You are alive. Move around, don't just stand behind the lectern.

5. Eye Contact. You develop a rapport with the audience.

6. Nod Head. You are listening as well as speaking to the audience.

When dealing with hecklers, Lantz suggests you remain calm, listen, and suggest a meeting after the presentation to discuss their concerns. A speaker should politely listen to persons who try to monopolize a question and answer period, acknowledge their opinions, and draw attention from them by turning to another questioner.