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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.1
Giving great speeches
Three steps to more impact
Emily Nagle Green
2© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
My big idea for you
Great speakers are
made, not born:
Plan, practice, and
polish
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3© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Agenda
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1. What is a great speech?
2. Preparing the speech
3. Preparing yourself
4© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
What’s a speech?
‣ Founder pitching to an investor
‣ Salesperson presenting to a prospect
‣ Employee asking for resources
‣ Managers reporting updates
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5© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
What’s a great speech?
‣ Memorable.
• “Wow, he was awesome!”
‣ Impactful.
• “We decided to go with her plan.”
• “That presentation changed our view completely.”
‣ A speech needs both results to be great.
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6© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Agenda
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1. What is a great speech?
2. Preparing the speech
3. Preparing yourself
7© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Preparing the speech
1. Start the plan with a clear goal
2. Know your audience
3. Define a time budget
4. Use a simple structure
5. Guide your listeners
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8© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Start the plan with a clear goal
‣ Muddy ambitions produce muddy presentations
‣ Clear goals begin with a sharp verb:
• Persuade ...an investor to buy into your vision
• Inspire ...teammates to believe they can make the deadline
• Scare ...prospects about life without what you offer
• Teach ...how to give a speech
‣ Make that verb shape your content and delivery
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9© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Know your audience ‣ DON’T skip this step:
it’s a critical success factor
‣ Size and status determines how formal you should be
‣ Awareness of topic determines how much depth you go into
‣ Likely attitude should guide what proof you offer
‣ U.S. vs. international? Young or old? Many other dimensions affect results
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Define a time budget
‣ What’s right for this opportunity?
‣ Let that determine your length
‣ Don’t kid yourself: too long is never OK
‣ “Aim to stop talking before they stop listening.”
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Use a simple structure
‣ Theme (say what you’re going to say)
• If your audience only remembers one thing...
• A publicly-appropriate version of your goal
‣ Agenda (what you’re going to say)
• Just the 2, 3, or 4 points you need - no more!
• Make them short and lively
‣ Summary (repeat what you said)
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Structure example
‣Theme: • Acme Widgets are the only way
to capture roadrunners
‣Agenda:1.You have lots of problems
catching roadrunners
2.Acme Widgets deliver unique solutions
3.Coyotes have won with Acme
4.Next steps for Wile E. and Acme
‣Summary• Roadrunners are hard to catch
• Acme Widgets work
• All coyotes should use Acme12
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Content guidelines
‣ Bullets, not buckshot:
Maximum impact comes from minimal content
‣ It’s not about you: make it audience-centric
• “You” and “yours”, not “my” or “ours”
‣ Words matter.
• Use bold, powerful words, not fancy 5-dollar ones
• Avoid weasel words: “possibly”, “might”, “could”
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
If you use slides...
‣ Keep them very simple
‣ Say what your slides say!
‣ Keep audience with you: Build, build, build
‣ Balance text and graphics
‣ Stay away from the cute stuff unless you’re Disney
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Graphs, charts, & data - oh my!
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‣They can provide very compelling proof
‣...but can become a dangerous rat hole• Impose cognitive load
• Can induce more debate than you want
‣Think of them as seasoning • Know what they mean
• Strip them back
• Preview and build
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Page
Our offline behaviors are changing fast
Source: Yankee Group Anywhere Consumer survey 2011, waves 2 (February) and 5 (May)
Do you ever use your smartphone to compare prices or find reviews while shopping?
Yes No
Eight-point rise in 4 months
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Guide your listeners
‣ Listener attention wanders constantly
‣ Tell them where they are regularly
‣ You crafted one key message to remember: so repeat your theme
‣ Do it identically every time
• It’ll feel weird to you
• But it won’t bother the audience... unless the theme itself is annoying
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
My big idea for you
Great speakers are
made, not born:
Plan, practice, and
polish
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Agenda
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1. What is a great speech?
2. Preparing the speech
3. Preparing yourself
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Preparing yourself
1. Plan your style
2. Practice the speech
3. Optimize your environment
4. Manage your nerves
5. Polish to eliminate other problems
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Plan your speaking style
‣ You want to be genuine, for sure
‣ But you already adapt behavior to situations
‣ Speeches aren’t one-size-fits-all occasions
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‣Think through style, posture, expressions
‣What will fit your goal? (remember your verb)
‣Imagery helps
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Practice the speech
‣ Talk it out alone; use PowerPoint/Keynote timing
‣ Revise!
• What order works best? Where do you bog down?
• Do you need more proof? Is there too much preamble?
‣ Make speaker’s notes for trouble spots, or for great phrases that work
• But don’t write it all out; it will limit how real you feel
‣ Get feedback from someone you trust
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Optimize your environment
‣ Always test the setup, and always have a backup
‣ Make sure you have space to move around
‣ Don’t wear your slides
‣ Don’t let the room go totally dark
‣ Don’t let your appearance be a distraction
‣ Keep clutter to a minimum
‣ Delay handouts
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Manage your nerves
‣ If you’re not nervous... you’re dead!
‣ It’s pure adrenaline: your fuel to be great
• Know the symptoms and welcome their arrival
• Memorize your first points, in case you panic
• Breathe slowly and deeply
‣ Collect survival stories to avoid feeling alone
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Polishing eliminates other problems
‣ Pacing makes the biggest difference in delivery
‣ Habits annoy or distract your listeners
• Pacing - or being frozen in stone
• Fussing with hair and clothing
• Repetitive words or phrases
• Rapid or inaudible delivery
‣ Be brave: ask someone what you need to work on
‣ Critique other speeches
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
One last time: Avoid. these. mistakes.
‣ Too much content
‣ Too much preamble
‣ Too much text
‣ Too much multimedia
‣ Too much apologizing
‣ Too much fussing
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‣Too little thought
‣Too little structure
‣Too little practice
‣... too little impact
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
My big idea for you
Great speakers are
made, not born:
Plan, practice, and
polish
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Summary
‣ Plan a clear structure with simple ideas and lots of repetition
‣ Practice, reorganize and tighten
‣ Polish your delivery to build real confidence
‣ Finally: come to a clear, confident close
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© Copyright 2011. Yankee Group Research, Inc. All rights reserved.
Thank you - and good luck!
Emily Nagle [email protected]
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