Public Speaking for Technical Professionals	Search BWA Web Pages

Notes from BWA Meeting, January 2003

Presenter Jerry Day is an Instructional Designer and WBT Project Manager for Agilent Technologies of Loveland. His experience includes 14 years with HP/Agilent as a tech writer, instructional designer, project manager, CBT and WBT developer, 8 years as a classroom instructor for the USAF. He has delivered over 200 speaking presentations for colleges, corporations, professional guilds, and the military. His presentation covered the following areas:

1. Why should someone be a public speaker?
2. Overcoming fear
3. How to prepare
4. Tips and techniques for effective public speaking
5. How to ask and answer questions
6. How to deal with a hostile audience

1. Why should someone be a public speaker?

• We are communicators. Public speaking is an essential part of communication.
• Public speaking is necessary for our professional survival. It's a way to justify our existence and advance our careers. Managers don't like "cube hermits."
• Public speaking is an essential part of how we present ourselves at job interviews or to potential or existing clients.
• Public speaking is how we interact with and represent our work teams.
  

2. Overcoming fear

Sources of fear:

• Looking foolish to people who matter to us
• Thinking the audience is being critical
• Thinking we need to be brilliant
• Trying to impart too much information
• Trying to please everybody
• Trying to emulate some other good speaker
• Trying to be perfect
• Trying to control the behavior of the audience
• Preparing too much
  

How to gain confidence and reduce fear:

• Organize your thoughts but don't over-prepare.
• Concentrate on the message.
• Know the material. Practice and revise.
• Visualize yourself speaking. Use a mirror or get videotaped.
• Get to know the room (show up early).
• Do a sound check.
• Get to know some of the audience (show up early and mingle).
• Relax beforehand. Sit straight and breathe deeply.
• Visualize a friendly audience.
• Visualize an unimportant audience.
• Know that your audience wants you to do well.
• Don't apologize for being nervous. They might not know!
• Turn nervousness into positive energy.
• Collect successes and gain experience.

3. How to prepare

• Practice, but don't overdo it.
  
• Practice alone or in a small group.
• Don't read your presentation.
• Give your presentation several times.
• Have a backup plan-note cards, outline, spare projector bulb.

4. Tips and techniques for effective public speaking

• Talk with the audience, not at them.
• When you ask questions, listen to the answers.
• Get the audience involved with some interactive exercise.
• Place nothing between you and the audience.
• Mingle. Try to remember names and use them.
• Smile-it's a conversation starter.
• Use personal anecdotes. The audience needs to relate.
• Don't point out your mistakes.
• Be yourself.
• No bravado or lying. The audience can tell.
• Speak at a level appropriate to the audience.
• Look for a creative angle.
• The audience sees calm and poise as confidence.
• Don't overstay your welcome. Know when you're done. Everyone appreciates brevity.
• Speak clearly.
• Use appropriate volume. Use a helper to do a sound check beforehand.
• Nervousness leads to speaking too fast. Slow down.
• Pause. Catch your breath. Take a drink of water.
• Make eye contact.
• Don't fidget or rattle pocket contents.
• Don't keep your hands in your pockets.
• Don't pace.
• Use natural hand gestures, about two per sentence. Don't overdo this.
• Use pauses strategically. Use pauses as an antidote for "uh," "um," and "you know."
• Vary pitch, volume, and rate of speech to achieve effect. Make them work for you.

5. How to ask and answer questions

• Give the audience time to answer-about 6 seconds.
• Repeat or paraphrase questions for the benefit of all.
• Ask for agreement with a paraphrase.
• Relate questions back to your own main points if possible.
• Ask for clarification if you don't understand the question.
• Pause to think of the answer.
• If you don't know the answer, be honest.
• Answers should last 10 to 40 seconds. Keep the presentation on track.
• Be prepared to "take it offline."
• If someone takes issue with a point, find a way to agree at least partly.
• Answer simply and directly.
• Anticipate areas of question and prepare factual material for answers.
• Treat two questions from the same person as two questions.

6. How to deal with a hostile audience

• Be friendly.
• Regard and treat a hostile person as a friend.
• Keep your temper.
• Be cool. That gives an aura of confidence.
• Don't put down your questioner. Don't lie or bend the truth.
• Tell the truth even if it hurts.
• Don't point at anyone or put your hands on your hips. That is scolding body language.
• Keep things moving.
• Don't get into loops or "rat holes."
• Conclude smartly.

Good Resource

Jerry recommends Presentations Magazine, a free publication which also has a web site (www.presentations.com).

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Comments? Please contact Liz Hill at liz@lizhill.net Last update: 11 February 2003