Tip 633: Do Your Public Speaking Homework, Part Three

From the Public Speaking Workshops: Do Your Homework, Part Three

Two weeks ago, we began a series on public speaking. 

In the two weeks since then, we’ve talked about identifying our audience and focusing on our topic. 

This week, we’ll look at the circumstances, the environment, the surroundings, of our presentation, and how those circumstances affect our presentation.  

Answer three questions:

1.    How big is your audience? Are you talking with eight people in the conference room? Or 125 folks in the conference center? This affects everything: Your interactivity. Your visual support. Your handouts. 

2.    When will you speak? Mondays and Fridays are tough because your audience is coming off or going into a weekend. Afternoons are tough because your audience is tired (and probably has a full stomach from lunch).         

3.    Are there other speakers? (And if there are other speakers, where are you in the speaking sequence?) Other speakers’ ideas compete with your ideas. With two other speakers, you have only one third of the attention you’d have if you were the only speaker. Attention fades as more speakers present.           

Your preparation must address these questions. Eight handouts won’t serve 125 folks. Hey. Don’t laugh. It’s happened: “WHAT? That many? Noooooo.”  

Let us know your questions. We love this stuff. We really do.