I was recently approached by a friend to evaluate a speech she had prepared. It was good, well written and full of interesting content. But it wasn't a speech. It was, in effect, a spoken essay.
I told her that the text that's written to be said is different from the text that's written to be read.
An article printed in a magazine or newspaper allows you to read at your own pace, go back and read again the bits you didn't get the first time, memorise the things you want to retain. Listening to a speech is different. You hear it all just once, at the speaker's pace, and there is no instant rewind.
The speaker needs to be aware of this, and make it easy for the listener to get the point. Another consideration is the fact that our concentrations spans are very short, perhaps as little as seven seconds. Every seven seconds our minds switch to something else, so we are not paying attention all the time. (Even as you read this, you have had extraneous thoughts swim into your mind.)
For the speech or presentation to succeed, the speaker should have a purpose: it must be to bring about some change in the thinking, attitude or behaviour of the listener(s). That change can only come about if there is 'buy in' on the part of the listener, which implies some emotional response.
For a speech to achieve its purpose, there needs to be a certain type of structure, the use of repetition, and some oratorical devices. Oratory is about pressing the emotional buttons of the audience, so that they become interested, then excited, and finally enthusiastic about your proposition.
Think of the famous speeches that you remember: JFK, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama, Winston Churchill. Think of the memorable phrases in those speeches, and note the devices - repetition, triads, mini climaxes and so on. These are the powerful elements that help the speaker to reach into the hearts of their hearers.
Public speaking is much more than amplified conversation. It's a craft. It takes skill. It can be taught.
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The initial part of the post made me think of Guy Kawasaki's 30-20-10 Presentation Guide.
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.guykawasaki.com/2005/12/the_102030_rule.html#axzz0tSPfZmb0
The listener buy-in part reminded me of EIQ and my limited experience with toastmasters.
http://www.toastmasters.org/ToastmastersMagazine/ToastmasterArchive/2009/September/EmotionalIntelligence.aspx
The info about oral repetition is great! though you don't mention the body language and gestures that are also part of those great memorable speeches.
Keep up the great posting!
Roger
Ah also Pathos - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modes_of_persuasion
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