Giving a Speech? -- My Top 10 Suggestions, by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

1. Write your own introduction and make it pertinent, emphasizing your credentials.

2. Make sure you absolutely know who is going to be in the audience, why they are there and why they invited you to speak.

3. Go to the facility early to make sure you're comfortable in the surroundings. Check the microphone, lighting, audio/visual equipment.

4. The first 30 seconds have the most impact. Don't waste these precious seconds with "Ladies and Gentlemen" or a weather report. Launch right in with a startling statement, quote or story. End with a bang, not a whimper.

5. Do not start a speech with humor unless you are absolutely brilliant at it. If you tell a bad joke, you're going to lose any credibility you have. Moreover, if your only humorous material is at the beginning, the audience is going to be disappointed when you become serious.

6. If you're giving a 1/2 hour speech, don't expect to tell the audience everything you know. Pick two or three important points.

7. If your presentation involves statistics and analytical data, put them in a handout that the audience can refer to. Don't bore them by reciting a plethora of numbers.

8. Don't read your speech. Look the audience in the eye. Write down key points or statements. Deliver the rest extemporaneously.

9. Think in outline form:

• What are the five questions you're most frequently asked? Set up your talk, point by point, speaking to the audience as if they were guests at a party.
• Or use the Alcoholics Anonymous outline: This is where I was...This is where I am now...This is how I got here.

10. Practice with a tape recorder or in front of friends and family. After every point, ask yourself, "Who cares?" If no one does, edit it out.

© Patricia Fripp. All rights reserved.