Make Memorable SPEECHES

Who spoke at the last  meeting you attended? What did they tell you? How much can you remember?

        Having carried out well over 100 recall exercises, (in  many countries) I realised the spoken word is a poor way to instruct and to give out memorable information.  But they can be improved by following a few simple rules.

        Tell your audience what you propose to say. Make your case,  then sum up your message in your conclusion with any recommendations.        Lastly,  give out a summary handout at the finish of your talk.

A handful of tips to help make your next talk memorable

* Make the content relevant to your audience

        Get  to know the composition and the background of your audience, their age, their  wants and needs. Find out what they want to know and tell them.

        People like new information.

        Use plenty of anecdotes to create interest but keep them clean and brief.

* At the start

        Check out the sound system so all can hear you. Make sure all participants can see you. 

        Don’t hide behind a lectern – you are the main visual aid.

        Tell your audience before you start if you are giving out handouts so they don’t need to make notes.

        First get their attention. A joke or an anecdote at the start is a good way to get attention and for them to ‘tune in’ to your voice.

        Don’t read your message in a written form. We don’t talk in sentences and paragraphs. We talk in groups of words, so don’t lecture an audience – chat to them.

        The written word and the spoken word are two different forms of the language. The right word is worth much and costs little.

        Keep to simple forms, not hard to understand technical words.

        Use brief notes containing memory headings in a logical format. It’s best to chat from logical memory headings.

* Share your emotions and feelings

         Pause, to make a break, each time before you  give out new information.

        Don’t say too much. The more words you use the less people remember.

            Use as many senses as possible, sight, smell, sound, taste and touch.

        If possible ask questions and get your audience involved.

* Visual impressions linger longer so use good visual aids

        Use simple visual aids that all can see.

        Your  audience may remembers about 20% of what they hear and about 80% of what they see. Quality visuals can aid their recall.

* Give a handout at the finish to aid recall

        A speech should be ended, not allowed to expire. The end should be a climax, not an anti-climax.

        Never forget the fleeting nature of oral communications.

Geoffrey Moss DTM (mossassociates.co.nz)

“A good rule is to leave unmentioned what your audience already knows – tell them something new.”

Source: “Persuasive Ways. ‘Tricks of the trade’ to get your ideas across”. First published by  Moss Associates Ltd., New Zealand and in Chinese by the Shanghai People’s Publishing House, the Singapore Institute of Management, Kogan Page Ltd, U.K and in Hungarian by Bagolyvar Konyvkiado.  Also published as the “Secrets of Persuasion” by Cengage Learning Asia and as an e-book and sold by Amazon.com.