Professional Documents
Culture Documents
com/video-critiques/
1
Audience and Context
A speaker will need to use different techniques to connect with an audience of
1500 than they would with an audience of 15. Similarly, different techniques will
be applied when communicating with teenagers as opposed to communicating with
corporate leaders.
Where and when is the speech being delivered?
What are the key demographic features of the audience? Technical?
Students? Elderly? Athletes? Business leaders?
How large is the audience?
In addition to the live audience, is there an external target audience? (e.g. on
the Internet or mass media)
2
Speech Opening
Due to the primacy effect, words, body language, and visuals in the speech
opening are all critical to speaking success.
Was a hook used effectively to draw the audience into the speech? Or did the
speaker open with a dry “It’s great to be here today”
Did the speech open with a story? A joke? A startling statistic?
A controversial statement? A powerful visual?
Did the speech opening clearly establish the intent of the presentation?
Speech Body
Was the presentation focused? i.e. Did all arguments, stories, anecdotes relate
back to the primary objective?
Were examples or statistics provided to support the arguments?
Were metaphors and symbolism used to improve understanding?
Was the speech organized logically? Was it easy to follow?
Did the speaker bridge smoothly from one part of the presentation to the next?
Speech Conclusion
Like the opening, the words, body language, and visuals in the speech conclusion
are all critical to speaking success.
Was the conclusion concise?
Was the conclusion memorable?
If appropriate, was there a call-to-action?
3
Humor
Was humor used?
Visual Aids
Were they designed effectively?
Vocal Variety
Was the speaker easy to hear?
Were loud and soft variations used appropriately?
Was the pace varied? Was it slow enough overall to be understandable?
Were pauses used to aid understandability, heighten excitement, or provide
drama?
4
Language
Was the language appropriate for the audience?
Did the speaker articulate clearly?
Were sentences short and easy to understand?
Was technical jargon or unnecessarily complex language used?
What rhetorical devices were used? e.g. repetition, alliteration, etc.
Intangibles
Sometimes, a technically sound speech can still miss the mark. Likewise, technical
deficiencies can sometimes be overcome to produce a must-see presentation. The
intangibles are impossible to list, but here are a few questions to consider:
How did the speech make you feel?
Were you convinced?
Would you want to listen to this speaker again?
Were there any original ideas or techniques?
5
How to Improve Your Speeches through Audience Analysis
How do you capitalize on your audience analysis? That is, how do you reap the
benefits to offset the time that you invested?
How to improve your presentation based on your audience analysis?
6
6. Choose stories which will resonate with your audience.
7. Design visuals that impact your audience.
8. Customize your call-to-action for this audience.
7
Don’t say “dollars” when you should be saying “euros.” Don’t use acronyms or
technical jargon that your audience won’t understand. Similarly, don’t be sloppy
with terms where your audience expects high precision. Do your homework!
5. Draw upon sources which your audience recognizes for statistics, quotations,
examples, or other evidence.
To maximize the impact of quotations, examples, and other supporting material,
draw from sources that your audience knows and (hopefully) respects.
For example, quote Bill Gates when speaking to entrepreneurs or CEOs. Quote
Justin Bieber when talking to teen-aged girls.
8
engaged. If your audience is a group of service club members, however, your call-
to-action might be to invite hands-on participation on a new home.]
Sometimes, though, your audience analysis will uncover a specific fact that will
impact your choices. Consider the following special audiences:
Mandatory audience
Overall, it’s much easier speaking to people who choose to attend, because
their attendance demonstrates their motivation. So, when speaking to an
audience where participation is mandatory, you’ll need to convince them that
there is value for them.
Hostile audience
When your audience is predisposed to oppose your message, you’ll need to
practice logical jujitsu to show them how their beliefs really do support your
objectives. You are probably doomed if you fail to recognize this in your
analysis.
Fatigued audience
When you are speaking late in the afternoon (or evening), or even just before
lunch after a tiring morning, it is tough to keep your audience’s attention. Keep
it short. Keep it upbeat and high-energy.
Conference audience
Whenever you are speaking at a larger event, do your homework on how your
presentation fits with the material from other speakers. The more you can draw
connections for the audience, the more valuable you’ll be.
10
How much audience analysis is necessary?It depends
11
3. Organize ideas logically – A well-organized presentation can be absorbed
with minimal mental strain. Bridging is key.
4. Employ quotations, facts, and statistics – Don’t include these for the sake of
including them, but do use them appropriately to complement your ideas.
5. Master metaphors – Metaphors enhance the understandability of the message
in a way that direct language often can not.
6. Tell a story – Everyone loves a story. Points wrapped up in a story are more
memorable, too!
7. Start strong and close stronger – The body of your presentation should be
strong too, but your audience will remember your first and last words (if,
indeed, they remember anything at all).
8. Incorporate humour – Knowing when to use humour is essential. So is
developing the comedic timing to deliver it with greatest effect.
9. Vary vocal pace, tone, and volume – A monotone voice is like fingernails on
the chalkboard.
10.Punctuate words with gestures – Gestures should complement your words in
harmony. Tell them how big the fish was, and show them with your arms.
11.Utilize 3-dimensional space – Chaining yourself to the lectern limits the
energy and passion you can exhibit. Lose the notes, and lose the chain.
12.Complement words with visual aids – Visual aids should aid the message;
they should not be the message.
13.Analyze your audience – Deliver the message they want (or need) to hear.
14.Connect with the audience – Eye contact is only the first step. Aim to have
the audience conclude “This speaker is just like me!” The sooner, the better.
15.Interact with the audience – Ask questions (and care about the answers).
Solicit volunteers. Make your presentation a dialogue.
16.Conduct a Q&A session – Not every speaking opportunity affords a Q&A
session, but understand how to lead one productively. Use the Q&A to solidify
the impression that you are an expert, not (just) a speaker.
17.Lead a discussion – Again, not every speaking opportunity affords time for a
discussion, but know how to engage the audience productively.
12
18.Obey time constraints – Maybe you have 2 minutes. Maybe you have 45.
Either way, customize your presentation to fit the time allowed, and respect
your audience by not going over time.
19.Craft an introduction – Set the context and make sure the audience is ready
to go, whether the introduction is for you or for someone else.
20.Exhibit confidence and poise – These qualities are sometimes difficult for a
speaker to attain, but easy for an audience to sense.
21.Handle unexpected issues smoothly – Maybe the lights will go out. Maybe
the projector is dead. Have a plan to handle every situation.
22.Be coherent when speaking off the cuff – Impromptu speaking (before, after,
or during a presentation) leaves a lasting impression too. Doing it well tells the
audience that you are personable, and that you are an expert who knows their
stuff beyond the slides and prepared speech.
23.Seek and utilize feedback – Understand that no presentation or presenter
(yes, even you!) is perfect. Aim for continuous improvement, and understand
that the best way to improve is to solicit candid feedback from as many people
as you can.
24.Listen critically and analyze other speakers – Study the strengths and
weakness of other speakers.
25.Act and speak ethically – Since public speaking fears are so common, realize
the tremendous power of influence that you hold. Use this power responsibly.
Imagine you are scheduled to deliver a speech in two weeks. At first, you are
excited about the opportunity. Very soon, however, a feeling of dread overwhelms
you — what will your speech topic be?
Conventional wisdom says to talk about what you know, but conventional wisdom
is only partially correct.
This article reveals three questions you must ask before choosing your speech
topic, and how the answers lead you to great speech topics for you and your
audience.
13
The Secret Three Questions
Before considering a speech topic, ask yourself these three questions:
1. Am I an expert on this topic?
It isn’t necessary to know everything about a topic, but you do need to know
more about the topic than your audience to be seen as a credible speaker. Your
knowledge must cover not only what you plan to say, but go beyond that so
that you are able to comfortably handle questions afterward.
2. Am I passionate about this topic?
Passion for spreading your knowledge about a topic is the fuel that will power
your speech delivery. Your posture, your gestures, your eyes, your facial
expressions, and your energy level are all elevated when you talk about topics
you enjoy. Likewise, all of these suffer when you talk about topics that you
find mundane.
3. Does my audience care about this topic?
If your audience doesn’t see value for themselves in your topic, there are two
possibilities. Either they don’t show up, or they show up and tune out. In either
case, you are wasting your breath. Every successful speech must contain
explicit value for your audience.
14
1. Turning the lights off during presentations?
The first presentation day in a classroom can be scary. Students are expected to
weave together the material they’ve learned in an engaging, dynamic way, and
those public speaking fears often rear their ugly heads at the last second. Students
will sometimes ask right before they start speaking, “Can I turn off the lights?”
This question is often couched in some kind of excuse like, “I really worked hard
on my slides, and I want my audience to be able to see them.” My answer is
always, “The lights stay on.”
“If your audience can’t see you, you won’t be able to connect with them…”
Students learn this bad habit by watching their professor’s lecture with the lights
out. And why wouldn’t they want to do this themselves? Students feel much
more comfortable with the lights off because the audience is looking at the
slideshow instead of looking at them presenting.
15
Jim Endicott sees presentation as a three-legged stool comprised of the following:
1. speech content/message;
2. delivery; and
3. visual presentation.
Since there are three legs to Endicott’s presentation stool metaphor, my students
are plagued by three bad habits.
Sometimes, students will put too much focus on content, while ignoring their
delivery and visual presentation.
Other times, students will spend so much time on their visual
presentation that content and delivery fall by the wayside.
For a few charismatic folks, delivery is the primary focus, and they don’t
develop content or a slideshow because they rely on their wits instead of a
message.
“Focus on learning the importance of all three legs of the presentation stool,
and work on developing a strong presentation that stands equally on all three
legs.”
All three legs must work together successfully in order for a speech to resonate
with audiences. If a student relies too heavily on one of these legs, their speeches
fail to connect. In my class, we learn to focus on all three, and we constantly
develop and improve all areas.
You may be a delivery superstar, but relying solely on your dazzling personality to
get you through a presentation will make your audience believe you are an
unprepared, disorganized mess. And you can be the most informed person in the
world about a particular subject, but if you write out your entire script on your
slideshow in bulletpoint format, your audience is going to sleep through your
speech. Focus on learning the importance of all three legs of the presentation
stool, and work on developing a strong presentation that stands equally on all three
legs.
16
“Use storytelling, but… make certain all of your stories relate to the central
focus of your speech.”
The most important way to improve your next informative speech is to realize that
a good presenter can talk about a ham sandwich and make audiences interested.
To improve informative topics, use storytelling, butmake certain all of your stories
relate to the central focus of your speech. You can also incorporate audience
participation and interaction into your presentation. It’s also important that you
select an amazing topic that you are energetic and fired up to speak about, as your
passion will shine through.
17
Consider these examples:
Effective speakers share ideas with impact, insight and intensity. They
engage listeners with courage, conviction and confidence.
Effective speakers convey their point of
view confidently, cogently andconvincingly. They sew their thoughts with
the threads of innovation,inspiration and imagination.
Effective speakers enrich, enlighten and entertain their audiences. They
strive for compatibility, capability and credibility.
You can also use just two words to develop the refrain as Arnold
Schwarzenegger did at the 2004 Republican Convention:
America is back.
Back from the attack on our homeland.
Back from the attack on our economy.
Back from the attack on our way of life.
18
Consider this passage from Martin Luther King Jr’s famous “I Have a
Dream” speech:
And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that.
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
Feel the fight from Winston Churchill’s speech given to the British Parliament
in June, 1940:
We shall fight on the seas and oceans.
We shall fight with growing confidence and strength in the air.
We shall fight to defend our land, whatever the cost may be.
We shall fight on the beaches.
We shall fight in the fields and in the streets.
We shall fight in the hills. We will never surrender!”
Finally, consider the cadence in the words of Lyndon Johnson in August, 1964
as he accepts a nomination for President of the United States:
Most Americans want medical care for older citizens. And so do I.
Most Americans want fair and stable prices for our farmers. And so do I.
Most Americans want a decent home in a decent neighborhood for all.
And so do I.
Most Americans want an education for every child to the limit of his
ability. And so do I.
Most Americans want a job for every man who wants to work. And so do I.
Most Americans want a victory in our war against poverty. And so do I.
Most Americans want a continuing, expanding and growing prosper.And so
do I.
19
#4: Harmony
President John F. Kennedy used this rhythmic technique in his Inaugural
Address on January 20, 1961:
We will pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, supportany
friend, and oppose any foe in order to assure the survival and success of
liberty.
20
Most individuals are unaware of the static they create when they communicate.
What do I mean by static? Static is created when what you say is inconsistent
with how you say it.
For example, suppose you’re having a conversation and the other person says, in a
boring, monotone voice, “I’m so excited to have this opportunity to work with
you.” Their facial expressions are lifeless. They never look you in the eye while
they’re fidgeting with a pen. Most likely you’d question their credibility and
knowledge, and not take action on what they have to say.
21
Communication Barrier #2: Distracting Gestures
The majority of individuals I work with fidget with their fingers, rings, pen — the
list goes on. If they don’t fidget, then they unconsciously talk with their hands.
Their elbows get locked at their sides and every gesture looks the same. Or they’ve
been told they talk with their hands so they hold their hands and do nothing.
Throughout the day, notice how you and others use gestures.
Do you talk with your hands or gesture too often? If you’re constantly using
gestures, you’re not able to think on your feet and you’re creating static.
Do your gestures have purpose?
Ask for constructive feedback from friends, family and co-workers: “When I
gesture do I look like I’m talking with my hands?” “Do I use gestures too often
or not enough?”
22
Communication Barrier #3: Lack of Focus
The more you add information that isn’t necessary, the greater the risk your
listeners will misinterpret your point.
“The more you add information that isn’t necessary, the greater the risk your
listeners will misinterpret your point.”
PowerPoint isn’t designed to serve as your notes. The purpose of visual aids is to
enhance and support your message through pictures and illustrations.
How to Avoid This Barrier: Design Visual Aids, not Wordy Slides
How you design your visual aids will determine your ability to stay connected with
your listener.
Create PowerPoint slides with more pictures and fewer words.
Ask yourself, “Why am I using this PowerPoint slide?”
Identify how your PowerPoint slide best supports your message based on the
following criteria:
Listener expectations and needs.
Listener experience and knowledge level.
Objectives.
23
Time frame.
Number of participants.
Save details for handouts. Your listeners will appreciate a conversational
approach with interaction accompanied by take-aways they may use as a
resource.
Stay away from software overkill. If you’re clicking the mouse every few
seconds, your visual aids are the message and you are the backup.
If you’ve been using the same PowerPoint design for more than six months,
it’s time to make a change!
Stop disconnecting with your listener by talking to your visual aids. Only
speak when you see eyes! Pause when you refer to your visual aids and stay
connected with your listener.
24
Gain control over your message.
Benefits for listener:
Hear, understand and respond.
Act on what you say.
Communication Barrier #6
Lack of Eye Connection
The only way to build a relationship is through trust. When you forget what to say,
you will look at the ceiling, floor, PowerPoint slides or anywhere away from your
listener. When you disconnect you’ll say: “uh” “um” “so” “and”, etc.
25