Chapter 14 Delivering Presentations 429c Record a practice session. Recording your performance will allow you to get
a sense of how well you project your voice, articulate your points, and use
nonverbal cues.c Ask for feedback. See if you can find a person or two to listen to your speech
who will give you an honest and constructive critique of your performance.
Ask what they remember most about your presentation. Did they focus
mostly on your content, or were they distracted by your postures, gestures,
or stammering? Were your presentation aids helpful, or were they distracting
or confusing?
BACK TO The King’s Speech
At the beginning of the chapter, we talked about Britain’s King
George VI, or Albert, who was thrust into a position that de-
manded public speaking skills even though he struggled with
a challenging stutter. Let’s think about Albert’s journey, as well
as that of David Seidler, who was inspired by Albert’s story and
eventually brought it to the screen with The King’s Speech, in light
of what we’ve learned in this chapter.c Albert struggled with his stammer for years and was only able to get it under
control after prolonged, and somewhat experimental, speech therapy. For-
tunately, by the time he was unexpectedly crowned king, he had made great
progress. Had his position as a royal prince not required him to speak pub-
licly, he might have avoided speech therapy. He was prepared to speak, even
though he did not wish to do so, and never expected to have to do so—at
least not as king.c As a king in the early twentieth century, Albert had to contend with emerg-
ing media—particularly radio—when giving speeches. Although he still had
to contend with the transactional nature of public speeches (in which he
must interact with and adjust to the audience), radio gave him the oppor-
tunity to gain confidence and practice: the audience’s feedback is limited in
radio’s linear model of communication.
c The audience plays a role in the success of any speech, and it is likely that
British citizens, facing the uncertainty of world war, wanted the king to suc-
ceed. As actor Colin Firth (who portrayed the king in David Seidler’s The
King’s Speech) noted, “People knew this man was facing his demons just by
speaking to them. I think there was a sense that it cost him something. They
found it valiant” (CBS News, 2010).After you have practiced
in front of one or more
friends, family members, or
classmates, consider their
feedback. Was anything
about the feedback sur-
prising? Did they note the
strengths and weaknesses
that you expected them to
pick up on, based on your
own self-assessment? If not,
how might you incorporate
their feedback into your next
practice session?AND YOU?