The_Essential_Manager_s_Handbook

256 / SPEAKING AND WRITING

Planning your speech

Defining substance

and style

When it comes to giving a speech,

content is king. Substance matters

and there is absolutely no substitute

for knowing what you’re talking about.

This means that, whenever possible, you

should select a topic that you know and

understand, so that you can talk about

it with confidence. However, this also

depends on your audience; never forget

that they are the reason you are in the

room. Using your knowledge of your

audience to tailor the content to meet

their expectations is not a guarantee

of success, but it is certainly a step

in the right direction.

Determining your purpose

Before you start to plan the details of

your speech, make sure that you know

why you are speaking. If you can’t come

up with a reason for speaking, then don’t

speak. Identifying your role as a speaker

and your importance to the listeners is

especially important. It may be that this

audience wants your views on the subject

at hand and is keenly interested in your

opinions. Alternatively, your purpose

may be purely to inform them about a

topic, and the demand for your opinions

may not be as high as you imagine.

Find out, too, all you can about

the context in which the presentation

will take place. You need to know the

answers to questions such as: is your

audience still in the fact-gathering stage,

or are they ready to make a decision?

What is their reason for listening to

you? How urgent is the subject you’ll

be speaking about? Have recent events,

either locally or globally, affected their

view of the topic in any way? Are your

listeners involved in a process that

will require them to take action after

hearing what you have to say?

Preparing for a business presentation is the most important stage of

the process. While it may seem daunting at first, planning your speech

becomes much easier once you break the task down into manageable

steps, ensuring that you address all the relevant issues at the right time.

MAKE TIME

FOR RESEARCH

You’re being paid for

your time preparing and

delivering the speech, but

the 80:20 rule applies—

spend around 80 percent

of your time on research

and preparation, and

only around 20 percent

on practice and delivery.

Tip

Identifying your role as a

speaker and your importance

to the listeners is essential

US_256-257_Planning_Your_Speech.indd 256 30/05/16 3:04 pm