Secrets of Impromptu Presentations
by Linda Fierman


Linda Fierman is the founder of …Speaking from Experience, a sales and presentation skills training company. These remarks are excerpted from a speech that Linda will be giving to a national gathering of financial aid directors just before the presidential election of 2000.

The opportunity to give an unexpected, unrehearsed talk can strike fear in the hearts of many a presenter. The recent presidential and vice-presidential debates offer a good model for impromptu speaking. They’re worth studying and seeing what life lessons we can come away with.

BUT I HATE TO BE SURPRISED, AND THEREFORE UNPREPARED … The candidates did not know the questions in advance, nor did they know the remarks that would immediately proceed the questions. They could, however, be fairly certain that they would be asked to talk about the major issues on their respective platforms. So, in a way, they were prepared for whatever came their way.

You share the very same advantage. It’s reasonable to assume that any issue surrounding student aid would be fair game for you and that you would be equally well prepared to answer it. It is also improbable that you’d be ambushed with a random query on the surge in student violence. Don’t waste precious energy focusing on the unlikely.

BUT WHAT IF I AM AMBUSHED … Those of us not in politics cling to the notion that it is imperative to answer the exact question that has been put to us, even if that question is inappropriate, ill-timed, or mean-spirited. Recall that vice-president Gore answered the moderator’s opening question by changing the subject. Governor Bush employed the same tactic to keep audience attention focused on his main themes. Unfair? Not quite cricket? Neither contender received any substantial criticism for handling queries this way. Using a transition phrase such as "it might be more productive for us to focus on…" or "my own perspective on that is probably not as useful to you as…" is a good segue into a subject that you are prepared to pursue. And equally important, (in political parlance) it allows you to stay on message. That is something that becomes increasingly meaningful when you consider audience retention rate.

IF YOU REMEMBER NOTHING ELSE… remember that the typical audience has a shockingly low retention rate, even when an experienced speaker is presenting an interesting topic. There are several ways that you can improve upon this. One of the easiest and most effective approaches is to focus on only one or two main points and to use creative repetition. Think of this technique as creating your own personal sound bite.

The political analysts are predicting that this upcoming election is too close to call but if you’ll put these simple ideas to work, you’ll be a winner in impromptu presentations.
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Linda Fierman is a nationally known speaker and trainer. A graduate of Monmouth College with an MA in education and training, she has developed a series of highly effective, interactive techniques to help business professionals improve their sales and presentation skills. Prior to founding …Speaking from Experience in 1985 she held training, sales, and management positions at Peachtree MSA, Honeywell, and Lanier Business Products.

Linda’s clients are diverse and include members of the banking and financial community, high tech firms, public service agencies, engineering, service, and manufacturing companies. She has enjoyed a consultative relationship with The American Management Association since 1989 and is consistently ranked as one of their most popular seminar leaders.

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