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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.
_____________________________
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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