Aids to Speaking (1979)

foreign and finally the reason that I was so delighted to be invited to Detroit is because this is the Citadel of our corporate image we must defend that image and with a proper defense sales will follow it is a goal we can meet that must be met and with your help we will succeed Bravo thanks uh the audio okay the volume all right coming through loud and clear even in the back great thanks very much for your assistance just checking the public address system I do a lot of speaking in my work and wherever I go I try to check things out before the audience arrives the size of the room the seating arrangement and especially those all-important aids to public speaking the microphone the lectern and my visual aids you really can't be too well prepared I learned that lesson the hard way several years ago when I was still a novice speaker I was asked to address a sales convention I worked hard preparing that speech really burned the midnight oil when the big day came I was really nervous but I was ready I thought thank you are you all set uh yeah I think I've got everything under control um where's the easel easel yeah for my visual aids uh we don't have an easel I was in trouble already I'd assume there'd be an easel to hold my flip chart but there wasn't and it was too late to find one well maybe I can prop them up on the lectern uh lectern don't tell me you don't have a lectern Larry you didn't tell me you needed a lectern so I suppose that you would not no easel no lectern what was I to do then I had another thought surely someone had made arrangements for a microphone what about the microphone microphone that we have Phil that's a hand Mike I've got my hands full now how can I handle this and that I need a stand or a boom or a lectern or an easel or something I can't go on but I don't have to tell you what that speech was like this uh salesman must try to must take drastic action to uh turn the problem around even with the hastily arranged Health with the visual aids visual materials that speech was a disaster salesman's earnings have fallen drastically below the 150 000 mark uh who um [Laughter] that painful experience taught me to find out as much as I can about the speaking situation before I have to speak if I need a lectern or a microphone an easel or any other speaking Aid I make sure it's available well beforehand of course it's important to know how to use those speaking AIDS take the lectern for example lecterns come in a variety of shapes and sizes but they all serve the same purpose to hold the speaker's notes where he can easily see them unfortunately some speakers use the lectern in other ways the novice speaker often uses the lectern as a lifesaver like a piece of Driftwood in a tempest he clings to it in desperation as if his very survival were at stake the school seen for a long time I think then there's the Other Extreme the percussive Persuader he uses the lectern as a drum on which he forcefully hammers home his message while this style of delivery never fails to grab the audience's attention it can have a wearing effect on the lectern and listener alike sometimes the stress on both becomes unbearable a good speaker never uses the lectern in a way that distracts from his speech he doesn't grip it lean on it or slouch over it he doesn't move it around drum his fingers on it or Pummel it with his fists he simply centers himself squarely behind it and speaks to his audience he uses the lectern as it was intended as a tool which liberates his hands and arms for gesture to the people then and to us today he was saying he much rather have Liberty and if he could not have Liberty he would rather die actually the lectern presents few problems for most public speakers but that can't be said for this speaking Aid used properly a microphone enables the speaker to communicate comfortably with a large audience but use it improperly and it can become a tool of torture inflicting your audience with a variety of physical and mental torments should appoint a committee this common form of Torment called feedback occurs when the speaker fails to stand within the microphone's Optimum range and the volume on the public address amplifier has been set too high in this situation some of the sound from the loudspeakers feeds back into the PA system via the microphone this overloads the system and causes the painful Screech to help stop the speakers should move into the mic's optimum range usually about 12 to 18 inches from the mic and the volume on the PA system must be turned down accordingly to help solve this problem once and for all thank you a speaker who gets too close to the microphone subjects the audience to another form of audio anguish it sounds like this real problem the supervisor and you as supervisor must be prepared to deal with employee complaints promptly and in a rapid fashion equally tormenting are the sounds produced by a speaker who won't keep his mitts off the mic how can we cope with those minor annoyances that constantly rub us the wrong way and and drag us down into Despair and cause anxiety but perhaps the worst Agony of all is inflicted by the speaker who ignores or forgets the microphone altogether who the willingness to take a chance and number three you've got to be able to delegate we would rather communicate with his audience than torture it so he gives careful attention to microphone technique so I'll give you tonight's main speaker Dean Gerald Stephens experience speaker adjust the microphone to the correct height before he starts speaking should he have trouble he simply asks the chairman for help he's careful to place the microphone so the audience can see his entire face above it he knows that lip movements and facial expressions help his audience understand what he's saying he stands comfortably erect and speaks into the microphone in a clear strong voice he usually evaluates his Clarity and volume by listening to his voice as its broadcast from the speaker system however in a field house Stadium or large Auditorium the sound reverberation may be so distracting that a speaker must try to ignore his Amplified voice of this great great University in this situation it's best to concentrate on what you're saying as you speak to avoid being distracted by your voice coming from the loudspeakers [Music] regardless of the speaking situation your goal should always be to communicate with your audience that's why if you are ever unsure of your listeners ability to hear you ask your audience will appreciate this simple Act of courtesy you hear me okay in the back if you can hear me raise your hand they'll also appreciate the courtesy you show by turning away from the mic to cough or clear your throat the experienced speaker knows the microphone is a valuable speaking tool and he lets this tool do most of his work for him for example to emphasize a point he need not step back and raise his voice this is he can lean forward and lower it spoke a bit long ago as Thoreau once said it takes two to speak the truth the one to speak and another to hear a good speaker is especially mindful of the use of his microphone when he employs visual aids otherwise he might Commit This common mistake through the head-up display is shown on this illustration there are several Simple Solutions to this problem you can place the visual aids closer to the microphone as you can see there is a circular area aiming have an assistant handle the visual aids as shown on this illustration as you can see there is a circular aiming or use a microphone that permits freedom of movement such as a lavalier mic you can see there's a circular aiming reference and the Target in this example although a microphone helps your audience hear what you're saying it's often more important for them to see what you're saying and that's the reason for visual aids visuals help an audience grasp information they might not comprehend by speech alone they can reveal what is normally invisible or hidden make facts and figures meaningful or illustrate complicated processes or relationships a good visual can be worth a thousand words [Music] but no one benefits from a drawing that's too small to be seen a slide that's out of focus or a chart that's too crowded or complex [Music] using a meaningless unnecessary visual does nothing but make a speaker look ridiculous what then is the solution you may ask well I'll tell you the solution is to increase sales that's right increased sales and you all know how to do that the way you increase sales is to make sure that the point is use visuals only when they really Aid the audience's understanding if they add nothing to what you're saying don't use them increased sales when you do use a visual aid make it large enough for the entire audience to see clearly use broad heavy lines and different colors to make distinctions clear from the distance keep your visuals simple and uncluttered don't try to put too much information on one visual instead simplify your material by using a series of illustrations product knowledge selling skills an attitude three elements in what I think of as the sales triangle let's examine them each in turn first product knowledge what you should know about what you are selling product knowledge and flip charts are a particularly effective Aid when you're speaking to smaller audiences besides adding interest to your speech they can list your main points so you don't need a written speech or note cards long lasting and price how does the product compare with those of your competitors also the physical movement involved in flipping the pages and gesturing helps relieve the tension that often causes stage fright when addressing a large audience you'll have to transfer your visuals to slides film strips or transparencies for projection these materials permit enlargements for easy viewing a good speaker never allows a visual aid to become a visual hindrance he always thinks of the audience and talks to it not the visual he glances at the visual only long enough to locate or point out specific information he then turns back to his audience a good speaker also keeps all visual aids out of sight until they're needed otherwise they arouse the audience's Curiosity and thus hinder communication looking at the skeleton that's good support for the same reason he removes or covers visuals when he's finished with them one of the reasons that human being as you probably realized by now the proper use of any Aid to public speaking the visual aid the lectern the microphone is largely a matter of Common Sense as a matter of fact you might say the greatest speaking Aid you have is right here by following the examples of good speakers a very successful year and I think you're to be commended for your accomplishments and avoiding the mistakes of the bad you can become a better speaker and experience the satisfaction that comes from reaching your audience [Music]