Public Speaking: Transitions

Most public speaking books will tell you to be a polished speaker you have to tie all your information together so it flows smoothly. You must lead your audience and alert them that slightly different, but related information is coming. This is called transition or segue (pronounced seg-way).

LET ME STATE RIGHT NOW THAT I FULLY BELIEVE SMOOTH TRANSITIONS ARE A NECESSITY IF YOU WANT TO HAVE YOUR AUDIENCE MEMBERS SO BORED THEY FALL RIGHT OUT OF THEIR SEATS AND SMASH THEIR HEADS ON THE FLOOR.

Come with me to the amusement park. Look around a little bit and tell me where the excitement is. Of course, it's over on the roller coaster where transitions are sharp. They are sharp and exciting even though you can see them coming. The excitement isn't over at the kiddie choo choo train (notwithstanding, the excitement you might feel watching your little munchkin on there for the very first time) where turns and motion are mild so the little ones don't get too upset. The excitement is also at the bumper cars where you can get blind-sided because cars are coming at you from all directions. The excitement isn't at the baby boat ride where a 2cm wave would flip your little bundle of joy out of the boat.

OK. when speaking in public I'll admit, some thought should be given to transition, especially with older, more traditional audiences, and when you have a very high content presentation. But you don't have to be a trite, snoozer by saying things like, . . . speaking of bananas. I'm now going to talk about bananas. You could, however, do a segue like that and then make fun of yourself for doing it by saying something like, Don't you think that transition was really smooth? Transitions are one of the places where you could plan to use some humor. This works well with technical audiences because they won't feel you are wasting their time. Since, in their minds, you are REQUIRED to do a transition anyway, it's OK if it's funny.

Segues aren't important at all for 85 percent or higher humor content presenters or stand-up comics. You can just speak away and as long as they are laughing, no one much cares about transitions. If you are not in this category, then you can begin paying a little attention to bridging the gaps between your points and topics. Just don't be trite and don't think you have to say something to make the transition.

You can make transitions by changing stage position, pausing, using visual aids, giving out a handout, picking up a prop or sharply varying the sound you make come out of the public address system. Do anything that breaks the pattern of what you were doing in the previous segment and introduces what you plan to do.

For verbal transitions, one-liners, anecdotes, and questions work well. Also, people seem to like and need recaps, so I am in favor of saying things like, To recap this section . . .

When speaking in public, whatever you do, think in terms of roller coasters and bumper cars so you keep your audience excited and alert all the time.

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Public Speaking : Attention Gaining Devices

Attention spans are short. Here is the 'Wake em Up' way to keep the audience with you. After you have created your talk, go through it and make sure that every 2-4 minutes you use some kind of attention gaining device.

You could increase your voice inflection, show a visual, hold up a prop, move around the room, tell a story, throw out a one liner, write on a flip chart, show a picture of your kids if you want to.

Just make sure that no more than a few minutes goes by between attention gaining devices. The audience won't know you are using a technique on them, but at the end they will say. Wow! That time sure went by fast!

Public Speaking Visuals: The Centerpiece Area

Whenever you are public speaking at an event where food is being served at round tables, you can use the centerpiece area as part of your program. I recently saw Dr. Shirley Garrett do this at large public speaking engagement. She was using juggling scarves on stage.

The centerpiece of each table was draped in these scarves. It looked great, it was inexpensive, it related to her presentation, and it gave each attendee something to take home to make it easier to remember her message. This idea could also score you some points with the meeting planner who may be able save quite a bit of money on flowers or other ornamental centerpiece items.

In addition, this area of the table could be used as revenue generator for you. You pre-sell your books or tapes to the meeting planner and stack them attractively in the middle of the table. This gives everyone at the table something to take home and won't cost much more than a fancy centerpiece that only one person at each table gets as a door prize. Use the middle of a roundtable to tie your message in AND make more money.

Public Speaking: Banquet/Luncheon Tips

I have done many public speaking engagements in settings where meals were part of the program. You may want to politely remind the program coordinator to consider some of the following points:

ROOM SET-UP(Many of these tips work whether food is being served or not)
Avoid spacing round tables widely apart in an attempt to fill the available space. Distance makes audience involvement and participation much more difficult. A better idea would be to space the tables as close together as practicable (allowing enough room for comfortable waiter and waitress movement). Empty room space could be filled with a decorative divider of some sort.
Avoid a great distance between the head table /dais / speaker area and the first row of tables. Again, distance is a great barrier to speaking and interaction.

Try to set the head table / speaker area on the long side of the room. This means that the back row participants will be closer to the speaker than if you set the head table / speaker area on the short side of the room (participants will feel they are really far from the action).

Consider allowing the speaker an option of speaking areas. Many top speakers can do a better job if they are not confined behind a head table and/or lectern. Most public audiences like being closer to the speaker too. To accomplish this, place extra chairs near the front of the room to be used by the head table participants after dinner (of course, this would depend on your overall program). You would not want them seated behind the speaker during the program. Set head table back from the front of the podium. Speaker can perform in front of the head table.
Set buffet tables far to the side or on the opposite end from the speaker area. If someone goes back for late seconds or arrives late, he or she will not be disruptive.

Discourage use of doors anywhere near the head table/speaker area.

TIMING
When on a tight time schedule, have desserts placed on the table midway through the meal.
Arrange with banquet staff to cease all bussing of tables on a pre-arranged signal. Many functions have less than interesting openings because service personnel are running around for the first 10 minutes of a talk. This gets everything off to a bad start.

Ten minutes before the program is to start, it is very helpful to announce something like the following: "The program will start in ten minutes. Please get your drink refills, (go to the little boys and little girls room), grab another piece of cake and then take your seats and get ready for a great program!"

When planning lighthearted / humorous speaking programs, avoid heavy subjects before the speaker, i.e., don't show tearjerker slides of starving children (actually happened to a speaker friend of mine), in an effort to raise funds. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for raising funds for good causes, but if you do this just before a humorous public speaking event or comedy show, you may have wasted your money on the talent and actually made it inappropriate for them to do the job for which they were hired.

When speaking in public at settings where food is involved you must make a special effort to take care of logistical details so your speech is well received.

Public Speaking: Frequency Check

It is pretty common to have multiple wireless microphones going during the same public speaking engagement. The AV crew that sets everything up usually makes sure that they are all on different frequencies so that no cross over occurs. You should still double check it anyway.

BUT WHAT ABOUT MICE?
When speaking in Thailand last week I ran into a situation that has never happened to me or the other seasoned presenter before. We each had a Logitech Trackman RF Mouse. RF stands for "Radio Frequency" which means that the wireless mouse doesn't have to be in line of sight with the receiver like an infra red mouse would. It also means that I couldn't keep my mouse from moving the cursor on his computer (the other guy was on right after me with no break).

We tried every trick we could think of with no luck We finally decided to shut my whole system down quickly after I was finished and boot his up as fast as we could while he made some opening comments to the crowd.

With more and more wireless technology being used during presentations you must thoroughly check out all systems and consider presenters who are on both before and after you. This is yet another reason to be there early and find out what is going on during other programs. Had we not noticed this ahead of time he would have had a really shaky beginning to his program . .. if the program were switched . . . it could have been me!

Public Speaking: Screen Size Approximation Chart

Use this as a rough guide when someone asks you how large of a screen you need.
3-5 people 21 inches diagonal (53.34 cm)
5-9 people 29 inches diagonal (73.66 cm)
10-15 people 37 inches diagonal (93.98 cm)
16-35 people 60 inches diagonal (152.4 cm)
36-50 people 72 inches diagonal (182.88 cm)
51-140 people 120 inches diagonal (304.8 cm)
141-220 people 150 inches diagonal (381.0 cm)
221-390 people 200 inches diagonal (508.0 cm)
391+ people 300 inches diagonal (762.0 cm)
Source: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

Public Speaking: Dueling Flip Charts

Here is a very interesting way to use flip charts when public speaking. Put one on both sides of the stage and pop back and forth between them. You can have an audience member volunteer at each flip chart helping you record input from other audience members. This has a tremendous Wake em Up value because:

• You have audience members on stage,
• You are in the audience, and
• Audience members are providing the input.

You are not limited to doing this with flip charts. You could have duel overhead projectors for larger crowds. You could still even have your darned old PowerPoint on a screen in the middle. You could even have flip charts placed all around the room so they are ready when you break up into smaller groups. Then the results pages could be torn off and taped in a row on the wall.

Public Speaking: Cool Color Commentary

Flip Chart Color

• Black, blue and green inks have the greatest visibility.
• Blue is the most pleasing color to look at with red coming in second (note: pleasing to look at and visibility are not the same)
• Do not do the whole chart in red ink.
• Avoid purple, brown, pink and yellow inks.
• Permanent markers give the most vivid color but dry out faster if you leave the cap off. They also frequently bleed thru to the next page. Forget trying to get the ink out of your clothes.
• Water colors are less vivid and squeak when you write. This ink will wash out of clothing.
• Use Color Thoughtfully
• Use bright colors for small graphics to make them stand out.
• Use subtle colors for large graphics so they don't overwhelm.
• Use Color Psychologically

According to Greg Bandy in Multimedia Presentation Design for the Uninitiated certain colors evoke certain emotions.

• RED = Brutal, Dangerous, Hot, Stop!
• DARK BLUE = Stable, Trustworthy, Calm
• LIGHT BLUE = Cool, Refreshing
• GRAY = Integrity, Neutral, Mature
• PURPLE = Regal, Mysterious
• GREEN = Organic, Healthy, New life, Go Money
• ORANGE / YELLOW = Sunny, Bright, Warm
• WHITE (if I make the example white you couldn't see it) = Pure, Hopeful, Clean
• BLACK = Serious, Heavy, Profitable, Death

Since "death" is a pretty heavy way to end this section, I made this sentence orange which = Sunny, Bright and Warm :)

Public Speaking:Improvise Your Flipchart

Oops! I broke my own rules and did not follow a checklist on my last public speaking engagement. It was two minutes until start time and I realized there was no flipchart in the room. Oh oh!. Better think fast. I was not using an overhead projector either, so I could not simply write on a blank transparency.

Now . . . one and 1/2 minutes left . . . . I thought, "Never let 'em see you sweat." So, I went into the hall way to sweat. I saw a flipchart in use by the Air Force folks who were in the next room. I borrowed one piece of flipchart paper and went back into my room.

Now . . . one minute left. I put the paper on the floor still not knowing what I would do with it. So I hit the stage and begin the program. 30 minutes in it was the moment of truth. I had a spare marker in my prop box. Ok so far. I had masking tape too. . . . but the way the room was set there was no place to put the piece of paper that would allow both sides of the room to see it.
I guess it was time to have some fun.

I asked for three volunteers to BE my flipchart. I qualified the request to include one person with a black shirt (incase the marker leaked through the paper). This got a good laugh. I had the person with the black shirt turn their back to the audience. The other two helpers held the flipchart paper against blackshirt's back. We had a blast!

The three volunteers were laughing. The audience was laughing. Ad-libs were flying. The blackshirt person was getting tickled with the point of the marker. And I still got the point across that I had planned all along.

OK . . . I'll admit I messed up by not checking for the flipchart before speaking. However, if you are willing and able to stay flexible in the face of the inevitable challenges you will face as a fun public speaker, adversity can turn positive very quickly.

Public Speaking: Props

In public speaking the term "prop" is a shortened version of the theatrical term "property," a word used to describe any object handled or used by an actor in a performance. As a speaker you are a performer whether you believe it or not. You have an obligation to use whatever means necessary to get your message across to the audience.

I think of props as any physical item that is on stage with you. Your flipchart is a prop. Your lectern is a prop. Overhead projectors, pointers, notes, chairs, markers, pens, and other audio/visual aids are all forms of props. Conversely, props are a form of visual aid.

Why use props?
Props help warm up the audience when you do a public speaking engagement. They can be used as a substitute for notes. They help focus attention on the speaking points you are trying to make along with illustrating them for you. They make better connections than your words with the visually oriented members of your audience. They create interest, add variety, and make your points more memorable.

Props can be used pre-program to pass around in the audience in anticipation of the program. You see this at large arenas when beach balls and Frisbees are being tossed around in the crowd. I pass out snacks and/or custom-designed crossword puzzles about the group that I make on my computer. The puzzles make especially great icebreakers because the members of the group get together to help each other with the solutions.

Do you hate relying on notes?
Props can be a substitute for written cheat sheets. To illustrate this in live seminars and television interviews I use three hats as an outline for a program. The first hat is a gag ball cap that has really long hair attached to it so that you look like a hippie when you wear it. The second hat is a black top hat. The third is a safari hat. Each hat prompts me to talk about a thoroughly rehearsed section of my talk.

Putting on the longhaired ball cap immediately reminds me to talk about when the company was young and aggressive. After that section I remove the ball cap (if you have a fun and playful audience, you could put it on an audience member's head), then I put on the black top hat. The top hat prompts a section on the mature growth years of the company. I then put on the safari hat which kicks off a section on searching for new business. The whole talk is done without any notes at all. You only have to memorize your opening and closing and practice each of the sections independently as you learned in a previous issue.

Didn't someone say a prop is worth a thousand words?
Maybe that was a picture, but its just about the same thing. Many times a well selected prop will illustrate your point much better than you could ever do in words. It also focuses attention directly on the point you are trying to make because it is something novel that is occurring during the presentation. People can space out easily on your words, but a unique prop is hard to ignore. Also, the visually oriented people in your audience will perk up and get more value when you use props.

Memorability is another good reason to use props. People remember pictures far longer than words. That is why the treat public speakers that use stories try to use words to create images in your mind. They know the images will be remembered when the words are long forgotten. If you are not a great storyteller yet, you can use props to help create these pictures.

Types of props
There are many different kinds of props that can be used to your advantage in a public speech. Extra large or extra small props are funny. Noisemakers are funny. Even though you are attacking the sense of hearing, you are attacking it in a unique way that makes it memorable. Costumes and magic tricks make good props.

I have a friend who speaks on telephone skills. He uses a giant telephone receiver to make a point about the importance of phone skills. I used a clown prop to make the serious point that if we went through with this merger it would be like being in a thunderstorm with a clown umbrella (for those of you that do not know, a clown umbrella is only about 8 inches in diameter).

Noisemakers are fun. I recommended that a sales manager get one of those expressway revenge devices that makes machine gun, ray gun, and bomb noises when you press a button. If XYA company gets in our way, this is what will do to them (he pressed the machine gun button while holding the device near the microphone). He got his point across.

I have worn gorilla costumes, brought full-size mannequins on stage and kicked them around. I have done simple magic tricks and many other things to get my point across in a more memorable and interesting fashion.

You don't necessarily have to do wild things to use props. A very creative friend of mine, Carolyn Long, was going to speak about the keys to creativity. She opened by holding up keys, then discarded them in favor of a combination lock. Her point was made.

Tips for using props

• Normally you should keep your special props hidden until you are ready to use them.
• Make sure the prop can be seen from all parts of the room.
• ALWAYS speak to the audience, not the prop (unless the prop is a puppet).
• Make sure the audience is focused on surprise props before you unleash the surprise. (If using a fake peanut can with pop out snakes, hold the can in full view for an extra second before you open it so the audience does not miss it).

Public Speaking Visuals: Fill Em' Up

When you project a photo or other image during a public speaking engagement, fill up the slide, or overhead as much as possible. This does not mean to fill the projection with lots of text. This tip only applies to images. Example: You take a picture of a funny sign on a pole. The sign is only about 18 inches tall. If you zoom in on the sign so that it fills the frame, it will have a much greater impact on the audience.
In the sample below the same piece of clip art has a completely different impact and effect because it fills the frame. When speaking in public, don't forget the impact of your visuals.

Public Speaking: Pick Your Audience

(Did he say "pick" my public speaking audiences?). Yes, I did say pick your audiences. Some of you may not have this luxury because you must do speaking as part of your job, but those of you that do, will move up faster in the speaking world. When you are a beginning public speaker it is important for you to experience different types of audiences just FOR the experience. As you climb the speaking ladder where the audiences are bigger, or more important to your career, and the stakes are higher, you must learn to just say no.
Most top speakers don't accept every request to speak even if they are available, and the money is right. They pick their engagements to put themselves in front of audiences whose profiles indicate the greatest chance of success. If you are a highly technical speaker, you would not want to be speaking to a widget sales group at their annual retreat. Conversely, as a really fun retreat facilitator, you would not want to be speaking to a group of radar technicians who are only interested in performance data of the latest missile protection system.
Avoid accepting engagements where the audiences needs are clearly out of sync with your abilities, likes and dislikes. Don't get me wrong. I want you to keep pushing your limits, but if your audience needs more than you can give --that's right -- you bombed. Although it will be a lesson learned, do yourself and everyone else a favor. Learn to just say no.