Too casual or not too casual?

One of the greatest gifts that a speaker can possess is to be themselves; to speak in their own voice without being burdened by a constructed or artificial style. For some people this comes naturally, for others it takes time to define and learn to control the factors that define how the construct and deliver a speech. One interesting problem that I sometimes see is people who are comfortable and relaxed when they speak but so much so, it has actually created problems for them. What I’d like to do is briefly examine some of the advantages and disadvantages of using a casual style when public speaking.

THE ADVANTAGES:

The advantages of a casual style of speaking are fairly well documented and many people spend a great deal of time trying to perfect this approach.

A casual style:

1 - shows that you are comfortable and relaxed and puts your audience at ease.

2 - allows you to communicate in a genuine manner

3 - can help to diffuse tension and/or discontent in your audience

4 - means that the crowd feels as though they are listening to a real person and not just a factoid pitchperson

THE DISADVANTAGES:

The disadvantages vary from person to person depending on how they demonstrate a “casual” style but here are just a few possible pitfalls.

A casual style:

1 - can often be delivered in a manner of speech that’s slightly faster and looser – and therefore content and emphasis can be lost.

2 - often ignores important devices that can be used to make your point – (eg: repetition, lists etc.)

3 - can cause you to lose your sense of authority. While you seldom want to push a crowd around, you do want to put across that you are an authority on your subject.

4 - can lead people to misinterpret your opinions or emotions. Sometimes people will see a casual attitude as one belonging to someone who does not really care about their topic.

In the end it is important to remember that while your audience does want to see “the real you” they also want to hear a well delivered speech so there is far more too it than just settling in and getting comfortable. Getting the full benefit from a more casual approach can only be achieved if you are meeting the broader objectives of your presentation so bear them in mind and try to maintain the best balance possible.

Thanks – let me know if you have any questions and …. stay loose,

Christopher

n.b. – my new speaker coaching website is now up at: http://www.laughlearnlead.com/

http://twitter.com/chrismolineux

End your fear of public speaking - part 3 - memory

Memorizing your material is one of those obstacles that simply cannot be avoided without actually reading it directly from the page or screen but there are ways of making the process a little easier. How easy or difficult a speech is to remember often has a great deal to do with the methods that have been used to put it together. As was mentioned in the previous blog "End your fear of public speaking - Part 2 – “Tricks”"

http://psworkbench.blogspot.com/2009/05/end-your-fear-of-public-speaking-part-2.html

determining and using the connections to the material that you have and the style that fits you best will help you to recall things more easily. In particular the use of the experiential is a tool of memory - telling stories and relating characters. People who have greater difficulty with memory-work are well advised to lean on this style of speaking because it involves recollection rather than remembering. You are not learning something new, you are merely relating something that you aleady know and have simply put into a specific context to make the points you need to make. I have done quite a bit of work with people with different cognitive impairments including ADHD (ADD) who have struggled with memory work, especially in a logical framework, but can tell stories with great ease.

Aside from this stylistic angle there are some specific tactics that you can employ that can be very helpful:

1 - Audio recordings   

                                    Recording yourself practicing a speech and then listening to the recording is also an effective aid to memory. The recording is remembered in a completely different way than the written words and this will also give a sense of which words and phrases are most effective, how your voice sounds, and if your points are being made clearly. Digital audio recorders are readily available, small, cheap and easy to use, take advantage of them. Once you have the recorder you can then use it to record the speeches that you make which is useful to continue to improve the speech and sharpen your skills in general.

2: Conversation 

                             You can also take parts of your speech out for a walk before you actually deliver the speech, meaning, try to weave some of it into some kind of conversation. I realize that this isn't always possible if you deal with highly technical subjects and such, but often it is possible and you should try it. It helps to get you more comfortable speaking on the subject, delivering specific lines/ideas and also gives you some insight into how they might be received. This will help to give your speech a more natural and less "written" style and there is also the additional benefit of hearing other peoples opinions of the topic -  you may even get some new phrases or ideas from them.

3: Reference card    

                              Having a full copy of your speech is a good idea for most people but trying to actually remember it word for word can be torture. It's a good idea to become really familiar with the speech as a whole and then get a cue card and write down a list of the main points in the correct order. If you can memorize that list then even if you lose your way and forget a sentence or two you will never actually be lost, and it's not that hard to remember a list of a dozen or so words. If you want you can write the "bow tie" that was discussed in the previous blog down on a second card. These two cards have all the most important information - you can carry them in your back pocket and refresh your memory at any time.

I hope you find these tips helpful - please let me know if you have any questions and, while we are on the subject of memory, please don't forget that I am always happy to shop up and do keynotes/workshops for your event and I can do coaching for anyone,anywhere by reviewing your video footage and script(s)

                                                     www.laughlearnlead.com

                                               http://twitter.com/chrismolineux

When does "competent" become an insult?

Thanks for the feedback on my series on the fear of public speaking, I have just completed the first volume an audio series "Ending your fear of public speaking" which will be for sale on my site and on itunes soon. This last weekend I did a keynote and two workshops for the Toastmasters district 21 conference in Whistler B.C. and I have been asked to train the Coca Cola team that will accompany the Olympic torch in 2010, so life is busy.I will continue with my series on eliminating the fear of public speaking shortly but would like to do something a little more interactive right now and hear some of your opinions.

  Practicing a speech is often a good idea but it is difficult to enjoy a speech that sounds practiced. This is also true with different strategies and techniques that are used within a speech. I sometimes see people deliver speeches that are very tight and well packaged and follow a lot of the book advice that is out there but far from being impressed, I'm actually put off. I would rather see someone fumble through their content, but in a very genuine way. 

So at what point is it that compentence becomes a liability and all those skill sets and methods hold you down instead of building you up? I'd like to know your opinions and hear your stories on the subject. 

Thanks! Chris

                                                                www.laughlearnlead.com

                                                           http://twitter.com/chrismolineux