SPEAKING AND LISTENING

My concern is more with the qualities of speaking and LISTENING than with the mere speaking of words. There is speaking and speaking. Listening as a part of the speech platform seems to have gone by the bye. Too often, people attend for a pause so they can begin speaking. They listen but don’t hear or comprehend.

OFFER AUDIENCE RESPONSE TIME

When speaking, offer audience members a chance, if possible, to interact by asking questions and sharing their opinions. This kind of workshopping engagement is often far more appealing than the audience being subject to an ongoing non-participative presentation.

Consider KEYWORDS on palm-size prompt cards to guide in speech presentation. Those speaking without notes and visible paper aids are often more convincing than those dependent on ‘paper’ speeches.