Advancing Government through Collaboration, Education and Action Public Speaking 101: Managing the Challenge Jessica Cassidy, Malcolm Harden, Darryl Peek Assistant Coaches Associates

Advancing Government through Collaboration, Education and Action The Big Picture: Why is Public Speaking Important? Public speaking skills help you communicate messages internally and externally. Strong public speaking skills: o Help get your point across o Build self confidence o Are a requirement for top-tier leaders Most people have to work at public speaking in order to be successful. 2

Advancing Government through Collaboration, Education and Action Public Speaking – Core Messages Know your material (inside and out) Know yourself – practice appropriately o “For every pass I caught in a game, I caught a thousand in practices” – Don Hutson, NFL Hall of Famer o Relax: Transform nervousness into enthusiasm Know your audience Know the room – Walk the space, practice with microphone, test visual aids Involve your audience Be prepared to handle questions (don’t worry about saying “I’m not sure, let me get back to you.”) 3 3

Advancing Government through Collaboration, Education and Action Adjust for the Audience Informal presentation: Briefing a small group or even a boss o Have some form of agenda or outline o Know the people you are briefing and lead the session o Remember to be brief for senior executive audiences o Be interactive: use listening skills and solicit feedback o Document the outcomes 4 Formal presentation: You are (one of) the featured speaker(s) o You’re going to be in front of a group of people, both friends and strangers. o Know your audience and understand its perspective. o Presentation can be basic or quite detailed o Always work with the organizers to clarify time, place, agenda, etc. 4

Advancing Government through Collaboration, Education and Action Panel Presentations Panel: A presentation where you are presenting with three to four other people Things to Remember: o Do not read your speech; tell your story o Know your audience and understand its perspective o Know the people who are on the panel o Make sure you do not do anything to make yourself look bad (sleeping, rolling your eyes, etc.) o Always participate in prep calls / meetings o Communicate 3 to 5 key points you want the audience to remember o You should not dominate the entire panel 5 5

Advancing Government through Collaboration, Education and Action Interpersonal Communications Critical for building relationships. Probably the majority of your job if you deal with people – communication is key o Some are detailed o Some talk too much o Some are big picture o Some people struggle to communicate with each other Tune your messaging style to the recipient 6 6

Advancing Government through Collaboration, Education and Action Presentation Structure Depends on formality of your presentation Some structural tips: o Monroe’s Motivated Sequence - technique for organizing persuasive speeches that inspire people to take action o Business Storytelling Frames – How can you tell a story in order to be effective? o Other Frameworks & Techniques »Standard: Introduction, body, conclusion »Key Points: key points you want to emphasize 7 7

Advancing Government through Collaboration, Education and Action Presentation Materials PowerPoint is a visual aid, not the entire show Do not read the slides, supplement them Text should be large and there should be white space Use bullet points – not full sentences or paragraphs Avoid eye charts! Choose colors that are easy to read Don’t let text fly around too much – you can overdo it 8 8

Advancing Government through Collaboration, Education and Action Body Language Make eye contact across the entire room It’s okay to smile Express emotion with your facial muscles – but don’t overdo it Stray true to your personality – gestures should be natural If you can get out from behind a podium, move from one spot to another Avoid distracting mannerisms – lip smacking, key juggling, biting lip, wringing hands 9 9

Advancing Government through Collaboration, Education and Action Other Non verbal considerations It’s Not Only What You Say – Keeping the Right Voice & Body Language with Your Material o Posture o Gestures o Facial Expressions o Voice (Tone, Pace, Breath, & Dynamics) o Eye Contact o The venue – the audience - who is attending? 10

Advancing Government through Collaboration, Education and Action Professionalism is Still Paramount Your personal brand is important Dress for the right occasion Remember that you represent your organization or agency when you speak Use enough body language – not too much, not too little, - Just Right Do not provide any non-essential information for the presentation Know if press is going to be there and if you are being quoted (not for attribution vs. on the record) 11

Advancing Government through Collaboration, Education and Action Visual Aids & Props How to Use Them to Complement and Not Crush Your Message o Slide Decks – how to use them effectively o External links, clips – they’d better work o Lectern – more formal than anything else o Walking the room – can convey openness o Technology in the room – where is everything located? o Clickers / Pointers – know how they work o Timers If you use these incorrectly, the crowd’s attention is drawn to these things and not to your message 12

Advancing Government through Collaboration, Education and Action Appendix 13

Advancing Government through Collaboration, Education and Action Your Speaking Style - SWOT Strengths –What do you do well? –What strengths can you showcase to minimize your weaknesses? Weaknesses –What keeps you from doing a speech or presentation well? –How can you take what you consider your weaknesses and turn them to assets? Opportunities –How do you handle when presented with speaking engagements? –What are you trying to present? –What is in your way? Threats –What patterns keep you from being a good speaker? –How do you overcome? 14

Advancing Government through Collaboration, Education and Action Resources to Assist Toastmasters Public Speaking Courses Mentors Watch speeches Go the events and see how others do it Sit down with a CIO or Senior Executive Others? 15

Advancing Government through Collaboration, Education and Action Links to explore 0-biggest-public-speaking- phobias ?op=1http:// 0-biggest-public-speaking- phobias ?op=1 collections/insight/communication/ storytelling-that-moves-peoplehttp://hbr.org/web/special- collections/insight/communication/ storytelling-that-moves-people h-outline.htmlhttp:// h-outline.html champions.com/speaking/resourc es.htmhttp:// champions.com/speaking/resourc es.htm 16