May 2017

A Speaking Checklist is great tool to help you in becoming a more effective speaker. It helps you in remembering what to-do and not-to-do when you speak. Here is one checklist that I recommend you use for your upcoming speeches.

Start with a story. Stories are great because they help you connect with the audience. They also provoke the different emotions of the audience whether it is happiness, sadness, anger, joy, fear or excitement. When you start with a story, you are bound to establish an emotional connection with the audience. This is very important. If you do not get their attention at the start of your speech, you are not likely to get it later on.

Personalize the content. One time, I delivered a training course in Kuwait for young graduate trainees. As usual, I personalized my content for them. Unlike most university textbooks that use generic names like XYZ or ABC to illustrate various concepts. I did not use XYZ to illustrate my points, instead I used Volume Café which is very popular among the youth of Kuwait. We had fun and the concepts resonated in the minds of the trainees. Generic contents are ineffective in speaking. Avoid them at any cost.

Excite and entertain. When you are excited about your topic, the audience will be excited about it too. Enthusiasm is contagious. When it comes to entertainment, you do not have to be a professional comedian to be able to entertain your audience. Think about the stories or anecdotes that always made your family members and friends laugh. Try relevant stories in your speeches. If they work, keep them. If they do not, leave them out.

Activate their senses. I wish you were with me when I visited the Tropical Fruits Garden in Penang Island in Malaysia. There were hundreds of trees but there was one that stood out for me. The local guide told me: “Go ahead, smell this tree.” I smelled it and I smiled. It was the cinnamon tree. Did you just smell cinnamon or did you just see a cinnamon roll. This is sense activation in action.

Keep them engaged. Getting the attention of your audience throughout your speech is key to inspiring them to take the desired action you are pushing for. Your greatest tool to accomplish this is your voice. Try to vary your pitch, speed, volume and tone throughout your speech. If this sounds difficult, try telling more stories in your speeches. Bring the characters to life in your speeches by giving them a voice, let the audience see different ways each character speaks.

Ignite their imagination. Try this magical word: Imagine. The moment you say it, the audience will follow you wherever you go. They will be waiting for your directions. I just took you with me to Malaysia without you even realizing it. Remember when you smelled the cinnamon? Although I did not use the word, imagine, I made you travel with me by using descriptive words and vivid imageries. You can ignite the imagination of the audience by taking them to places, to the past or even to the future.

Never close with Q & A. Imagine this. You are giving the speech of your life. The audience was engaged. They laughed throughout your speech. And you received a standing ovation with a rapturous applause when you closed your speech. You are on top of the moon. Then, you start the Q & A session and when you’re about to end it, you receive a lousy question. What will your audience remember, your great speech or the lousy question?

Give actionable ideas. One time, a business leader talked about his successful career journey. He shared with us many anecdotes. He made us laugh and think. He had the audience in his palms. However, when he closed his speech, he did not inspire the audience to take the first step to become successful in their respective careers. Because of this, one person asked him: “Now, what should I do to be successful like you?” Don’t leave you audience confused or guessing, leave them inspired into action.

When you follow this checklist, you will come across as an effective speaker who can design and deliver speeches that engage the mind, touch the heart and tickle the funny bone. If you liked this checklist, please send me some dark chocolate. Thanks in advance!

You heard this many times during conferences. Speakers will test the mic live with the audience and repeat the same phrase or a modified version of it: Testing 1, 2, 3 … Checking the sound system is very important. There is no point of speaking if the audience cannot hear you clearly. And if you try to project your voice, you will lose it quickly. Therefore, the mic and the technician operating it are your best friends. Here are the basics for dealing with the different mics.

The Handheld Mic. This type is associated with comedians. They use it for one important reason. Holding the mic with your hand gives you the freedom of bringing it closer or farther to help with your voice projection. You are in complete control. It is a great mic if your talk involves impersonations or storytelling to give your characters voice and uncover their unique personas. Holding this mic also gives the image of an authority!

The Lavalier Mic. Unlike the handheld mic, this mic gives you the freedom to use both your hands to have more natural hand gestures while speaking. This advantage is amplified if you are demonstrating a product or holding a clicker to move through your slides. However, it has two main disadvantages compared to the handheld mic: Your voice will not be projected enough when you turn your head left or right and you cannot interview the audience as part of your talk.

The Countryman Mic. The crème de la crème of all mics. Once you try it, you will dislike all the other mics. Your sound will be so clear. You were it on your ear and because of that you never lose projecting your voice when you turn your head left or right. It also makes you appear as a tech-savvy speaker who is up to date with the latest technologies. The best part is you could buy one to take it with you wherever you speak as it is compatible the holding unit of the lavalier mic.

Now, you know the basics of dealing with the various types of mics. Let us move on to few tips that applies to all types of mics. Firstly, always have spare batteries in case the mic’s battery dies. Secondly, have a spare mic in case you encounter a technical failure with the mic you are using. Thirdly, ask the event organizers to have handheld mics available around the venue if you intend to have an interactive talk with the audience or plan to have a Q & A session.

On a final note, please do not look like a novice speaker when you begin your talk by testing the mic live with the audience. It shows you are not adequately prepared. You should look like a professional speaker who knows the speaking game inside out. Arrive early to the venue, look for the sound technician. Greet him with a genuine smile and a firm handshake. Inform him you are one of the speakers and you need to test the mic. Your talk should begin with a bang not “testing 1, 2, 3.”