After the Speech is Written ...
Coaching the Speaker
By Tom Kirby
If your main work is speechwriting, how do you handle the
occasional request to coach an executive speaker? Here are some
techniques you might consider when playing the role of speech
coach.
As a basic strategy, try to get the client to do several
readings of the entire speech. Many executives think of preparing
for a speech in the same way they remember cramming for exams in
college: just keep reading it until it becomes familiar. However,
the problem with speechmaking is usually not the words, but the
"music"–how the words are delivered. Each reading of the speech
will bring the delivery closer to the "concert pitch."
The first reading can be done informally, perhaps right at the
client's desk. Listen for an overall impression of the delivery.
On your copy of the speech, note any weak spots in case they
reappear on second reading, but don't say anything to the client
just yet. Most problems of phrasing, pronunciation and emphasis
will disappear on second or third reading. Save your advice for
those few key points that are not self-corrected with practice.
If you have a video camera available, start using it on the
second or third reading. For many executives, just having the
camera turned on is all it takes to inspire better speaking. Have
the client talk to you (and to others in the room) rather than
looking at the camera. During this reading, you'll begin to
identify those specific behaviors and speech habits which are
noticeable enough to mention. But be patient. It is far more
effective to let the client see the obvious and react to it as
you watch the replay together.
My associates and I have counted over 200 specific behaviors
which can be identified for a client on videotape. Your job as a
coach is to zero in on those things which cry out for correction
or elimination. If you have noted something that is confirmed by
the video playback and it is not noticed by the client, now is
the time to make your comments. Here is a checklist of some of
the most common observations of speakers on videotape.
- Posture: Is the speaker moving about too much? Too
rigid?
- Gestures: Is the speaker animated or not? Are
hands being used to make natural, supportive movements?
- Facial expressions: Does the look match the words
being spoken?
- Eye contact: Is the speaker making an attempt at
human contact? Or are the eyes glued to the speech?
- Volume: Is the delivery loud enough to avoid any hint
of mumbling? Does projection fall off at ends of sentences?
-
Vocal expression: Are there normal "peaks and
valleys" in the delivery or is there a tendency toward monotone?
- Timing and pace: Does the speed of delivery sound
about right for this particular speaker? Any "sing-song" pattern?
After your review and discussion of the checklist, the next
reading is the appropriate point for getting the client to make
conscious changes. Before you start this reading, make it clear
which specific behaviors you are focusing on. It is better to
concentrate on one new or improved skill than to risk confusing
the client with several suggestions.
Let's say that you want to work on the timing and pace. If the
client is speaking too fast, the cure is usually the deliberate
utilization of pauses. Make the assignment simple. Mark the
script where longer pauses are needed and demonstrate by reading
those portions aloud. Overdo it so there is no question about the
need for a long pause.
When you come to those portions in the reading, if the client
doesn't pause long enough, politely interrupt and ask for a
longer pause. (Video comes in handy here because most people have
a different sense of time when they are speaking versus the
perception of the listener. Time goes faster for the speaker,
thus resulting in the under use of pauses.)
Of all the techniques you can use to help clients, the most
reliable is getting them to talk louder than they think they have
to. Because our middle ears are protected by our baffle-like
mandible bone, we don't hear ourselves as others hear us. You can
whisper and still sound loud enough to yourself. But even in a
small room, it is usually necessary to "speak up" to be easily
heard a few rows back.
Besides becoming more easily heard and understood, talking louder
will also bring about changes in facial expressions and gestures.
As the speaker's volume increases, so will the tendency to use
larger, more meaningful gestures. Because rehearsed or
intentional gestures can come across as phony or contrived, don't
suggest specific movements. Just coach your client to speak
louder and you'll automatically get better and more relevant
gestures.
Preparing a client for questions following the speech is more of
an intellectual undertaking. The client must leave the printed
text and think on his feet. There is no substitute for practicing
with another person who plays the role of questioner. A simple
technique for buying thinking time during Q&A is to repeat or
paraphrase the question before attempting to answer it. Usually,
even with a surprise question, all the speaker needs is that few
extra seconds to formulate the right answer.
What about the extremely nervous speaker? Remember, most of us,
even top executives, experience some degree of stage fright or
performance anxiety once in a while. There are many advertised
cures for nervous speakers, but the number one protection against
nerves at the podium is knowing the speech cold.
Copyright © 2008 Tom Kirby]