Chapter 30 Chapter 5 Preview: Careful preparation is the most useful body armor

Oral preparation before a speech is an essential step and an important part of speech preparation. Opponents of rehearsal will say that many highly capable people don't rehearse, that they don't go over what they're going to say over and over before giving a speech.But they have their own way of rehearsing: Thinking, planning, and considering other options and options, they don't need to simulate speeches.This is usually because they want to familiarize themselves with the material without robbing themselves of the opportunity to be natural on the day of the presentation.They think that rehearsing or over-rehearsing will make them lose their "sharpness."This "no rehearsal" approach works well for seasoned speakers, those who are confident, those who are familiar with the content, those who are free to tailor their speeches to suit the situation, and those who like to take a little risk .

Rehearsing the content, timing, props, costumes, and special effects of a speech can give a speaker confidence.Saying speeches, making movements, adapting to the environment of the room and feeling the atmosphere all increase their sense of control.The benefit of rehearsing is that the speaker is able to check his timing, spot things that might go wrong, and improve the fluency of his speech. “Being a successful speaker gets you noticed and makes you achieve your goals. I never rush before a speech. Preparation is my most useful body armor!” says a very good speaker. Before you give a speech, you should have an idea of ​​how long it will take you to speak.Another big taboo for speakers besides boring speeches is overtime speaking.Leaving the speech beyond the time limit is disrespectful to the audience.Everyone has other things to do, and there are other speakers after you.The audience won't thank you for extending your presentation, neither will the host, and the other speakers will surely expect you to step down immediately.

If you are new to public speaking, you should time your speech whether it is rehearsed with or without a script.Because if you speak out of script, you will habitually add some irrelevant content.If you are more experienced, you should put a clock in front of you and add or subtract content according to the time during the speech. When rehearsing in a suit, you need a mirror, an audience, and a watch.Use all your props, scripts, supporting materials and mimic the actual situation as realistically as possible.The audience can be a mirror, a tape recorder, your friend.It doesn't matter who the audience is, as long as you can make eye contact with them.

If you have the opportunity to rehearse a live presentation, take advantage of the opportunity as soon as you have the time, especially if the event is large, has a tight schedule, and involves a lot of equipment.Make good friends with the technicians and they will take better care of you.Even if you can't read from a script, whether your manuscript is an outline or not, you still need to give them a copy, it will give them an impression of your speech content, and you should at least attach a slide, A list of the playing order of music and special effects. When you're familiar with the script, you can rehearse it in your head.Rehearsing it in your head creates a conditioned reflex.Your brain stores a symbolic representation of your action.So when you actually do those moves, your brain knows you've already done them, and it makes your speech a little bit easier.

After a good rehearsal, put yourself in the mood on your way to a presentation, in the hallway, into a conference room from the parking lot, or into the venue from the basement.Dress formally on the way to the venue, and don't change in the car or in the locker room unless absolutely necessary. Use everyone you meet on the road as a great opportunity to showcase your professionalism.Along the way, use your body language to give positive signals, which will help you jump into speaking mode if necessary. Because speeches are delivered orally, the content should be organized orally.Since the content of your speech depends on the two-way interaction between the speaker and the audience, you also need to draw on the strength of others to prepare for your speech.

You can't pre-rehearse until the basic brief is ready, but there is a way you can get started with oral preparation with only a few ideas.Try to speak the thoughts and words that are in your heart and see if they are appropriate.However, you are not practicing your presentation skills in front of an audience.Chatting with colleagues and friends over lunch, you can always express yourself.You don't have to respond to every audience member's opinion.After talking to a few people, you'll find yourself writing the words and sentences for your speech. It is impossible for a person to speak in the same tone all the time.Even if you are alone at a desk preparing a speech, the opinions and tone of your collaborators can influence you.This phenomenon is natural, and you should take advantage of it.

You are really lucky to be able to continue your verbal and interactive preparations with more formal feedback and support. While you can get feedback from many sources, the most valuable feedback comes from like-minded people.In a speech class, they might be a group of students discussing ideas and practicing presentations together; in business and professional settings, peer collaboration is also important, and politicians and civic groups recognize it.The most eloquent speakers tend to check their effectiveness throughout the entire process of preparing their speeches. Different speeches require different practice methods.In general, the three practice stages before the speech are very important to the improvement of speech ability.

Start by developing an outline of your speech in your head.Read it over and over again, memorizing its logical order.Sit at the table and read the outline softly.Explain the content of the outline to yourself - think and talk as you go. Then find a quiet corner and organize the content of the speech according to the actual situation.Stand up and speak in your normal speaking voice, adding everything you have to say.Don't talk to yourself, after clarifying a question, try to give a prepared example.Find difficult words, phrases or sentence structures early on.Imagine a situation where a speech is to be given, and imagine yourself in that situation.Instead of thinking, "This is just a rehearsal," do it as if it were real—it's like seeing the faces of the audience and giving a speech to a dark crowd.Don't consciously pay attention to your gestures and voice to avoid distraction.

After a while, you'll be drafting your first speech.Don't keep them in your heart and never change them.When you are deliberating on the words and sentences, you can modify the original content according to the actual situation.Remember, don't let yourself get stuck in one wording. Now that you feel comfortable with the material you have, but haven't put the finishing touches on it, take a moment to ask for feedback on how your presentation went.You can practice your speech in front of other people and ask for feedback. Seek the opinions of others when formulating your own ideas.Whether they are colleagues, family members or friends, you can ask them for all kinds of opinions.Listen carefully to what they have to say, but if possible, try to look beyond your like-minded circles to find critics who may most closely represent your likely audience.

Assuming your audience is a group of middle school students, ask teenage nephews, nephews, or other teenage friends to be your audience and rehearse your speech.When you give a speech, you have to be as devoted as you are to a real audience, and don't be overwhelmed by nervousness.Don't make the speech very loose just because they are friends.Don't omit what needs to be told, say "you've heard the story", tell the story again.Instead of small talk, give a speech. Ask them to offer their honest opinion on the content and delivery of the speech, but don't take anyone's opinion as final judgment.He or she has his or her quirks and prejudices just like everyone else.That's why it's a little better to have a group of people as an audience, because you can synthesize multiple opinions.

You shouldn't ask, "What did you think of my speech?" The answer will be "Very good", "I thought it was good", and that won't help you much.Prepare a few questions that lead your critics to comment and clarify their responses.You can then ask questions like: "What do you think is the important issue I'm trying to address?" If they don't say what you're talking about, then you'll have to rethink your content and structure. "What's the main point I'm trying to get across?" They should point to your main point. Figure out the answers to both of these questions before you move on to your presentation preparation.You speak with a purpose, and if the whole reason for your speech is not clear, nothing else is worth mentioning.If you think you have purpose and are very comfortable with it, you can ask questions around: "Do you think the way I express my thoughts is in a logical order?" "Is my speech always holding your attention? Which parts are boring or confusing?" "Did I prove my point?" "Does my opening statement say anything about what I'm about to deliver?" "Does the conclusion follow closely to the content of the speech?" "Does my voice sound natural?" "Am I exhibiting an involuntary distraction from the audience?" If you have to stand in front of a mirror to practice, be careful. We think practicing in front of a mirror can do more harm than good.It is not our claim that a speaker focuses on his own image when delivering a speech.We felt it was time to focus on the message and your audience.You should always have your audience in mind when practicing—their faces, their reactions.If you imagine yourself standing alone on stage in front of a dark crowd, that's very bad. When you practice speaking in front of a mirror, you'll be more self-conscious about your self-image and may see your speech as a performance rather than an interaction with the audience.When you're standing in front of a mirror, you have to think about what you're saying and how you're going to say it. If you can't otherwise get general scrutiny and feedback on your demeanor, gestures, and facial expressions, maybe stand in front of a mirror and check. At this point, you should already know the content of the speech well, and at the same time, you have entered a state of calm and ease.You shouldn't rush into drastic revisions before deadlines. If you're going to use props, you should prepare them early so that you can include them in the final rehearsal.The same is true when it comes to finalizing your speech.Check that you are sticking to your original schedule.When practicing your speech, stand up and adopt the rhythm, tone, and voice of an actual speech.When speaking to large audiences, your volume will be higher than in early practice, which can be a struggle if your speaking skills are immature and stilted.You have to speak as loudly as you have to speak in the final rehearsal, just as you have to raise your voice in order to be heard. Then read through your own notes and outlines, but don't use reading notes and outlines as a substitute for formal practice. In addition to paying attention to the issues mentioned above, the rehearsal before the speech should also pay attention to some key details.These details mainly include the following aspects. The closer the pre-speak is to the content of the actual speech, the better the rehearsal will be.There are several ways to make the pre-speak close to the actual speech. Stand up and speak loudly during the pre-speak.Sitting at the desk and reading the recorded cards over and over again is a thousand miles away from the pre-speaking.Because this kind of practice can only be regarded as conducting some kind of research or "making some kind of preparation", not a pre-lecture to familiarize yourself with the real process. The pre-speak uses all the material that will be used in the formal speech.Do you use slides for formal presentations?Using a map, chalkboard or teaching board?Do you use graphs?Then use them in the pre-speak as well.That is to say, you must try your best to achieve "full simulation", even the clothes you are wearing now should be the costumes when you played, and never do "judgment in absentia". Give the pre-speak in a room or hall that is the same size, size, and type of room as the actual lecture.Can you go into all the rooms where the presentation is and do at least one or two drills there?If you are lucky enough to be able to do this, then when giving a formal speech, you can easily find the feeling and enter the state quickly due to a certain sense of familiarity and intimacy.If you can do this, then your speech is already halfway to success. Pre-speak as much as possible in front of the audience.Let your wife, friends, secretary, and colleagues listen to your pre-speak, and listen to their criticisms and reactions.Did they understand your speech?Did your speech convince them?Do they think your expression and voice are appropriate?Do you have any habitual special preferences that turn them off?Does your costume seem to give the audience a certain sense of beauty? On this subject it has been said: "Pre-practice is generally not advisable. . . . An unpracticed speech appears fresh and natural, as only the thought that comes out of the mouth for the first time can." This is superficial.It takes practice to sound natural, and not just once.Some people think that all they have to do before speaking or giving a speech is to go through a script on the road.There are too many such people.They don't look natural, they just look unprepared. The famous ancient Greek orator Demosthenes attached great importance to prior rehearsal.He locked himself in his basement study for three months to learn the art of public speaking.To make sure he didn't come out before he had achieved his goal, he shaved one side of his hair.After his hair grew back, Demosthenes walked out of the basement and finally became an accomplished speaker. As far back as 1770, the author of The Art of Speaking chided speakers who did not pay enough attention to drill.Actors rehearse and practice over and over again before putting on a show.But, the author thinks, there are no other speakers among us who take so much pains, though they devote a great deal of energy to enriching their knowledge.This suggests that the neglect of this skill stems more from a lack of awareness of its significance.Why can't a speaker perform as many rehearsals as an actor?We do not have to spend three months in a basement like Demosthenes in order to prepare our speeches.But in order to control the venue and attract the audience's attention in front of the podium, and avoid feeling cramped, you should practice loudly at least four times. The later the better.If you give a speech at nine o'clock, get up at six o'clock in the morning to rehearse it, so that from the stage you know the script as if it were a close friend.On the podium, a speech that hasn't been rehearsed the day before can become very unfamiliar, and a draft that has just been prepared before speaking is like fast food for the eyes.Many said they didn't have time to practice.Don't accept a speaking offer if you don't have time to practice.Zeke, president emeritus of Ogilvy and Mather?Elliott spends twenty-eight hours preparing a speech.He was able to find time, and benefited greatly from it.He is one of the best speakers we know. Sentences in a script give instructions to your eyes and tongue.If you have practiced it four times, you should be familiar with the content of the manuscript, so you can do it 90% of the time.At the beginning, at the end, at questions, at warnings, at moments of excitement, keep the eyes up and respond to the audience's attention. To get an idea of ​​how it feels to others to hear your voice, after you've practiced it aloud four times, record your speech and listen to it again.The most touching thing is the voice full of power, alternating between fast and slow, the sentences can be long or short, and there must be pauses, so as to produce effects.As for the sound method, you can try this.Put your hands on the place where the abdominal ribs separate to the two sides, contract the abdominal muscles like rowing, and at the same time exhale to make a "hiss" sound, the longer the better, use the contraction muscles to assist in making noises.Chest resonance is aesthetically pleasing, while nasal resonance is uncomfortable.If you feel your nasal voice is too thick and want to get rid of it, put one hand on your stomach and the other hand flat on your chest.The hand on the chest should feel the vibration of the ribs as you speak.Make the sound of "leak, leak, leak" continuously to see if you feel chest resonance.Practice it over and over until you get that feeling. In conclusion, when you are learning to speak, you should follow the above steps for preparation, it will lead your speech to success correctly.Please don't bypass these steps and take shortcuts in a whimsical way. Once you take shortcuts, you may go astray.Because there are often traps hidden in the shortcuts.