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How to Give a Speech

Henry H. Fisher

8. Make an outline of speech. It should have an introduc-

R ules are presented for giving a speech. They were
arrived at after years of speaking, listening to others, and col-
tion, body, and a conclusion.
Rules for giving a formal lecture:
lecting ideas from many sources. Every good speaker has his 9. Know the subject. The speaker knows more about subject
(her) method of presentation, but using the ideas given will than the audience does. If the speaker wasn’t the expert
help most people. then someone else would be giving the speech. Geology is
I’ve heard many speeches throughout my career. A few have exciting, and the speaker’s voice should express that.
been excellent, more than twice that number were very poor, 10. Be entertaining. First, grab the audience’s attention, then
and the rest fell in between. As part of my work, I’ve given inform them.
many speeches and developed a successful technique for speak-
11. Be enthusiastic. Why speak about something you don’t
ing. The idea for helping others to give good speeches came
like?
from an article describing a speech at a technical meeting that
was so bad that the moderator publicly berated the speaker 12. Keep it simple. Audience members can’t absorb too many
for taking up the time of the audience. In an effort to aid oth- facts. For the most part, details are easier to learn if they
ers, my ideas on speaking were formulated into a series of are read from a book than heard in a speech.
guidelines. This does not mean that ideas on my list are the 13. Determine the main point(s) of the speech and stress them.
final rules for speaking since additional ones can always be Make sure all important parts are covered.
added to them. My object is to prevent dull speeches because 14. Keep slightly too much (but less important) material avail-
it is really easy to give a good presentation and good speech- able for the speech. Less important material may be used
es are much easier to listen to than bad ones. to fill up time at the end of a speech that is too short. It
Many people think it is difficult to give a speech. Many peo- can be omitted if the speaker runs out of time.
ple have a great fear of speaking before an audience. Hesitant 15. If speech is not memorized, write out notes (key words),
speakers lack confidence. Speakers acquire confidence when not complete sentences. Sometimes the notes can be writ-
they realize that they know more about the subject than any- ten after a speech is written as complete sentences. Enlarge
one in the audience does. Slight nervousness can be helpful the notes on a computer or copying machine to size 20 font,
when speaking because it keeps the speaker from being too or larger. The speaker can then stand back from the notes
comfortable and “sloppy” and that “sharpens” the delivery. The (even walk away from a podium), see them, be reminded
nervous feeling will disappear as the speaker talks about their of the various points to cover, and appear to be quite pre-
subject. pared when speaking. The speaker can walk back to the
There are two basic types of speeches; those purely for enter- podium and turn over the note pages from time to time.
tainment, and those to provide information, such as formal Speaking from notes forces the speaker to fill in the miss-
technical lectures. Some of my rules apply to both kinds of ing words to form complete sentences and gives the speech
speeches; others are mainly for technical lectures. The first a “freshness.” ONLY ACTORS OR PROFESSIONAL
set of rules apply to all types of speeches: SPEAKERS CAN READ COMPLETE SENTENCES AND
1. Tailor your voice to the type of speech. Sound confident MAKE THEIR SPEECHES SOUND LIKE ORDINARY
and definitive when delivering an instructional lecture. CONVERSATION.
Use a conversational voice for one that is more enter- 16. NEVER, NEVER apologize for any mistakes unless they
taining. are important technical mistakes that you realize while
2. Vary the pitch and volume (loudness) of the voice to giving the speech, and then correct them as soon as pos-
emphasize points. sible. Audience members probably won’t notice ordinary
mistakes that many speakers call attention to such as “I
3. Speak in complete sentences and don’t hesitate between
forgot to bring slide such-and-such,” or “the quality of the
words.
slide is poor.” Drawing attention to them by apologizing
4. Be friendly. Look at the audience and make eye contact emphasizes them, makes them obvious, and they then
with different individuals in it; speak to them. appear worse.
5. Ask questions to engage the audience’s attention. 17. Rehearse the speech.
6. Avoid extreme mannerisms such as continuously waving 18. Don’t give handouts out too early during speech unless it
your hands back and forth, the “fig-leaf clutch” (clasping is absolutely important.
both hands together, down in front), keeping your hands
Audience members tend to look at handouts and not pay
in pockets, leaning on the podium.
attention to the speaker. The audience members also may be
7. Know what you want to say and be prepared. taking notes and lose track of the speakers thoughts.

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HOW TO GIVE A SPEECH (continued)

RULES FOR SHOWING ILLUSTRATIONS: sil to an audience of ground water geologists, most of them
1. DON’T FACE THE PICTURES WHILE SPEAKING, face won’t know whether they are seeing the right or wrong
the audience and speak to people in it. fossil, and they probably won’t care.
2. Use pictures only when applicable – not to merely enter- 10. Don’t show text or diagrams that are complicated or too
tain (during a formal lecture) or kill time. small to be seen. If such pictures must be shown then the
speaker must interpret them for the audience.
3. Do not use pictures as an outline for a speech.
11. Depending on the type of speech and the order of pres-
4. Many speakers show too many pictures. Choose pictures
entation, slides and handouts might best be shown after
wisely and don’t show all that you have.
speaking.
5. We learn a lot from hearing. Pictures are useless if a per-
12. Show each picture for a minimum of five seconds. If it is
son can close their eyes and learn as much from listening
worth showing, than it should be seen for a reasonable
to the speech. This is what makes the TV program 60
amount of time.
Minutes so good. It is really radio with pictures – and it
was designed to be that way. The spoken word is the most RULES FOR MAKING PICTURES:
important part of 60 Minutes. I do not mean to imply that 1. All illustrations should be bold and simple.
pictures are useless as they can reinforce the spoken word. 2. Don’t show long formulas or equations.
6. Consider whether projecting the main points and sub- 3. The minimum height of readable lettering on a slide is
points as text on a screen really aids the speech. It is 3-mm.
possible to emphasize points verbally by a change in the 4. It is best to show only 1 or 2 curves on a diagram. Three
pitch or volume rather than by projecting text. or 4 curves is the maximum, but only if they are well sep-
7. DON’T READ PROJECTED TEXT TO THE AUDIENCE, arated.
IT IS INSULTING, those in your audience know how to 5. Do not use more than 3 or 4 vertical columns in an illus-
read! tration; 6 to 8 horizontal lines.
8. Use pictures to show a specific point, not a generality the Following this advice will improve most speakers. In con-
audience is familiar with. For example, don’t say an area clusion, remember good speakers can “get away” with all kinds
has a landslide and then show an ordinary picture of a of deliveries; and when you’re good so can you! And the audi-
landslide; an audience of geologists should know what ence will love you.
landslides are like. Showing a specific feature of a par-
ticular slip can be done if it will add to the speech. Henry H. Fisher, Natural Resource Conservation Service,
9. Don’t show pictures that would be meaningless to the USDA, 200 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43227.
audience. Don’t show a photomicrograph of a specific fos-

AIPG 40TH ANNUAL MEETING

Glenwood Springs, Colorado
October 4 - 9, 2003
PLANNED FIELD TRIPS HYDROLOGY OF GLENWOOD HOT SPRINGS
WITH DISCUSSION OF WATER RIGHTS
PICEANCE BASIN TRIP
ASPEN AND MAROON BELLS
Petroleum, stratigraphic and structural geology for tight-
with ghost town of Ashcroft, lecture on avalanches, Crystal
gas sands and coals
River Valley and Redstone. Geologic stabilization of
YULE MARBLE QUARRY Highway 82 between Carbondale and Aspen
Redstone and the Crystal River Valley
PALISADES WINERY AND VINEYARD
GYPSUM QUARRY AND WALLBOARD PLANT
Geologists and other interested parties who are not AIPG
GEOHAZARDS, COLLAPSE FEATURES, AND members are welcome to register as non-members to attend
EVAPORITES OF THE EAGLE VALLEY the Annual Meeting and participate in the Field Trips and
UNCONVENTIONAL RESERVOIRS – Professional and Technical Sessions. For additional informa-
TIGHT GAS SANDS, tion, please contact AIPG Headquarters at phone
BASIN-CENTERED ACCUMULATIONS, 303-412-6205, fax 303-412- 6219, e-mail [email protected]
AND OIL SHALE AIPG 2003 Annual Meeting Co-Chairs
ENGINEERING GEOLOGY AND STRATIGRAPHY Susan Landon, CPG,
OF GLENWOOD CANYON [email protected]
CARBONATE DISSOLUTION AND (303) 436-1930
PRECIPITATION – TOURS OF GLENWOOD Tom Fails, CPG,
CAVERNS AND FAIRY CAVE [email protected] - (303) 759-9733

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2003 • The Professional Geologist 21