Why can't people speak on their feet? A London newspaper once did a survey, and it concluded that standing on your feet and giving a speech was the most difficult thing that most people would ever have to do. In fact, it was listed as the chief fear among all things considered by the respondents. Worse yet, if you added all the other fears up, put them in one stack, and put the fear of public speaking in the other, it would still lead the way!

There must be many reasons for this, but we have found in the hundreds of seminars that we have done on public speaking that the principal reason most people fear it is a three-word answer-absence of knowledge.

Most speakers don't take the time to ask themselves the basic question that their audiences are asking-"what's in it for me?" And so, they ramble aimlessly in six different directions with no thought as to the goal or purpose of their presentation.

The basic structure of any speech has three key components. First, you must know what you want to say. Second, you must know how to say it. And finally, you yourself must have something to say about it. That is, you should not be simply repeating what some else has said about a subject.

Speakers must remember above all else, that they are in the idea business. And when you run out of ideas, then you're out of business. You're no different from the grocer or car dealer. When you're out of inventory, you close your shop. Speaking is much the same way, whether it's to a convention or to your local Rotary Club. That audience is saying 8 words… I want, I want, I want, I want! Give them what they want by studying your audience before you commit the first thought to paper.

THE SIX P'S

Know what to say about your subject. There's no patter to excellence in public speaking. You're not born an excellent speaker. You must, above all else, be unique. Find out what everybody else is doing, then do something different! Your job on the platform is to reach the uninformed, to inspire action. You must wake people up, and that takes what we call the "6 P's"-Proper Preparation Prevent Pitifully Poor Performance!

Before your next speech, ask yourself these six questions:

• Are my opinions respected?
• Do I possess a basic philosophy?
• How do I develop my philosophy?
• Do I understand the reason for success and failure?
• What do I expect?
• Will it have staying power?

How does a speaker overcome fear? There are several ways to answer that question, but the best answer is a three word quickie-practice, practice, practice! When I won the World Championship of Public Speaking for Toastmasters International in 1978 in Vancouver, British Columbia, I was interviewed by the Associated Press, and they asked the key to my victory. My response: I practiced the winning speech over 300 times.

SPEAK WITH CONVICTION

Practice isn't the only key, however. The speaker must be able to release his or her convictions, faith, and knowledge about the subject. The speaker must be sincere and genuine in order to be persuasive. You can't imitate Abe Lincoln, so don't try… And remember, above all else, there's no substitute for product knowledge.

One way to overcome fear is to address areas about which you know a great deal. Personal experience is the best subject matter. Use the experiences of little people. Use many illustrations. Use what we refer to as the "vignette system" of constructing speech. This is a series of stories tied together to key into a basic theme.

You might also use the system of speaking in acrostics. Your speech to a sales and marketing group might be built around the acrostic S-U-C-C-E-S-S. Confidence on the platform comes from knowing your subject matter, and you can stay on track with an acrostic. (It also gives your audience a hint when you're going to be through, if you're bombing!)

You must be confident but not cocky. One of the biggest problems with most speakers is they lack humility. You must be impeccable in your appearance, both physically and mentally. We advise our clients always to dress for the occasion; never overdress or under dress. For a man, in most cases, this is a three- or two-piece suit with a white shirt and a tie. Black, grey or brown colors are acceptable in most circles. For a woman, never dress flashily. It is far better to be conservative in color and manner than liberal… Dress as you would for an important board meeting.

THE K-I-S-S FORMULA

Be simple! That sounds like an elementary piece of advice, but you should swear by it. Use the K-I-S-S formula… Keep It Short and Sweet! Simplicity is perhaps the greatest virtue in a speaker, and yet it is the least understood. Reduce both the size and the number of words you intend to use…

Don't ramble in your speech. Get to the point. Important things must be said, not read. Use some humor in your presentation, but don't try to be a stand-up comedian. This is a very dangerous area and can bring instant disaster to a presentation if it's not handled properly. You've got to keep things light. Take the light things seriously and the serious things lightly. And above all, don't take yourself too seriously. No presentation should be without some lighthearted humor. In the speaking profession, we're often asked, "Is it necessary to use humor in a speech?" Answer: Only if you want to get paid!

So you know what you want to say, you know how you'd like to say it… what comes next? You should be constructing your speech just like you construct anything else. It must have a good solid foundation in the beginning. In other words, it must have a strong opening. You've got to grasp control of your audience immediately. Your next phase should be the body or the content of the speech. Finally, your closing should be powerful and conclusive. Many speakers open a speech with a quote and close it with the same quote, tying the theme around quotation.

The body of the speech is the most important. Soften your presentation with anecdotes and humor. Paul Harvey, who is paid in the high five figures per hour for a speech, uses humor in some form every seven minutes in his presentation. If it's good enough for a five-figure-per-hour speaker, it ought to be good enough for most of us. However, unless your subject is religion, politics or smut, then stay away from all three. There's absolutely no place in a speech for off-color humor or dirty jokes or curse words. I personally can't think of a single instance where it is acceptable, so don't use any.

THREE COMPONENTS

Start your speech fast. You can and will lose your audience in the first five minutes if you don't immediately grasp their attention. Work from and outline. Never read a speech. There were and are exceptions to the rule. Pope John Paul II, who spoke so many languages, used notes. Build your body of the speech around the outline and conclude dramatically and purposefully.

Remember, there are three components to a successful presentation. First, there's the speaker. Next there's the speech. And, finally and most importantly, there's the audience. For a presentation to be successful, all three of these components must come together successfully. No matter how great a speaker you might be, if poorly presented, it will bomb. And if your audience is bombed from too much happy hour, no matter how great your speech and your speaker is, it will crash! So be aware of the three key ingredients.

There are basically three types of presentations any of us will be called on to make. First, there's the information presentation like a seminar or a report on a project. The purpose is to pass on information, much of which is technical. This type of presentation lends itself less to humor than either of the other two.

The second type of presentation is the after dinner or keynote presentation. This speech is designed to motivate people into action. It is designed to inspire. Often, humor is laced throughout the speech as several basic points are made. Your goal is to motivate-yes, but it's also to educate. Motivation without education equals frustration.

The final type of presentation is the humorous speech. The purpose here is strictly entertainment. Your goal is to have fun. This presentation is often used in an after dinner format or at conventions. Be very careful as this is the toughest kind of speech one will have to deliver.

TIMING MUST BE PERFECT

Your timing must be perfect, and your audience must be able to understand the humor. Again, the K-I-S-S formula is the best, and the best kind of humor one could use would be something that happened to the speaker himself, perhaps where he or she was the butt of the joke.

Unless you are delivering a seminar which takes from an hour to a week to do, keep your points in your presentation minimal. Let your outline be your own material the first time around, and after you've completed the outline, then add your research in. Build in your support materials and your quotes after you have constructed the basic pattern of the speech.

Before writing the final draft of your speech (and I do sincerely believe you should write it our word-for-word), test yourself on a tape recorder. If the presentation isn't polished, don't chop-up the speech and throw it in the trash can. It probably is the presentation and not the speech itself that need polish. But test the basic ideas out. Are they logical? Are they in order? Do you have trouble following the theme? Above all else, say what you think about the subject.

One of the biggest mistakes a lot of speakers make is not putting enough of themselves in the speech. Don't let this happen to you. People will pay attention to you if they are sure that it is "you" making the speech.

How important is the delivery? In the hundreds of seminar programs we have done over the past five years in every state of the union, Canada, Europe and Australia, this has always ranked as the most important area of concern for our seminar participants. A couple of tips-dress impeccably. Never drink. And don't eat if you feel it will make you uncomfortable.

In your opening, always acknowledge the toastmaster or master of ceremonies. Try to insure favorable speaking conditions like an adequate microphone and good lighting. Blend in local color into your presentation. Test your voice early so that you're sure everyone can hear you. In fact, you should always arrive early and test the microphone and lights.

When gesturing in your presentation, suit the gesture to the audience size and occasion. If you are in a large room with over 100 people, you may wish to gesture outside the perimeter of your body. A smaller room would dictate that you should confine your gestures from your waist up and from your sides in and not above your shoulders.

Your body language should portray a positive physical manner. Moving around disarms your audience and allows you to become more intimate with them. You should always seek to have as much eye contact as possible, if you feel uncomfortable with this area. If it causes you to lose your train of thought, look just over the heads of your audience. In most cases, they'll think you're looking at the person directly behind them.

Voice inflection and proper modulation are very important. A key way to improve your voice is to record every presentation you make. You want to hear what you did right as well as what you did wrong.

DRAMATIZE THE STORY

Subscribe to what I like to call the 80/20 rule. That is, 80% of your success on the platform is directly related to your enthusiasm, and 20% is directly related to what you said. Humanize your subject; personalize it. Then dramatize the story with proper timing and good word pictures that lead the audience along a path, which should closely parallel your outline.

Visualize and vitalize your speech. Don't force your material. Be honest, sincere and open with your audience. Make them partner with you in your speech. After all, they are pulling for you to succeed.

Finally, don't ever abuse the clock. Start and stop on time. There's nothing more rude to the audience and other involved in a program that a long-winded speaker who abuses the clock.

In your closing, try to use something inspirational that will cause your audience to want to take action. Short poems, quotes, stories or vignettes are perfect for a good, strong closing. Remember the "three S formula"-stand up, speak up, and shut up.

Cat got your tongue? Not if you practice, practice, practice!