Public Speaking

"Public speaking is the art of diluting a two-minute idea with a two-hour vocabulary."

- Evan Esar

"You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart."

- John Ford

"Grasp the subject, the words will follow."

- Cato The Elder

When we're planning on how to get a point across to a group of people we will be addressing, we often think long and hard about what we want to say. We draft our speech by listing the key talking points, intersperse it with a humour we hope will bring a little levity, and sum it up with what (we also hope) will be a memorable finish.  I admit that I have done exactly this many times, and only after listening to enough speeches and presentations do I look back and realize that such a course of action was the wrong way to go about it. Instead of focusing on what I wanted to say in order to get my point across, I should have focused instead on what I wanted the other person to hear.

Countless books and articles have been written that explain why sending the right message is so important and teaching you how to send exactly the message you want to send. Their authors stress the importance of being concise, precise, and specific in choosing your words, regardless of whether you write them or speak them. They tell you that this is the best way to get your point across to your audience.

But do we ever stop for a minute and consider who our audience is going to be?

The secret is knowing that what we want to say, and what words or sentences we want to use, are unimportant.  The only thing that is important is our audience.  It  is our audience who will decide what we are going to say and how we are going to say it. Explaining the value of a new telephone system is different if you are speaking to the finance department than if you are addressing the telesales staff. The better you know your audience the easier it is for you to tailor your message to them. And the more your message is tailored to your audience the more likely it is that you will get your point across.

Though it might seem obvious once explained in these terms, it is not so obvious a thing when we are preparing;  at least, it is not so easy to bear in mind. While the message you send is important, the message the receiver hears is even more important. If you know your audience you usually have an idea of how they will interpret or filter what you say. You can use this to your advantage to make sure they receive the message you are trying to send.

We all know, for instance, that if we are addressing a group of first-graders we can't use "big words" because they won't "get it". They won't understand our message, or any nuance of language we use. So we choose words they will comprehend. Rather than using "big words" that convey the message we want to send, we use words we think they will understand. That way they will hear our message and understand what we want them to.

I am not suggesting that we speak to, or consider the intelligence of, any group of people as being that of elementary school children.  However, I would suggest that as the speakers who will have the attention of any group, we should be tailoring the message so that it is relevant and easily understood from their perspective, in terms that readily grasped from the position of their duties and tasks. 

We should not be trying to explain, for example, technology concepts to accountants using technical terms. Or using a financial analogy to get a point across to the Creative Department. If you want your service department to handle more calls per day, tell them that. Don't tell them they need to "reduce the time interval between customer-interface opportunities in order to better leverage company resources with the aim of improving the overall satisfaction metrics" 

To increase your chances of getting your point across, focus more on the receiver than on the sender. Tailor your message to your audience to improve their comprehension. Don't worry so much about what you want to say as about what you want them to hear and understand.

If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com. 
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