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Delivering
A Manuscript Speech by David
W. Richardson, CSP Your
great opportunity has come . . . you have been selected as a
featured speaker at a major convention. You will be involved in a
multi-media presentation which will be operated in rear projection
format on screens to either side of you. This
is one of the very few situations in which your speaking style must
change. No longer can
you just get up and speak "off the cuff" or "wing
it". Here is where
you must work from a manuscript. In
your career you will probably deliver fewer than 10% of your
presentations using a script. In
these instances, you will write and/or deliver a prepared speech.
These speeches will usually be presented to large audiences
in a meeting room or auditorium type facility and will be delivered
from a lectern. The
following tips will aid in the preparation and delivery of a
manuscript speech: 1.
The
manuscript is still a speech.
Sight and sound are still the media.
This is not to be confused with an essay standing on two
legs. You are not a
talking head. 2.
Maintain
your energy.
It is very easy to become lethargic and thereby come off as
dull and boring to your audience.
Your passion for your presentation must come through by
maintaining your energy at a high level. Try this: read
an article from a newspaper or magazine out loud into a tape
recorder. Then,
put the article down and paraphrase in your own words, with true
feeling and energy, that which you have just read.
Notice the difference. You
can quickly see the real challenges to maintaining your energy level
so that you are able to support, and are not overpowered by, the
multi-media presentation. 3.
Use
your own wording if possible.
If at all possible, you should use your own words and
phrases. This will
happen, of course, if you write your own speech. On the other hand, if your speech will be written for
you, be sure to read it out loud several times before presenting it
to make sure the words and phrases come easily to you.
If they do not, examine ways to change the wording to suit
your style. 4.
Use spoken rather than written language. Try to avoid writing the
speech out longhand or on your computer.
Instead, dictate your speech into a tape recorder and have it
transcribed. You will find it is much easier to
speak the spoken word than it is to speak the written word. 5.
Use
short, simple sentences. When delivering a manuscript speech, it is important to avoid
using convoluted phrases and dependent clauses that may blur the
clarity of your thoughts. Short,
simple sentences will give you an opportunity to pause, look at your
audience, and comfortably return to your presentation. 6.
Prepare
the manuscript in large print using both upper and lower case.
The
large print on the page should be triple spaced with wide margins. Divide
the paper from top to bottom in thirds.
Your prepared speech will then look like this: one-third left margin, one-third text, one-third right
margin. Be sure to divide this speech up into paragraphs and
use bold letters to set up each of your key points. 7.
"Score"
the speech. In
scoring the speech you may wish to underline certain key words and
phrases so that you will emphasize them during your presentation.
You also may draw arrows at particular areas where you may
wish to raise or lower your voice.
Avoid using a yellow highlighter . . . in many situations the
lectern lighting will cause the highlighted sentences to blend in
with the rest of the presentation. So that you can pause in the right
places, insert single slashes throughout each sentence where the
natural pause or inflection would occur.
Place a double slash at the end of each sentence and
a triple slash at the end of a paragraph. 8.
Practice
the speech. It is important that you practice the speech, but don't
become too mechanical. Practice
glancing down and picking up the words and phrases you wish to use
and then looking at your listeners to deliver them. There is
no more powerful way to emphasize your passion and to drive your
points home than by pausing at the end of a strong paragraph or
section. This must be
rehearsed in order that you will be able to look in the eyes of your
listeners as you deliver those last 12 - 15 words.
Pause for a three or four count, then look down, grasp your
next point, look at your listeners, and continue your speech. 9.
Pace
yourself. You may find your mind wandering during this presentation, or
you read it too quickly. When
you feel the pace is just right, then slow down some more. I have a tendency to deliver a manuscript speech too
rapidly. To help me
remember to speak slower, I will write the word "slow" in
the upper right hand corner of each page.
Then as I turn each page I am continually reminded to slow
down. 10.
Maintain
eye contact. Here is the typical presentation of a manuscript speech.
The speaker reads the speech, occasionally glances up for a
brief second, and then comes back to the page.
Several seconds later, when the speaker feels the need to
give more eye contact, once again the quick glance is given. Actually, the speaker sees nothing
but the speech and is largely ineffective.
While it is very difficult in a manuscript speech, try to look down to read and up to
talk. Since your speech is scored such
that you only use the center one-third of the page, it is therefore
not necessary for your eyes to go from one side to the other. You should be able to glance at your thought quickly
by looking down, and then look at your audience. See people in the audience, look to the front, the sides, the
back, and let people know you care about them and are willing to
show it by giving them good eye contact. There's
no more difficult speech to deliver than when using a manuscript.
Take the time, follow the ten tips above, and you will have a
powerful, moving presentation. Would
you like to receive a free copy of Dave's "5 Quick Voice
Exercises You Can Use When Preparing for a Speech"?
Fax a copy of your business card with the word
"Exercises" and your fax number written on it to (480) 452-9372
or
send an e-mail with the subject line "exercises" and
including your name, telephone number and company information to speaking@richspeaking.com. To
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