Whether it’s making an announcement at a party, presenting to a client or taking on a Best Man role – getting up in front of a crowd is often a daunting experience. This blog is dedicated to helping you relish being asked to… Say a Few Words.
My name is Phillip Hofmeyr and I really used to struggle to feel comfortable in front of an audience. But over time, being forced to speak in front of work colleagues, pitching to raise money for my start-ups and presenting to clients I have grown to love public-speaking. I learnt the hard way. In my forthcoming posts I will share tips that will make your journey MUCH easier.
I speak from experience.
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Hi Phil
I find the concept, that we discussed about “wearing hats” as Edward de Bono suggests of great help when giving a speech. For example I had to give a presentation that contained “facts, information and data” so I imagined I was “wearing the white hat”. By do this, I was able to focus better on what it was that I was supposed to deliver.
It’s almost as if one is assuming a character in a play. I highly recommend that your readers look up Edward de Bono’s “Six Thinking Hats”.
For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Thinking_Hats
Regards James
James,
Can you tell me a bit more? Have just read the wikipedia entry you shared. I see why it might help you think about the information in a neutral way in terms of your preparation. But for it is more interesting to consider the state of your audience. Do you have to ‘signal’ to your audience they are about to have a lot of facts shared with them and encourage them to move into a ‘white hat’ frame of mind?
As the presenter you have an obligation to engage your audience. How does Six Hat theory address this?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Phil
Yes, that is a good point. One could create an environment by suggestion or other means to get the audience into a state of “White hat” thinking or whatever it is one is talking about.
While de Bono, does reference this creative thought process to group discussions and not necessarily a monologue, I find that as the speaker it helps me to maintain focus on what it is that I am speaking about and avoid a tangent of say for example an emotional response (Red Hat) to data, when is not effective to do so.
Addressing your next question, I think de Bono sums it up with: “…these are sequences of hats which encompass and structure the thinking process toward a distinct goal.” There has to be a point to a speech. Every sentence contributes to the culmination of what it is that you are trying to communicate to your audience. While there are many different angles one can take when delivering a speech, a structured process is always the way to go. So, how does one gauge that the subject matter is relevant to the audience, images are relevant or even the changes in the tone of your voice compliments the message you are trying to put across?
The best method for me…. is to simply “try on the different thinking hats” during preparation and then again when I deliver the speech.
Thanks for the clarification James and for the great practical advice.