Evaluation

PR students who have taken public speaking courses know that a speech-evaluation checklist can be a useful analytical tool. While it may not be politic to present your CEO with a "report card," the check­list can help the PR department to evaluate the speeches it prepares. Ex­tra space or wide margins should be left after each item, so that additional specific comments can be added by the evaluator. PIC

The sample speech evaluation form provided on the opposite page can be modified to fit your organization's specific needs. One or more evaluators may be used. A check is placed in front of every item that was satisfactory. Comments are written in the space below each item if there was a deficiency or if the evaluator has a suggestion for improvement.

Rarely will feedback be useful unless it is provided immediately and in an organized way. That's why the speech-evaluation form often works better than the verbal briefing you never seem to find time to hold until too many days later.

You may have followed every suggestion to the letter, and your speaker is ready to dazzle an audience . . . when an unpredicted ice storm makes travel hazardous, and two-thirds of the expected guests stay at home. If the speech was your total PR message, then you probably will end up far short of your objectives. But if you have planned multiple uses of the prepared material, success can still be yours.

simultaneous print press release

As soon as the speechwriter has completed the final draft, for ex­ample, preparation of a simultaneous print press release should begin. (One speechwriter even suggests that the press release should be writ­ten before the speech, in order to force the speaker and the speech-writer to come up with key thoughts that can be packaged as news.) The release, along with a text of the speech, can be provided to the wire services and other news organizations in the area ahead of time. The PR person should be prepared to put the speaker in phone contact with the media immediately after the speech, especially if reporters who had expressed an interest in attending were not able to be there.

And don't forget the reprint value of a speech. If the names of those attending a convention where your spokesperson appeared are avail­able from the sponsors, you may want to send a reprint to each, with a cover letter reminding them of the impact the presentation had on the convention. A device that has special impact is the reprinting of the speech in a quality booklet format, with a picture of the speaker pre­ceding the text. A commencement speech by your CEO, or a keynote address to a professional or trade meeting, might warrant such presti­gious treatment. PIC

At some point it's going to hit you: "We're sending somebody out there to speak to some organization almost every week." Maybe it's time to set up a speakers' bureau. Here's what it takes to set up an ongoing ser­vice for presenting your organization's ideas to other organizations through a team of trained speakers:

• A program to identify managers in your organization who are willing speakers. They must not only do the job well, they also have to enjoy going out to meet with Kiwanians, Daughters of the American Revolution, or the Association of Professional Whatevers.

• A set of topics suitable for any and all groups: "The New Technology" . . . "The History of Mining" . . . "How to Prepare for a Job in the Aerospace Industry" . . . "Why We Must Explore Outer Space." All of these topics, of course, must relate to your organization's goals and interests. The target group expects some sort of "sell," although they expect it to be "soft."

• A system of publicizing and promoting the speakers and their topics. In most parts of the country, the phone company's bill-stuffer newsletter includes an occasional item about "interesting programs for your club—just call your local Bell office to ar­range a speaker." Utilities, along with the monthly bill, also pro­mote "science magicians" and experts in various fields for school and club appearances. Another good device is to mail fly­ers to school superintendents and principals, who are always looking for free educational programs. National headquarters of professional and fraternal organizations usually are willing to provide mailing lists of presidents or program chairpersons of local chapters, making it easy for you to get your descriptive brochure to them.

• A booking person. One secretary or administrative assistant in the public relations department should be responsible for handling all speaker requests and assuring that obligations are fulfilled.

Most universities maintain a list of professors and their interest ar­eas, so that groups requesting presentations on very specialized topics of interest can be matched with speakers. Large corporations provide speakers in wholesale quantities: the Western Electric Company has five hundred speakers working out of fifty-two local bureaus around the country.