Polish During Rehearsal

During the rehearsal of a speech, help the speaker to slow up delivery of the first few lines. Mark the script to indicate where a breath can be taken. Try to implant a substitute self-fulfilling prophecy: "You're going to do great, because this is a well-prepared speech tailored to your style, and it's got some information that the audience really wants to hear."

Give the speaker an opportunity to perform before an in-house group, such as a regularly scheduled department meeting. Some organi­zations routinely make use of their video studios to tape dry runs of pre­sentations, thus providing the speaker with valuable instant analysis. Stored copies of trial runs can also be used to train speakers in the future.

Notice that we didn't discuss visual aids earlier as a device for helping the speaker to overcome stage fright. Visual aids shouldn't be thrown in to compensate for a mediocre speaker. They should be used primarily because they make the presentation clearer and because they can add interest and variety.

The time to decide whether a visual aid will be useful is after the re­search and first draft are completed. Then the speechwriter must ana­lyze whether some data lend themselves to graphic display, or if a slide show, film, or video tape might make a major point come to life.

Another major concern is whether the visual aid will be appropriate for the meeting room where it is to be used. If you plan to show sales fig­ures and research expenditures using graphics on slide transparencies, make sure the room can be fully darkened. If charts and graphs are to be used, provide the speaker with an easel and cardboard-backed sign­boards that are nonreflecting so that they can be read no matter how harsh the lighting. (The best professional easels have a light source hang­ing from the top.)