The Presentation After the PresentationWritten by Stephen D. Boyd
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Sometimes you will have a listener raise his or her hand and instead of asking a question will make an extended comment—or a speech. This person has no question. A way to handle this is to watch person’s speaking rate, and when he or she takes a moment for a breath interrupt with “Thanks for your comment….Next question?” Look to other side of room and long-winded speaker is not sure whether you interrupted him or whether you really thought he or she was finished. Do not allow person to continue with “speech” because it will deprive other members of audience of opportunity to ask questions. Don’t evaluate questions. Avoid saying “That was a great question,” or “Good question.” If next person asks a question and you give no positive adjective, then person may think you did not approve of question and that could stifle others from asking questions. If you want to affirm a specific question, simply say, “Thanks for asking that question.” Make everyone feel equally good about asking questions. Consider having your conclusion after question and answer period. This technique allows you to control end of your time in front of audience. Instead of last question, audience receives your prepared and planned conclusion. Say, “Before I make some concluding remarks, who has a question to ask?” Then when you take amount of time you want for question and answer period, go back to your conclusion. Thus you can end in a positive and upbeat way rather than trailing off with “So if there are no further questions, I guess that’s it….” Always maintain control of speaking situation. When you open your presentation for audience participation, there are risks of losing control. Anticipate unexpected. Plan ahead as much as possible. Look at your content and think about likely questions audience will ask. Prepare your own questions to ask. Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know,” and move on to next question (You might add that you will be glad to get back to them with an answer at a later time). Be up front with a questioner if you think question is not relevant and in a kind way say so. Your response might be, “Actually, that question doesn’t fit context of our discussion.” Work hard not to lose your temper with someone who is trying to make you look bad by question asked. Remember that many speaking situations really involve two presentations: formal presentation and question and answer period. Insure success with both presentations by using these techniques for question and answer period.
Stephen D. Boyd, Ph.D., CSP, is a professor of speech communication at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Kentucky. He works with organizations that want to speak and listen more effectively to increase personal and professional performance. He can be reached at 800-727-6520 or visit http://www.sboyd.com for free articles and resources to improve your communication skills.
| | The End is the BeginningWritten by Stephen D. Boyd
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A third way to enhance ending is to understand mechanics of conclusion. It should be short. Don’t start concluding when you still have ten minutes of material left. Don’t say, “In conclusion…” unless you really mean to finish. You will lose audience if you keep talking long after you announce you are finishing. Speak conclusion without reading it. Look at your audience as you end; know exactly what you want to say and avoid fumbling with your notes, which distracts people from your words. The ending should raise emotional level of your interaction wit audience; rapport, eye contact, and feeling between speaker and audience are enhanced when speaker does not hesitate and stumble looking at notes. Look pleasant and try not to hide behind a lectern as you end. Conclusions are great opportunities to move away form lectern and toward audience. Another important tip is to avoid introducing new material in conclusion. The “add-ons” and “By ways…” should not be added once you are winding up your presentation. In conclusion, you should do these three things: summarize main points, include a statement that reiterates your general purpose, and develop an exit line. If you add to these areas, you are using material that should probably be included earlier in presentation. Finally, don’t take ending too seriously. Speakers sometimes look for that fantastic audience response-sustained applause, laughter, or even a standing ovation—only to be disappointed about whole speech if response doesn’t happen. On one occasion Winston Churchill was stopped by a woman who said to him, “Doesn’t it thrill you, Mr. Churchill, to know that every time you make a speech hall is packed to overflowing?” “It is quite flattering,” Sir Winston replied. “But whenever I feel this way I always remember that if, instead of making a political speech, I was being hanged, crowd would be twice as big.” Concentrate on your endings and you can’t help but give audience new beginnings in process.
Stephen D. Boyd, Ph.D., CSP, is a professor of speech communication at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Kentucky. He works with organizations that want to speak and listen more effectively to increase personal and professional performance. He can be reached at 800-727-6520 or visit http://www.sboyd.com for free articles and resources to improve your communication skills.
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