rotary africa magazine

COPYRIGHT © 2014 BY ROTARY INTERNATIONAL . ALL R IGHTS RESERVED.

A ROTARIAN’S GUIDE TO PUBLIC SPEAKING

GLOBALOUTLOOKA R O T A R Y P R I M E R

nov14-Global OutlookJEN.indd 57 9/10/14 10:00 AM

5 8 T H E R O T A R I A N | N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4

ublic speaking is one of the most common fears – and as business and community leaders, Rotarians have to confront it regularly. How do you

cultivate this important skill? We devote this Global Outlook to all aspects of public speaking. We’ve tapped Chris Anderson, the man behind the internationally popular TED Talks, for his advice on giving a standout presentation. We also investigate the pitfalls of presenting in a language that’s not your own and explore new technologies that will take your talk from static to stellar. Struggling to get top-notch speakers to come to your club? We have tips for that too. Read on.

PIL

LUS

TR

AT

ION

S B

Y O

TT

O S

TE

ININ

GE

R


On a trip to Nairobi, Kenya, some colleagues and I met a

12-year-old Maasai boy named Richard Turere, who told

us a fascinating story. His family raises livestock on the

edge of a vast national park, and one of the biggest

challenges is protecting the animals from lions – especially at night.

Richard had noticed that placing lamps in a field didn’t deter lion

attacks, but when he walked the field with a torch, the lions stayed

away. From a young age, he’d been interested in electronics, teaching

himself by, for example, taking apart his parents’ radio. He used that

experience to devise a system of lights that would turn on and off in

sequence – using solar panels, a car battery, and a piece of motorcycle

equipment – and thereby create a sense of movement that he hoped

would scare off the lions. He installed the lights, and the lions

stopped attacking. Soon villages elsewhere in Kenya began installing

Richard’s “lion lights.”

The story was inspiring and worthy of the broader audience that

our TED Conference could offer, but on the surface, Richard seemed

an unlikely candidate to give a TED Talk. He was painfully shy. His

English was halting. When he tried to describe his invention, the

sentences tumbled out incoherently. And frankly, it was hard to

imagine a preteen standing on a stage in front of 1,400 people.

But Richard’s story was so compelling that we invited him to

speak. In the months before his talk, we worked with him to frame

his story – to find the right place to begin, and to develop a succinct

and logical arc of events. On the back of his invention, Richard had

won a scholarship to one of Kenya’s best schools, where he

had the chance to practice the talk several times in front of a live

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4 | T H E R O T A R I A N 5 9

EXPERT ANALYSIS

HOW TO GIVE A KILLER

PRESENTATIONby Chris Anderson

Chris Anderson is the curator of TED, a nonprofit dedicated to spreading ideas, often through short, powerful talks.

audience. It was critical that he build his confidence to the point

where his personality could shine through. When he finally gave

his talk at the 2013 TED Conference in Long Beach, Calif., you

could tell he was nervous, but that only made him more engaging

– people were hanging on his every word. The confidence

was there, and every time Richard smiled, the audience melted.

When he finished, the response was instantaneous: a sustained

standing ovation.

Since the first TED Conference 30 years ago, speakers have

ranged from political figures, musicians, and TV personalities

who are completely at ease before a crowd, to lesser-known

academics, scientists, and writers, some of whom feel deeply

uncomfortable giving presentations. Over the years, we’ve sought

to develop a process for helping inexperienced presenters

frame, practice, and deliver talks that people enjoy watching.

On the basis of this experience, I’m convinced that giving a

good talk is highly coachable. In a matter of hours, a speaker’s

content and delivery can be transformed from muddled to

mesmerizing. And while my team has focused on TED’s

18-minutes-or-shorter format, the lessons we’ve learned are

surely useful to other presenters.

FRAME YOUR STORYThere’s no way you can give a good talk unless you have something

worth talking about. Conceptualizing and framing what you want

to say is the most vital part of preparation. When I think about

compelling presentations, I think about taking an audience on

a journey.



If you frame the talk as a journey, the biggest decisions are

figuring out where to start and where to end. To find the right place

to start, consider what people in the audience already know about

your subject – and how much they care about it. If you assume

they have more knowledge or interest than they do, or if you start

using jargon or get too technical, you’ll lose them. The most

engaging speakers do a superb job of quickly introducing the topic,

explaining why they care so deeply about it, and convincing the

audience members that they should too.

The biggest problem I see in first drafts of presentations is that

they try to cover too much ground. Limit the scope of your talk to

what can be explained – and brought to life with examples – in the

available time. Go deeper and give more detail. Don’t tell us about

your entire field of study – tell us about your unique contribution.

PLAN YOUR DELIVERYOnce you’ve got the framing down, it’s time to focus on your

delivery. There are three main ways to deliver a talk: You can read

it directly off a script. You can develop a set of bullet points that

map out what you’re going to say in each section rather than

scripting the whole thing word for word. Or you

can memorize your talk, which entails

rehearsing it to the point where you internalize

every word – verbatim.

My advice: Don’t read it. As soon as people

sense that you’re reading, the way they receive

your talk will shift. Suddenly your intimate

connection will evaporate, and everything will

feel a lot more formal.

Many of our best and most popular TED

Talks have been memorized word for word.

Obviously, not every presentation is worth that

kind of investment of time. But if you do decide to memorize your

talk, be aware that there’s a predictable arc to the learning curve.

Most people go through what I call the “valley of awkwardness,”

where they haven’t quite memorized everything. If they give the

talk while stuck in that valley, the audience will sense it. Their

words will sound recited, or there will be painful moments when

they stare into the middle distance, or cast their eyes upward, as

they struggle to remember their lines.

Getting past this point is simple, fortunately. It’s just a matter

of rehearsing enough times that the flow of words becomes second

nature. Then you can focus on delivering the talk with meaning

and authenticity.

But if you don’t have time to learn a speech thoroughly and

get past that awkward valley, don’t try. Go with bullet points on

notecards. As long as you know what you want to say for each one,

you’ll be fine. Focus on remembering the transitions from one bullet

point to the next.

DEVELOP STAGE PRESENCEWhen it comes to stage presence, a little coaching can go a long

way. The most common mistake we see in early rehearsals is that

people move their bodies too much. They sway from side to side,

or shift their weight from one leg to the other. Simply getting a

person to keep his or her lower body motionless can dramatically

improve stage presence. Some people can walk around a stage

during a presentation, and that’s fine if it comes naturally. But the

vast majority are better off standing still and relying on hand

gestures for emphasis.

Perhaps the most important physical act onstage is making eye

contact. Find five or six friendly looking people in different parts

of the audience and look them in the eye as you speak. Think of

them as friends you haven’t seen in a year whom you’re bringing

up to date on your work. That eye contact is incredibly powerful,

and it will do more than anything else to help your talk land.

In general, people worry too much about nervousness. Nerves are

not a disaster. The audience expects you to be nervous. It’s a natural

body response that can actually improve your performance: It gives

you energy to perform and keeps your mind

sharp. Just keep breathing, and you’ll be fine.

PLAN THE MULTIMEDIAWith so much technology at our disposal, it

may feel almost mandatory to use, at a

minimum, presentation slides. By now most

people have heard the advice about

PowerPoint: Keep it simple; don’t use a slide

deck as a substitute for notes (by, say, listing

the bullet points you’ll discuss – those are best

put on notecards); and don’t repeat out loud

words that are on the slides. That advice may

seem universal by now, but go into any company and you’ll see

presenters violating it every day.

Many of the best TED speakers don’t use slides at all, and many

talks don’t require them. If you have photographs, illustrations,

or video that make the topic come alive, then yes, show them. If

not, consider doing without, at least for some parts of the

presentation. And if you’re going to use slides, it’s worth exploring

alternatives to PowerPoint.

PUTTING IT TOGETHERUltimately, presentations rise or fall on the quality of the idea, the

narrative, and the passion of the speaker. It’s about substance, not

speaking style or multimedia pyrotechnics. It’s fairly easy to “coach

out” the problems in a talk, but there’s no way to “coach in” the

basic story – the presenter has to have the raw material. If you have

something to say, you can build a great talk.

An extended version of this story appeared in the June 2013 Harvard Business Review.




Sell your club. Emphasize to prospective

speakers that it’s a big deal to present at

your club and that they’ll get something

out of it. “If you can’t promise them a big

crowd, promise them that 20 of the top leaders in town

will be there,” Caruso says. Consider changing your vo-

cabulary: Rather than asking someone to be the

“program” at your “club meeting,” see if they’ll be the

“keynote speaker” at your “lunch.” Take your speakers

seriously, and they will take your club seriously.

Create buzz on social media before, dur-

ing, and after the meeting. Ask your

speakers for a headshot and short video,

and post them on social media to generate

interest in your event. Ask their permission to tweet and

photograph during the meeting – social media revolves

around what’s happening right now. “A speaker would

never say no to that,” Caruso says. If you took video of

the presentation, post it afterward.

Invite speakers who appeal to the

members you have and the members you

want. If you bring in presenters who are

popular in the city, chances are they will

have friends, associates, and customers of their own who

could come for the presentation. Welcome your speakers

to bring their own audience to your club meeting, and

you may find prospective new members. Also invite

people you know who might be interested in your speaker.

Start small, but think big. Finding and

promoting 52 big-name speakers may

sound daunting, but what about 12?

Designate the first meeting of each month

as the “speaker showcase,” and aim to double your

attendance at that meeting based on the draw of a star

speaker, Caruso suggests. Having a larger crowd increases

the chances that you’ll get media coverage and that other

notable speakers will come to your club as well. Don’t

forget to collect business cards from visitors so you can

let them know about upcoming programs and club events.

Imagine you’re thinking of joining Rotary. You attend a club meeting, and the speaker that day is uninspiring and boring. Do you still join? “Speakers hold more real estate than anyone in the Rotary meeting – including the club presidents,” says Michael Angelo Caruso, public image chair and governor-nominee of District 6380 (parts of Ontario and Michigan), who teaches presentation skills to leaders and salespeople as a communications consultant. We caught up with Caruso, who has spoken to more than 400 Rotary clubs and districts around the world, at the RI Convention in Sydney, Australia, to get his take on how to make the most of your weekly speaker and land that big name.

HOW TO LAND A NOTABLE

SPEAKER FOR YOUR NEXT CLUB MEETING (IN FOUR EASY STEPS)

1

2

3

4


BREAKING THE

LANGUAGE BARRIERPublic speaking is hard enough without the added difficulty of delivering in a foreign language. But with the right approach, anyone can learn to give an effective speech in another language. We turned to some multilingual Rotary leaders for tips on getting your message across.

DON’T OVERTHINK IT. “Just speak,” says 2005-06 RI President Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar, whose first language is Swedish. “Even if the grammar is wrong, just go ahead.” According to Rotary International speechwriter Abby Breitstein, it helps to remember that audiences are there to hear what you have to say, not to find out how well you speak their language.

FIND YOUR COMFORT ZONE. If you’re presenting in a second language, learn what suits your proficiency level. Less-proficient speakers may need to write out the entire speech, while others will feel comfortable with an outline. Bhichai Rattakul, 2002-03 RI president, adapts to the occasion. A native Thai speaker who also speaks English and Chinese, he uses scripted speeches for formal events but works from notes in more casual settings.

PRACTICE UNTIL PERFECT. “Even if you have a written speech, prepare it so much that you almost know it by heart,” Stenhammar says. Breitstein suggests rehearsing into a voice recorder to hear how you sound, especially if you’re trying to fine-tune foreign pronunciations.

HOLD THE JOKES. Humor doesn’t always translate, so use it sparingly – or not at all. “Some people love jokes, but I am quite serious when I speak,” says Rattakul, who prefers using memorable anecdotes to connect with listeners. “Especially in Rotary, I find a good story that would touch the hearts of the audience,” he says.


CANADA DON’T forget it’s good practice to pro-vide English and French translations of documents when working in Quebec.

ARGENTINA DO be aware that as business

friendships develop in Argentina, kissing, hugging, and back patting often follow handshakes. Follow the lead of your Argentine counterparts.



INDONESIA DO carefully look at people’s business

cards when they give them to you. Immediately putting them in a pocket

is considered disrespectful.

INDIA DON’T point your foot at another person in India. Apologize if your shoes or feet touch someone else.

GERMANY DO treat business meetings

as serious occasions. Save humor for social settings.

KENYA DON’T jump straight into business matters. Small talk is expected.


READY TO BUILD YOUR NEXT PRESENTATION?We tested three up-and-coming platforms that are available anywhere in the world.

PREZI WWW.PREZI.COMThis “virtual whiteboard” allows you to work from a single

screen that outlines the entire presentation, telling the story

by zooming in and out to cover specifi c topics. Its cloud-

based platform allows multiple users to work on a presenta-

tion simultaneously. Available in English, French, German,

Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish

HAIKU DECK WWW.HAIKUDECK.COMHaiku Deck appeals to

users with its emphasis

on visuals. You can choose

background images from

nonprofi t digital licens-

ing group Creative Com-

mons, import your own

photos, or pay a small fee

to use Getty Images. Its

streamlined design op-

tions and integrated formatting make it almost impos-

sible to create an unattractive presentation. Haiku Deck

is offered in iOS and Web-based versions. Available in

English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese,

Spanish, and simplifi ed Chinese

FLOWBOARD WWW.FLOWBOARD.COMThis iPad and Mac app allows you to create presentations

by embedding photo galleries, videos, and links. Each pre-

sentation gets a unique Flowboard URL, making your work

easy to access online and share via social media. Flowboard

allows you to import content from just about anywhere,

including Dropbox, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese,

Portuguese, Spanish, and simplifi ed Chinese


HOW TO PRESENT AN AWARD • Tell a story about the signifi cance of the award.• Pronounce the recipient’s name correctly.• Provide background information on the recipient.• Hold the award respectfully, and hand it to the recipient

as if it were a treasure.• Stand so the audience can clearly see you, the recipient,

and the award.

HOW TO ACCEPT AN AWARD • Begin by addressing the audience to buy some time and calm your nerves.• Control fi ller words (ums and ahs).• Say thank you, keep names to a minimum, and pronounce them correctly.• Remember that the audience is rooting for you.

TAKING OFFICE?District governors-elect have the

opportunity to attend a session on

public speaking at the International

Assembly. Club presidents-elect

receive training on speaking at their

district assembly.

Learn more in the District Assembly

Leaders’ Guide at www.rotary.org.


rotary africa magazine

Business

t h e r o t

r ights

r y p r i

n n o v e

live n o v e

ted conference

e rnov14global outlookjen

curator of ted