Hallahan Course Resources: Community Speechmaking

Community Speechmaking, Guide to

Speeches before community groups are an excellent way to build awareness of your business, to build understanding of issues pertaining to your operation, and to encourage inquiries or referrals.

Scheduling the Speech

Become familiar with the organizations in the community that have regular meetings (Chambers of Commerce are good sources.) Identify the top organization attended by leaders in the community, plus the two or three other groups which might be worthwhile (e.g. Rotary, Kiwanis, Merchants' Associations). Identify special interest groups in your field that would be worthwhile to contact, including trade groups.

Contact the organizations by letter or phone. Introduce yourself, and inform them that you will would be willing to speak.

Confirm the arrangements in writing at least 30 days in advance. Confirm the day of the week, date, and exact street address and room number.

Four times are critical to know: . Time of arrival (also obtain name of whom to meet) . Time the program or meal event actually begins . Time your talk begins (obtain name of the introducer) . Time by which you must conclude.

Promoting Your Talk

Finalize the title of your talk and give it to the organization for inclusion in its weekly/monthly mailing (generally at least 30 days before the event). Note: This pre-event exposure is critical to make the effort worthwhile. Include a photo.

Provide a one-or two paragraph abstract of what you'll talk about and a three-five paragraph biography on yourself. Be sure to include a paragraph that gives the correct name of your organization and how you would like it to be described. Encourage the group to send an advance news release about the talk to local media.

Ask if local media generally attend. (You'll want to know if any media personnel are present when you give the talk.) If acceptable to your hosts, encourage local media to attend, and use the event as "peg" for being interviewed. (A good strategy is to let media hear your talk, then visit with you immediately after the presentation to get additional information and/or ask questions.

Picking the Topic

Talk about activities, issues and concerns that you know about.

While you can supplement the talk with researched information, you will make a better impression if you present a lively, insightful presentation than if you droll on with a boring, fact-ladened talk.

Slant your remarks to the concerns of your audience. For most community organizations, the primary focus will be on how your organization affects the local community/economy.

Appropriate topics or angles might include:

Current developments at your facility -- a little history on their origins, current concerns, alternatives for the future.
New products or services, such as a facilities expansion, and future implications for the audience.
Controversies -- including your side of the issue as well as the opponents'
-- Current trends in the industry.

While many organizations welcome speakers year-round, a useful approach is to target your speechmaking to times when there is a strong local interest in the topic, such as an upcoming referendum or special event. Or, you might want to create a time frame, such as with the observance of the 10th anniversary of your facility.

Finally, remember that you're the expert! Almost everything you say will be new information to the audience. Your challenge is to present it in an informative, engaging manner.

Organizing Your Talk

Most community groups are looking for a speaker to fill a time slot of between 30 to 45 minutes. A good scenario is to plan your remarks to take 20 minutes, leaving the remainder of the time for questions and answers.

The goal of your talk is to have the audience leave with a favorable impression and two or three "Big Ideas" related to your organization. A good format to consider is a speech with

An Interesting Opening
.. that sparks interest, involves the audience, and familiarizes audiences members with the topic. Among commonly used devices are stories, anecdotes, jokes, or references to recent news headlines. The key here is to establish a rapport with the audience and to set up your talk.

A Clearly Stated Main Point
.. that succinctly states your position or what you want to the audience to remember. Generally, you'll want to support the main point of talk with two-four subtopics or points.

As possible, keep the talk simple. If you are talking about the history of your facility, focus on the two-four milestone events (and pepper your talk with interesting anecdotes related to them). Ignore other minutiae. Similarly, if you are the midst of a controversy, focus on the two-four key reasons or arguments why the audience should favor your position.

An Upbeat Closing
.. that sends the audience off with a good feeling about the organization, that restates the main point, and that (if needed) explains why your facility is important to them. The key themes should involve how the organization is committed to the community and the outlook for the future. Stress positives.

Tips on Preparing the Speech

Think about the topic, then talk with others about your ideas.
Visualize your audience -- their demographics, their backgrounds, etc.
Avoid being overly technical. Explain issues as if you were talking to your mother (or neighbor).
Organize the main ideas in a one-page outline, then expand it as necessary.
Research missing data or quotes -- verify all facts.
Rehearse the speech several times -- to become familiar with the material, to identify sections in which you are having problems, and to ascertain the length of presentation time.
Edit the speech accordingly.
Use whatever form of notes that you like. One good idea is to write out your first two sentences, key transition sentences, and your closing. Talk from an outline in between. If you use statistics or quotes, include them in your notes.

Tips on the Presentation

Arrive on-time; being late creates anxiety for both the speaker and the program organizers.
Bring business cards and handouts.
Greet hosts, visit with members of the audience beforehand.
First impressions count. Demonstrate to the audience you are interest in them.
Follow the organization's customs and protocol.
As possible, ascertain from the introducer how s/he plans to introduce you.
In beginning your talk, acknowledge the introducer and dignitaries. Seize opportunities to "bridge" between previous program events and your remarks.
Use the microphone effectively.
Speak clearly, at a moderate pace.
Look up at the audience; never read your speech.
Be yourself.
Look like your enjoying the experience; don't take yourself too seriously. Let the audience relate to you as a human being.
Thank the audience at the conclusion, answer questions.
Participate in whatever end-of-the-session activities that might be requested, such as door prize drawings.
Be genuinely interested in visiting with audience members one-on-one after the presentation.

Audio-Visuals

Visual aids can help deliver the message -- if used correctly.

For small groups (under 100), a one-sheet handout related to your talk is very practical. Use one or both sides to support your talk. If not needed, use the back to provide supplementary information (but not advertising) about your organization. Ask your host to coordinate distribution at the appropriate time.

Sales literature for your organization should not be used as handouts, but can be made available at the door when people leave. Upon arrival, give them to whomever greets guests at the door.

If using visuals, make sure they help -- not hinder. Some important considerations when choosing visuals are

Purpose of the presentation
Audience size
Location/rooms
Customs in the organization
Facility capabilities.

Each of the following audio-visuals have strengths and weaknesses in making community organization presentations:

Chalkboards
Pros: Inexpensive, flexible/erasable
Cons: Slow, not very impressive

Flipcharts
Pros: Easy to produce, reusable and transportable (best to bring your own)
Cons: Poor for large groups, requires some artistic skill

Overhead Projection (Transparencies)
Pros: Easy to use, quick to make, room need not be dimmed
Cons: Not good for large groups, speaker and projector can block view, not always available

35mm Slides
Pros: Standardizes presentation, photographic clairty and quality image, easy to transport
Cons: Room must be darkened, difficult to take notes, mechnical/bulb burnout problems

Videotapes
Pros: Color, motion, sound; good for explaining complicated subjects/processes; high impact.
Cons: Expensive ($1,500/minute), somewhat inflexible, shifts emphasis from presenter, requires large-screen or multiple TV sets for large groups, equipment might be limits or costly to rent

Electronic Presentations
Pros: Highly professional, opportunity to interactivity, presentation of complex material.
Cons: Requires skill in use of computers, computer projection system, room needs to be darkened

A Note on Conference/Professional Presentations

In addition to community groups, organizations in your industry and in the fields you serve provide opportunities for making speeches at monthly meetings, conferences, educational programs, conventions and trade shows. These events generally are promoted in industry newsletters and trade publications.

Most of the principles discussed here apply to these professional presentations. Some notable exceptions:

Conference and trade show programs are often scheduled a year in advance. Obtain the name of the program chair from the general conference chair/coordinator well in advance.
Presentations should be directed to the narrow professional interest of the audience and might require more sophisticated audio-visual support (e.g. slides). Presentation of research or other technical information is generally expected. Again, however, make your talk interesting by using anecdotes, stressing "big ideas," and avoiding needless, technical jargon.
Consider how your presentation might be the basis for trade publicity -- articles in trade publications, interviews with business or consumer media in attendance, stories in conference newspapers (if published), etc.

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