The Power of Previewing
One of the major differences between giving a speech and writing
a paper is the fact that your audience can't go back and re-read
a section of a speech. Therefore, as a speaker, you must make
sure that your audience doesn't get lost or confused.
There are many ways that a speaker can do this, but one of the
easiest and most powerful ways is to use preview statements.
Preview statements simply outline what you are going to be
speaking about, point by point. Usually included in the
introduction of a speech, they create a sense of organization in
the minds of the audience, making it much easier for them to
follow along.
If you are a beginning speaker, your preview statements can be
blunt and straight to the point. For instance, if you were
speaking about a new policy, you could say "I will be making
three points: First, I will talk about how the current policy is
causing problems. Second, I will discuss what we need to do to
fix the problem. Third, I will outline a new policy that needs to
be started." It may not be subtle, but at least your audience
knows what you will be talking about, and in what order.
As you become more experienced with preview statements, you can
start making them a little more sophisticated. Instead of the
above preview statement, you might say "The only way we can
improve this situation is to understand the problem, the causes
of the problem, and what needs to be fixed in order to solve it."
This isn't nearly as straightforward as the first, but it still
creates an organization for your speech in the minds of the
audience.
In any case, the point here is to give your audience a "roadmap"
that they can use to understand your speech. When the audience
knows where you are going, they are less likely to get lost.
About the Author
Ron Sathoff, manager of http://InternetWriters.com, offers a full
range of services to business and professional speakers,
including speech writing and editing, personal coaching, and
presentation development. You can reach him at ron@drnunley.com
or 801-328-9006.