Guest blog written by Glen Savage Who doesn’t love a good dinner party? Amazing atmosphere, interesting people, sparkling wit and sumptuous food…Mmm… are all likely to lead to a memorable evening. But did you know its preparation is akin to that needed for a great speech? Throwing a successful dinner party involves planning and preparation. There is a lot to consider, including who to invite, dietary requirements, music and, of course, the meal itself. Not only do you need to plan the menu and buy the food, you need to have the skills to cook and present it. The same applies to preparing a great speech. It’s easy to forget to pay attention to the various aspects of designing, organising and preparing to deliver a great speech and put lots of effort into fancy – and sometimes not-so-fancy – slides. Just as you wouldn’t invite people for dinner and then upon their arrival fling open the fridge to see what’s inside to cook and serve, neither should you just turn up and deliver an ill-prepared presentation. As you wouldn’t serve a fabulous roast for your vegetarian friends, neither should you fail to consider the specific needs of the audience for your speech. In business, having impact is paramount to success. The business leaders who ask me to work with them to improve their speaking are mostly missing some of the elements of the “dinner party” approach, so to start we work with my 6P formula for a great speech. Purpose – Plan – Prepare – Practice – Present – Post |
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