How to make a speech By George Plimpton interested in? How much do they variety For some reason, the joke already know about your subject? that convulses guests in a living One kind of talk would be appropri- room tends to suffer as it emerges ate for the Women's Club of Colum- through the amplifying system into bus, Ohio, and quite another for the a public gathering place. guests at the Vince Lombardi dinner Main body: There are four How to plan what to say main intents in the body of the well-made speech. These are 1) to Here is where you must do your entertain, which is probably the homework. hardest; 2) to instruct, which is the The more you sweat in advance, easiest if the speaker has done the the less you'll have to sweat once you research and knows the subject; appear on stage. Research your topic 3) to persuade, which one does at a thoroughly. Check the library for sales presentation, a political rally, facts, quotes, books and timely mag- International Paper asked George Plimpton, or a town meeting; and finally, 4) azine and newspaper articles on who writes books about facing the sports pros to inspire, which is what the speaker lt your subject. Get in touch with (like Paper lion" and "Shadow Box"), emphasizes at a sales meeting, and who's in demand to speak about it, to tell experts. Write to them, make you how to face the fear of making a speech phone calls, get interviews to in a sermon, or at a pep rally. help round out your material. I (Hurry-Up Yost, the onetime Michigan football coach, gave One of life's terrors for the In short, gather-and such an inspiration-filled uninitiated is to be asked to make learn-far more than you'll j a speech* ever use. You cant imag- half-time talk that he "Why me?" will probably be ine how much confi- got carried away and at your first reaction. "I don't have any- dence that knowledge the final exhortation thing to say" It should be reassuring will inspire. led his team on the run through the wrong (though it rarely is) that since you Now start orga- were asked, somebody must think nizing and writing. locker- room you do. The fact is that each one of Most authorities sug- door into the us has a store of material which gest that a good speech swimming pool.) should be of interest to others. There breaks down into three Summation: is no reason why it should not be This is where you basic parts-an intro- a adapted to a speech. duction, the body should ask for the order." Why know how to speak? of the speech, and the An ending should probably summation. incorporate a sentence or Scary as it is, it's important for two which sounds like an anyone to be able to speak in front Introduction: An ending—a short summary of others, whether twenty around a audience makes up its of the main points of the conference table or a hall filled with mind very quickly. Once speech, perhaps, or the a thousand faces. the mood of an audience is repeat of a phrase that set, it is difficult to change Being able to speak can mean most embodies what it, which is why introduc- better grades in any class. It can the speaker has hoped tions are important. If the mean talking the town council out to convey. It is valuable speech is to be lighthearted of increasing your property taxes. It to think of the last sen- in tone, the speaker can start can mean talking top management tence or two as some- off by telling a good-natured into buying your plan. thing which might pro- story about the subject or duce applause. Phrases How to pick a topic himself. which are perfectly ap- You were probably asked to But be careful of jokes, propriate to signal this speak in the first place in the hope especially the shaggy-dog that you would be able to articulate are: "Inclosing..." or a topic that you know something " What am I doing wrong? Taking refuge "I have one last thing behind the lectern, looking scared to to say..." about. Still, it helps to find out about death, shuffling pages, and reading my your audience first. Who are they? speech Relax, Come out in the open, Once done—fully Why are they there? What are they gesture, taWc to your audience!" written, or the main points set down on 3 " x 5 " index following day, and a month later tirement, say, but a technical talk or cards—the next problem is the he died of pneumonia. an informative speech can be enlivened with a question period. actual presentation of the speech. Check your grammar Ideally, a speech should not be read. The crowd At least it should never appear or Consult a dictionary for proper sound as if you are reading it. An meanings and pronunciations. Your The larger the crowd, the easier audience is dismayed to see a audience won't know if you're a bad it is to speak, because the response speaker peering down at a thick speller, but they will know if you use is multiplied and increased. Most sheaf of papers on the lectern, or pronounce a word improperly. In people do not believe this. They wetting his thumb to turn to the my first remarks on the dais, I used peek out from behind the curtain next page. to thank people for their "fulsome and if the auditorium is filled to the introduction," until I discovered to rafters they begin to moan softly in How to sound spontaneous my dismay that "fulsome" means the back of their throats. The best speakers are those who offensive and insincere. What about stage fright? make their words sound spontane- ous even if memorized. Fve Very few speakers escape the found it's best to learn a so-called "butterflies." There speech point by point, does not seem to be any cure not word for word. Care- for them, except to realize ful preparation and il that they are beneficial a great deal of than harmful, practicing and never fatal. are re- The tension usual- quired | ly means that the to make speaker, being keyed it come together up, will do a better job. smoothly and Edward R. Murrow called easily. Mark stage fright "the sweat of Twain once said, perfection." Mark Twain "It takes three "Why should you make a speech? There are four big reasons (left to right); to inspire, once comforted a fright- weeks to prepare to persuade, to entertain, to instruct I'll teU you how to organize:e what you say." frozen friend about to a good ad-lib speech." On the podium speak: "Just remember they dorft Dorft be fooled when you re- It helps one's nerves to pick out exPe^t much." My own feeling is that hearse. It takes longer to deliver a three or four people in the audience- with thought, preparation and faith speech than to read it. Most speak- preferably in different sectors so that in Your ideas> ^ow can §° out there and ex ct a ers peg along at about 100 words a the speaker is apparently giving his Pf 1 Peasant surprise, minute. attention to the entire room-on , And what a sensation it is-to Brevity is an asset whom to focus. Pick out people who ^ear applause. Invariably after it seem to be having a good time. dies awaV> the speaker searches out A sensible plan, if you have the program chairman -just to been asked to speak to an exact How questions help make it known that he>s available limit, is to talk your speech into a A question period at the end of for next month's meeting, mirror and stop at your allotted a speech is a good notion. One would time; then cut the speech accord- not ask questions following a tribute ingly. The more familiar you be- to the company treasurer on his re- come with your speech, the more confidently you can deliver it. Today, the printed word is more vital than ever. Now there As anyone who listens to is more need than ever for all of us to read better, write better, and speeches knows, brevity is an asset. communicate better. Twenty minutes are ideal. An hour is the limit an audience can listen International Paper offers this series in the hope that* even in comfortably. a small way, we can help. In mentioning brevity, it is If you'd like additional reprints of this article or an H"xl7"copy worth mentioning that the shortest suitable for bulletin board posting or framing, please write: inaugural address was George "Power of the Printed Word," International Paper Company, Washingtoris-just 135 words. The Dept. 9, P.O. Box 954, Madison Square Station, longest was William Henry Harri- New York, NY 10010. ; 1962 INTERNATIONAL PAPER COMPAN son's in 1841. He delivered a two- hour 9,000-word speech into the INTERNATIONAL PAPER COMPANY teeth of a freezing northeast wind. We believe in the power of the printed word. He came down with a cold the Printed in U.S. on International Paper Company's Springhill® Offset, basis 60 1b. How to write a resume by Jerrold G. Simon, Ed.D. Harvard Business School International Paper asked Jerrold G. more about it in the reference off with that.