Speaking to the Board

At last you have been recognized for the program you have been working on for months. You are great at sitting at the computer, writing programs and hitting those keys all day, but now, your boss wants you to present your program to the board. It’s not like you have a month or two to prepare, the board meeting is next week. How can you be ready?

I would like to give you a brief overview of some points made by David Brooks, DTM, a member of Toastmasters in Austin. Texas. He gives some great tips for the next time you face an audience. This can help you face that board of directors.

1. Do not try to hide behind technology. A common, and often disastrous, mistake is to put your presentation on PowerPoint in the hopes that nobody will focus on you. Wrong. A bad speaker with PowerPoint is still a bad speaker. Use PowerPoint to illustrate your points.

2. The audience is rarely the enemy. When asked why people fear public speaking, a common response is, “Because the audience is just waiting for me to screw up.” In the audience, most will be allies, not adversaries. Take comfort in their support.

3. Begin by choosing one of four objectives. Everyone knows that before you start any project, you should determine your objective. Is my objective to inform, to persuade, to inspire or to entertain?  If your objective isn’t clear to you, the audience will never figure it out.

4. Speak with your audience, not to them. Today’s best speakers know that a good speech is good conversation. And the best speakers speak conversationally while keeping it brief.

5. Nothing can top a good story. The essence of public speaking is simply this: Make a point, tell a story. Make another point, tell another story. People don’t remember points. But they do remember stories.

6. Write it out. Yes, write your speech word for word, but don’t ever stand there and read it. Good speakers pack the most information into the least time because they are good editors. But you can’t edit what you haven’t written.

7. There is not substitute for practice. Few people speak well extemporaneously. Speaking is a skill that takes practice.

These few suggestions can make a difference in your next presentation. We all want to shine when we present our ideas. A little time an effort will pay off when you stand in front of the board.