The TalkPower Word Budget

Students tell me that their inability to edit material is a major problem. Often they accumulate enough research material to talk for hours even though they only have 10 minutes to do their presentation. Cutting this down for your allotted task is a herculean task, leaving you feeling totally overwhelmed.

            It’s like a dream I sometimes have. In this dream I go into my office and all of the files are turned upside-down and emptied out on the floor. I need certain documents quickly, to prepare a summation for a jury, and I don’t know where anything is. I feel rushed and helpless. I don’t know where to begin. That’s what it’s like when I have to prepare a summation or a speech, or any kind of presentation.

                                   

                                                                        -Jason, Attourney

Almost every presentation has a time limit. Since there are approximately 150 words to 1 minute of speaking time, once you know how much time you have for your talk you can keep track of the amount of material you need by using a word count to limit yourself. This is how you do it.

If you are given 10 minutes to give a presentation, you will have to prepare fewer than 1500 words, including time for pauses. The combination of a time limit and word count gives you and approximate word budget to work with (there area bout 250 words per double space type written page, given 1-inch margin and a 12 point font).

If this idea seems radically different from your normal procedure don’t panic. Writing a talk will become as familiar as driving to work, when you understand the rules. Once students learn how to edit themselves in terms of minutes and word counts, they are amazed at the beauty and clarity of their talks. In addition, the time saving factor of using this formula is considerable.

Me, Likable?

Many of my students who feel very nervous and uncomfortable in front of an audience, cannot believe that their discomfort is not visible. Yet as long as their practice the TalkPower techniques they appear very likeable and are easy to listen to. Time and again, after a wonderfully entertaining talk, a student in my class reports, “Oh I thought I was speaking so slowly…You mean you really like my talk?” “Yes, yes” the class responds, “You were not slow at all. You were a pleasure to listen to.”

LIKABILITY IS A SKILL

You realize of course, that appearing likeable is a technique, a learned skill. You can learn that technique you really can. If you have any doubt about this, take a look at this quote by Jose Ferrer in Actors Talk About Acting.

            “Who know what happened to me. I may have a cold, I may have a hangover. Maybe I couldn’t sleep last night because my wife left me. I have to be good for a sharp audience who demands only the best. My voice, my body, my everything has to work for me. That is what technique is.”

                                                            -Jose Ferrer

LOOKING THOUGHTFUL

People know when you are thinking. They can feel it as you draw within for a mini second to think about something—to answer a question, to find just the right word—and people like thoughtful leaders. They like to know that someone is responsible enough to care about how he will handle their destiny or deal with their fears and concerns. Thoughtfulness is a very attractive quality for a speaker, a leader, or a sales person. In contrast, standup comics don’t have to be too thoughtful on stage, because standup comics are only entertaining you and not attempting to impact your life. However, leaders, speakers, and sales people should look thoughtful because when they don’t, people don’t trust them. How does one look thoughtful? Don’t talk too fast, pause before you answer a question, and practice the TalkPower program so that you can look thoughtful in a relaxed and natural manner.

The Likability Factor

I frequently ask my TalkPower client “ what is your personal objective in giving a presentation?” The answer usually is: to communicate a message, to sell a product, to convince them to do something, to unite people, and other variations on these themes. The answers are usually about the speech, never about the speaker. From my point of view, the most important personal objective is to be likeable. By this I mean general impression of confidence, ease, credibility, and warmth you project so that people feel comfortable with you.

Likeability happens when you are in control of yourself. Then you are able to be clear, not talk too fast, and your words flow with ease. A likeable speaker has a much better chance of getting an idea across, selling a product, convincing people to vote for him, and certainly winning an election. Our resent history abounds with stories of politicians who seemingly came out of nowhere to capture the public vote simply because people “like them.” I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

Now, the reason I make such a fuss about this likeability notion is because so many people secretly believe that before they have a right to ask others to listen to them, they have to be brilliant, superintelligent, clever, witty, dynamic, innovative, or else they do not deserve to stand in front of an audience and talk. As a result, either you avoid speaking or your talk is top heavy with facts, statistics, attempts at inspiring generalizations, and huff-and-puff.

How unnecessary! Just use the TalkPower formula (the innovative concentration exercises, the focusing and stress reduction techniques), tell stories, look away from your script at the audience from time to time, handling yourself in a leader-like manner… In other words, be likable, and you will be a huge success!

For the TalkPower formula see the kindle book or attend one of the in-person TalkPower workshops
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