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The title of this book reads It's Not What You Say, It'sHow You Say It. But I have a confession: That might be aslight exaggeration. Because "what you say" does matter ...it just doesn't tell the whole story.
Let me explain.
Maybe you have to run a community fund-raiser, ormeet face-to-face with a sales prospect, or handle a toughjob interview. Maybe you have to give a short presentationto a few colleagues at a department meeting, or give a bigspeech at a professional conference.
Whether you're talking to one person or a thousand, youcertainly need a message. And that message must be targetedto your listeners' needs.
Before you decide "what to say," ask yourself theseimportant questions:
(1) What do they want to hear from me?
(2) What do they need to hear from me?
(Pamela Harriman, former U.S. ambassador to
France, once defined leadership as "the ability to
tell people not what they want to hear, but what
they need to know.")
(3) What do they already know about this topic—and where did they get their information?
(4) What misconceptions do they have?
(5) What problems do they face—and how did those problems develop?
(6) What solutions have they already tried?
(7) What message would be mostcomfortable?
(8) What message would be most troubling?
(9) What information could save them money?
(10) What information could save them time?
(11) What changes would I suggest they make?
(12) What recommendations could they put into practice most easily?
(13) What advice would be welcome?
(14) What advice would be resented?
(15) What perspective can I bring to their unique situation?
(16) And, perhaps the most important question: What
can I say to them that no one else could say as
effectively?
Once you ask yourself these basic questions, you shouldhave a pretty good idea of what to say. And that's important,because you certainly need a message.
But good presentations demand more than a message.And that's why this chapter—the "content" chapter—isthe shortest in the whole book. As you will soon see, goodcommunication isn't just "what you say," it's how yousay it.
Excerpted from IT'S NOT WHAT YOU SAY, IT'S HOW YOU SAY IT by Joan Detz. Copyright © 2000 by Joan Detz. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS | xiii | |
| PREFACE | xv | |
| SECTION ONE What You Say | 1 | |
| SECTION TWO How You Say It | 5 | |
| Choose Your Best Communication Option | 7 | |
| How Long Should You Talk? | 10 | |
| How to Organize Your Message | 14 | |
| How to Do Terrific Research | 20 | |
| How to Use Storytelling Techniques | 29 | |
| How to Improve Your Speechwriting Skills | 31 | |
| How to Improve Your Delivery Skills | 36 | |
| Ad-libs | ||
| Applause | ||
| Audiovisual Support | ||
| Body Language | ||
| Clothing | ||
| Coughing | ||
| Emotions | ||
| Eye Contact | ||
| Forgetting Lines | ||
| Handouts | ||
| Hecklers | ||
| Interruptions | ||
| Microphones | ||
| Misspeaking | ||
| Notes and Manuscripts | ||
| Nervousness | ||
| Pauses | ||
| Proofreading | ||
| Props | ||
| Rehearsals | ||
| Voice | ||
| Using Humor | 101 | |
| SECTION THREE When You Say It | 105 | |
| Timing Is Everything | 107 | |
| Impromptu Speaking | 116 | |
| AwkwardTiming | 117 | |
| Frequency | 117 | |
| When You Must Deal with Resistance | 118 | |
| When It's Better to Wait | 118 | |
| When You Have to Say "No" | 119 | |
| When You Have to Say "I'm Sorry" | 121 | |
| Procrastination | 123 | |
| SECTION FOUR Where You Say It | 125 | |
| Choosing the Best Location | 127 | |
| The Hometown Advantage | 128 | |
| Make the Most of Your Location | 129 | |
| Bad Locations | 131 | |
| Technical Glitches | 132 | |
| Speaking Outdoors | 134 | |
| Out-of-Town Problems | 135 | |
| SECTION FIVE Who Says It, and Who Is Listening? | 139 | |
| The Right Speaker for the Right Message | 141 | |
| Who Says It? | 141 | |
| Who Is Listening? | 144 | |
| Interpreting the Agenda | 153 | |
| SECTION SIX Who Else Could Say It for You? | 157 | |
| Substitute Speakers | 159 | |
| Choosing the Right Person to Introduce You | 162 | |
| Working with Other Speakers | 163 | |
| Panels | 163 | |
| SECTION SEVEN Was Your Speech a Success? | 167 | |
| "I Could Have Been a Better Communicator if Only | ||
| " | 169 | |
| Identify Your Speaking Personality | 170 | |
| Assess Your Speaking Style | 171 | |
| What Are You Doing to Become a Better Speaker? | 173 | |
| Manage Negative Emotions | 174 | |
| Identify Your Own Strengths | 175 | |
| Build on Your Strengths | 179 | |
| Identify People Who Can Help You Improve as a Speaker | 180 | |
| Measure Your Effectiveness | 181 | |
| Get an Audience Evaluation | 182 | |
| Learning from Other Speakers | 185 | |
| Learning from a Professional Coach | 186 | |
| SECTION EIGHT Appendix—Useful Books, Websites, and | ||
| Professional Organizations | 191 | |
| Useful Books | 193 | |
| Useful Professional Organizations | 215 | |
| Useful Websites for Speakers | 215 | |
| INDEX | 219 |
Overview
Why do some speakers succeed while many bore their audiences and lose their listeners? Speaking coach Joan Detz has worked with top clients for more than 15 years and has the answers. In this useful and lively book she presents strategies and tips for speeches, sales presentations, brief remarks, job interviews, Q&A sessions, panels, and more -- every situation that requires something to say.
Topics include: organizing your message * finding terrific research * using storytelling techniques * preparing the room * handling technical glitches * working with other speakers * measuring your effectiveness * making the ...