As I have mentioned and written before, the hardest thing for a speaker to do well is to read a speech in such a way that the audience does not fall sound asleep. It is nearly impossible for the average executive to read a speech well.
Still, if you feel you absolutely must read a speech, here are some more tips:
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Read the speech over and over and over again silently.
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Re-format the words on your page so that you can see the words easily while
standing up (and the page is further away than it is normally when you are holding the paper directly in front of your face).
- Format each page such that paragraphs end on the same page they start on (no
sentences or thoughts continuing from one page to the next).
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Next, read out-loud the speech over and over and over again.
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Edit out any words from the final scrip that don’t come out of your mouth
easily and smoothly.
- Next, read one paragraph at a time (you want to start forming snapshots in
your mind of each paragraph.
- Don’t memorize each paragraph, but become so familiar with it, that the
shortest glance at its opening words brings an almost total recall of its contents to your mind.
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Figure out how you FEEL about each word.
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Next, read your speech in front of another person while trying to give that
person as much eye contact as possible.
- Next, have that person use a stop watch to determine how much of the time you
are looking down at your notes versus how much time you spend giving him or her direct eye contact.
- Continue rehearsing this speech with your friend until you are told that you
are giving eye contact at least 90% of the time and staring down at your speech no more than 10% of the time.
Reading a speech is not for the weak or lazy. The decision to read a speech is like choosing to run a marathon instead of 5K jog. Yes, it can be done, but only after a great deal of training and preparation.
