Ever had one of those moments when someone asked you to speak at a function, you agreed, and then you panicked because you had no idea what you would speak on? If so, then you know what I'm talking about. If it hasn't happened yet, perhaps you can avoid it by following a few of these suggestions. "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." (2 Timothy 4:2)
While you may not be a preacher, getting up and preaching to a congregation or speaking to an audience still requires the same preparation, confidence, and boldness. As a Christian you may go through the same processes as your pastor each Sunday, prayer, seeking God's wisdom on what to say and how to say it, searching through Scripture, etc. If you're being asked to fill in for someone, you may not have time to prepare as you would if asked weeks and months in advance. This is when we have to be ready in season and out of season.
Prepare speeches when you don't have to speak. This may sound crazy, but the moment you're driving down the road, listening to a podcast, or reading Scripture and an idea for a speaking topic pops into your head, write it down. Begin working on an outline immediately. Then start working on a PowerPoint presentation and get it ready. Save it in a Speaking folder somewhere on your computer. It doesn't matter that you don't have it scheduled for anything specific or a target audience in mind. What matters is that you have a collection of drafts for when you are scheduled to speak and you can modify it to your target audience when needed. This way you won't be starting from scratch. It takes the panic out of the guess work and the anxiety out of the lack of time available.
Learn PowerPoint and how to make videos and slideshows when you don't need them. You probably learned in high school and college that visual aides are just as important in a presentation as the speech itself. Use them to keep your audience's attention and drive home your point. They shouldn't distract from your message, but enhance it. At the same time, you don't want to be using outdated media and technology. These days, a poster board won't cut it. Go ahead and create these visuals when you create your presentation or write your speech. It's much easier to find the perfect photo or video to convey a message when you have time to search properly than if you need to do this in 48 hours because you're filling in for someone.
Don't think you'll never be a replacement for someone else. People get sick and have family emergencies all the time. This is the perfect time for a new speaker to be given a chance that they otherwise wouldn't have. Event coordinators know it will be harder to get a well-known speaker in an emergency. Their schedule will most likely be full. This is where you might come in and get your chance. Will you be ready? You will be if you prepare speeches and presentations ahead of time.
Always update a speech or presentation. It doesn't matter if you spent hours and weeks going over your speech and fine-tuning it. After leaving it alone for weeks and months, you'll come back with a fresh pair of eyes and a new perspective that will help you make it better. Plus, each new audience may require a different angle or God may lead you to target your message differently. If you included stats, you may need to update them. What have you learned since that you could incorporate? Updating a speech or presentation takes less time than thinking through and creating one from scratch. You'll still be ahead of the game by taking this approach.
Find out the logistics. Will you be able to provide a Powerpoint presentation and use video equipment? Will you need to provide a DVD, CD, memory stick, or bring your laptop? If you cannot use any electronic equipment, find out the number of attendees and try to have copies available as handouts. If you don't want to carry them on the plane due to packing constraints, find out if you can ship the copies ahead. If you do this, be sure to bring one copy as a back up plan. You could always arrange to have Kinkos, Staples, or some other nearby company make copies once you arrive.
Brainstorming ideas for topics. If you don't know where to begin on choosing topics, think about your interests, hobbies, the kinds of articles you're prone to read. Google articles and speeches on these topics, you might find videos on speeches others have given. Take notes on what you like and dislike. From this strategy, you'll be able to start narrowing speech topics down and can begin working on a presentation, or outlining a series of presentations if the subject is broad enough with several subtopics.
Are any of these suggestions helpful? What other ways have you found to be ready in season and out when speaking opportunities arise?
6 comments:
As a speaker, I particularly relate to your advice to "be prepared," and can attest to the fact that it pays off. (Think of the 10 biblical virgins and the five who came prepared!) For years I approached vocal and piano music the same way because people often say, "Oh, play/sing something."
Your tips on updating and revising are so helpful. God gives us fresh manna, not day-old, so keeping the presentation updated is a good way to keep current.
Thanks for a great post.
Enjoyed the blog. As you say ideas are everywhere.
I use Florence Littauer's PIER structure
Point
Instruction
Examples
References
to create a mini-outline and keep them in alphabetical order so I can flesh out the topical ideas as needed.
A helpful blog. I like the idea of having presentations ready before there is a need for it. I hadn't thought of the "what if X can't speak and they call me?" scenario. Thank you. I do jot down my notes or create the hook when the idea comes to me. I've learned the Holy Spirit blesses me most when I'm asleep or driving. I write them down and have been known to turn my netbook on and type it all out. I will be more purposeful though to actually put together the entire presentation now, thank you!
Lisa M. Buske
http://lisabuske.weebly.com
Davalyn,
Great biblical example of the virgin brides and the fresh manna concept. I find that if I stay open-minded to the Holy Spirit, He keeps teaching me new things even through Scripture I've read many times.
Delores,
I haven't heard of Florence's PIER structure. Last year I attended the Proverbs 31 Conference and found Wheel structure to be insightful. I'll have to look up Florence.
Lisa,
The Holy Spirit talks to me in similar moments as well. I think those are times when I'm least distracted by the outside world. Glad it was helpful!
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