WEBVTT - Keep your remarks brief

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to keep your remarks brief. If you

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<v Speaker 1>have been called upon to speak in public, one of

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<v Speaker 1>the best things you can do for your message and

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<v Speaker 1>for your listeners is to say it as clearly as possible.

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<v Speaker 1>If you are a regular listener of this podcast, you

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<v Speaker 1>know that one of its defining features is brevity. I

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<v Speaker 1>am a big fan of short things that includes public remarks.

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<v Speaker 1>Alas when people are called upon to speak in public,

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<v Speaker 1>it seems like in many cases they weren't expecting this,

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<v Speaker 1>or else they didn't think it through. They have a

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<v Speaker 1>point they think they would like to make, but they're

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<v Speaker 1>not sure that they have made it, so they repeat it,

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<v Speaker 1>or they meander into other things, thanking folks more than

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<v Speaker 1>once and worrying about forgetting people, and then trying to

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<v Speaker 1>make a joke about being nervous and well, you've seen this.

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<v Speaker 1>An audience that started out warm and interested winds up

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<v Speaker 1>looking at their phones as the babbling goes on. A

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<v Speaker 1>better approach is to be thoughtful, so you can be brief.

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<v Speaker 1>If you know you will need to address the group,

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<v Speaker 1>or there is a reasonable chance that this could happen.

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<v Speaker 1>Think about your point. What do you want the audience

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<v Speaker 1>to remember. What's a good story or some evidence that

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<v Speaker 1>could illustrate this point. Practice your talk, time yourself, try

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<v Speaker 1>it again and see if maybe you can take out

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<v Speaker 1>something that isn't helping. Yeah, pretend you had to pay

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<v Speaker 1>a dollar a word. Would all of those words be necessary?

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<v Speaker 1>It's okay to write down notes if you don't think

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<v Speaker 1>you will remember what you want to say. Reading from

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<v Speaker 1>notes is better than stumbling around and forgetting things, then

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<v Speaker 1>going back and distracting people from your point. If you

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<v Speaker 1>have a few points you are going to make, it

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<v Speaker 1>might help to say that up front so people know

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<v Speaker 1>what to expect and know that you will be brief,

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<v Speaker 1>so it is worth listening to everything you say. I

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<v Speaker 1>want to say three things I love about the groom,

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<v Speaker 1>then you tell a funny story to illustrate each point.

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<v Speaker 1>Or I am opposed to this new parking lot for

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<v Speaker 1>three reasons and just want to share some evidence on

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<v Speaker 1>each of these in the three minutes I plan to talk.

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<v Speaker 1>When the remarks are clear, coherent, and to the point,

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<v Speaker 1>then people get the point they can focus on the

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<v Speaker 1>point instead of the scene the speaker is making. For

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<v Speaker 1>the most part, when we are speaking to folks, the

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<v Speaker 1>point is not us in our demeanor. It is what

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<v Speaker 1>we are trying to convey. Now. I do understand that

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<v Speaker 1>in some situations people have to speak without much preparation

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<v Speaker 1>at all. I was pondering this when rich Strike won

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<v Speaker 1>the Kentucky Derby this year. Rich Strike entered the race

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<v Speaker 1>with eighty to one odds. The horses, trainer and owner

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<v Speaker 1>were probably not expecting to need to talk to the

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<v Speaker 1>media afterwards about their victory. I thought they did a

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<v Speaker 1>reasonable job that said, it can be fun to daydream

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<v Speaker 1>even in the face of the equivalent of eighty to

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<v Speaker 1>one odds. You may never need to give a nineties

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<v Speaker 1>second victory speech after winning something on a televised awards show,

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<v Speaker 1>but you might need to give some sort of thank

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<v Speaker 1>you speech somewhere. Why not think about what that would be.

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<v Speaker 1>If you'd like to give one piece of advice or

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<v Speaker 1>one nugget that has been helpful to your success, why

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<v Speaker 1>not think about that. How could you tell that story succinctly?

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<v Speaker 1>When you think about what you want to say, you

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<v Speaker 1>can make your point without the extraneous stuff that makes

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<v Speaker 1>people stop listening. And when people listen to you, you

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<v Speaker 1>will likely get to say more in the future, so

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<v Speaker 1>keep your remarks brief. It's all about conveying something that

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<v Speaker 1>matters and showing respect for the people you are speaking to.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's b the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from

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<v Speaker 1>my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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