Page 193 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

160 Part 2 Between Audience and Speaker

Lions, have a whole set of traditions that may seem puzzling to the outsider. For
instance, there is a good deal of good-natured poking fun at certain members,
“fi nes” are levied for infractions such as getting your name in the paper, and so
forth. Major corporations, such as IBM and Apple, each have their own set of
traditions. IBM is formal; Apple is much less so. In speaking to either group,

therefore, you would want to reflect the degree of formality each expected in
terms of dress, demeanor, and style of presentation.

Time

How much time do you have to give your speech? If you have been asked to
speak for 5 minutes and you ramble on for an hour, the response will be pre-
dictably negative. On the other hand, imagine paying to hear an hour lecture
by a major public fi gure and having the speech end in 10 minutes. You need
to know and respect time limits, as well as match how much information you
cover in your speech to your allotted time. For instance, it is generally better
to cover a narrow topic thoroughly than to try to cover a wide range of points
superfi cially.
Time is also a factor to consider in your preparation. If you have a week to
prepare a speech, you probably don’t have time to send for information from
outside sources. If you have a month, you probably do. You also will need time
for practice. Public speaking deserves the same degree of practice as shooting
free throws, swinging a golf club, or learning a new trick in gymnastics. Simply
put, it cannot possibly be mastered without some degree of repetition. And this
means committing time to practice as far in advance of the speech as possible.
Relaxation techniques and other approaches to managing anxiety also require
time to master.

Resources

Two questions are involved here. First, what resources do you have available to
you? Resources include money, information sources, other people who might
assist you, and the like. Second, what resources do you need to accomplish your
speaking goal? If your resources match or exceed what you need, you are fi ne. If
you lack the necessary resources, however, you must either redefi ne your goal or
obtain more resources.
Suppose you are assigned to give a speech with at least three visual aids. How
do you go about getting these? If you have enough money, you may be able to
pay to have pictures enlarged to poster size or to have overhead transparencies
prepared. If your classroom is equipped with a computer and projector, you may
be able to use special software to present part of your speech. If not, what alter-
native resources do you have? If you have a friend who is an art major, perhaps
he or she can help you make posters. Whatever your situation, you need to give
careful consideration to the resources you have or will need to obtain to achieve
your goal.