Page 180 - The New Articulate Executive_ Look, Act and Sound Like a Leader

HOW TO READ A PREPARED TEXT LIKE A PRO 171

Reading from a script while trying to appear not to be reading
is a neat trick. But that is exactly what we may have to do if we are
burdened with a text and expect people to take us seriously and
listen to what we have to say. Few people—either in public or private
life—know how to handle a prepared text properly. Unless they are
using teleprompters, even U.S. presidents look like they are reading
a text verbatim.
No one can master the art of prepared text delivery from a
book—because until now no book has been able to explain correctly
how it should be done. But a few simple tips, plus some practice in
front of a mirror, can still make a measurable difference in how you
come across.

DON’T SHOOT ’TIL YOU SEE
THE WHITES OF THEIR EYES

The key to great prepared text delivery is disarmingly simple. Most
people, when they speak from a script, begin almost every sentence
with their faces and eyes pointed down at the page. They come up
for air in the middle of the sentence and then dive right back down
to catch the words at the end of the sentence. Repeat this action three
or four hundred times and you’ve got a pretty dull presentation.
Graphically, this looks like:

Audience
eye contact

Wrong

Down to read
Text
Eyes down Eyes down