Page 190 - The New Articulate Executive_ Look, Act and Sound Like a Leader

HOW TO READ A PREPARED TEXT LIKE A PRO 181

I should add this important note of caution: learning to give a
prepared-text speech as if you were just speaking extemporaneously
requires lots of practice. As a rule, I spend only two or three sessions
on this skill with corporate people. But with politicians, the work

sessions can number five or six—because their jobs depend on being
able to use one prepared text after another and never appear to be
reading (often in outdoor venues that do not favor the use of tele-
prompters, but where a prepared text is deemed essential).
In a later chapter I will talk about self-training. But the rule for
using prepared text is simple:
-

If you practice at home in front of a mirror and can’t see your eyes,
you’re doing something wrong.
-

The most common arena for prepared text is the big presenta-
tion, the big (or important) audience, and the big PowerPoint that
goes with it. In fact, most prepared-text speeches involve visual aids
of one kind or another.
Now that you know the rules for prepared text, I would still advise
that you resort to a verbatim script only if you absolutely have to.