Page 193 - The New Articulate Executive_ Look, Act and Sound Like a Leader

184 DELIVERY

the U.S. Open. This “Ping-Pong” effect is a dead giveaway that you
are a novice. To perform like a pro, follow these tips:

Instead of just reading the words, try to capture maybe an entire
half sentence, or perhaps a whole short sentence. Before you speak,
try to get a sense of the meaning of those words. If the text is yours,
this should not be a problem. Now, with these words in your head
you are free to let your eyes move away from the screen—either to
the left of the left screen or to the right of the right screen. This now
puts you outside the predictable play area and gives the impression
not only that you are not wed to the screen, but that you are making
an effort to reach the outer edges of your audience. Veteran tele-
prompter users do this routinely.
Let’s say you begin with the left screen. When you have delivered
your words (to the left of the left screen), you can now let your eyes
return to capture the rest of the sentence and continue speaking as
your face now moves across the audience directly in front of you. This
transition leads you now to the right screen, where you can pick up
the last words of the sentence and continue beyond the screen.
Then your eyes slip back a couple of degrees to the right screen
again, where the scroll has presented you with your next sentence.

You now seize the first half of the new sentence and reverse the
process, this time working your way from right to left. This way, you
are not playing Ping-Pong. You are moving smoothly and speaking
to all the audience, left, center, right, and beyond. You are starting
to look like a pro. With a little practice, your delivery can appear
effortless.

Do not rush. We read faster than we talk, so take your time. Pros
never rush. Remember to breathe normally. Take a big breath
between sentences, because any pause is a good thing. And a breath
between every sentence automatically gives you opportunities to cre-
ate lots of pauses.