Having a speech, presentation or seminar professionally recorded is one of the best investments you can make.
I regularly recommend this process to my executive speech coaching clients.
Here are five reasons.
1. To Gauge Audience Response
Like any good qualitative research technique, video recording a speech allows you to capture in real time an audience's response to the speech.
What was the overall effect on the audience of the speech?
Were the speech's presentation goals met in terms of outcomes?
Did the speech fit the audience and context of the event?
2. Speaker Performance Improvement for Initial Impact
"Is that what I really look like? Wow, I need to get a haircut, lose weight and not look so serious!
Is that really the sound of my own voice?
It sounds so different. I hate the sound of my own voice!"
This is very common feedback from novice speakers when they watch the replay back for the first time.
It can really shatter their confidence.
The first viewing or listening to a speech will be a shock for the speaker for many reasons.
So this first viewing needs to be taken in context.
Firstly, how the speaker hears their own voice - essentially via bone-conducted sound reaching the cochlea directly through the tissues of the head - is very different from how the audience hears the speakers voice.
When you speak and the sound is recorded and then played-back, sound energy spreads in the air around you from your vocal cords and is not echoed in the head.
When you hear the recording played back it doesn't sound the same to you - often because the deeper, lower-frequency vibrations traveling to your ear via bone and tissue are eliminated so it sounds higher pitched and less pleasant to listen to.
That's why you don't like it.
Not because you have a bad voice - but the physiology of how you hear your own voice is different to how others hear it.
Got it.
Great let's move on then.
3. To Improve Content
You never know what impact the content of a speech is going to have until you deliver it to a live audience.
Here are some typical questions I would ask a client in a speech video review feedback session when we concentrate on the content only.
"How was the set-up and introduction from the MC?"
"Did you get the audience’s attention during the opening?"
"Was it a "winning beginning" where your attention-grabber was relevant to the topic and theme?"
"Did your opening scene engage the audience using visual (see), auditory (hear) and kinaesthetic (touch) anchor points?"
"Was there enough character development, scene setting, and emotional tension?"
"Did you build rapport with the audience by reflecting back issues they may be preoccupied with?"
"Did you clearly give your audience both a reason to listen, and a clear direction such as a clear premise, thesis or objective?"
"Was the outline or organization of the speech easy to follow?
"Did you support your three main points with concrete case studies, examples, stories, statistics, metaphors, or analogies?"
"During the speech did you connect with head (logic), heart (emotion), and hip-pocket (WIIFM)?"
"Did you re-cap your three key points?"
"Did you close the story and your ending provide a feeling of closure?"
"Did you leave your audience with something to think about, feel or do? A clear call to action (CTA)."
4. To Improve Delivery
Your body language must match your verbal message.
Gestures are very important.
The camera never lies about your delivery and you can't argue with the reality of the recording.
It's staring you in your face.
If you find looking at the complete video too confronting, here's a two-step process to make it easier.
First, listen to the speech with the visuals turned off.
Questions I ask in this style of coaching session are:
"Was there vocal variety? For example, did you vary your vocal pace, pitch and volume in a way that enforced your message and kept it engaging?
Do you need to project more?
How was your use of language? Was it appropriate to audience and was there any jargon or slang that the audience couldn’t relate to.
Was it culturally appropriate?
How was the enunciation and pronunciation?
Any crutches or filler words such as Ahs, Ums?
Did the rhetorical devices such as simile, analogy, contrast, rhyme, alliteration, metaphor, acronym or memory hook work?
Did you pause long enough after important points or rhetorical questions or after humour points?
For example, did you let people have the time to laugh or did you step-on the laughs and move on too quickly?"
Second, watch the speech with the audio turned off.
Questions I ask in this style of coaching session are:
"How was your eye contact?
"Did you speak from memorable key words or did you look down at wordy notes too much?
Did you divide the room into quarters?
Did your facial expressions, body language such as stance, movement and gestures distract from or enforce the message?
Did your gestures look natural?
Was your wardrobe and attire appropriate? How was the hair, make-up and grooming?
Did you move with slow deliberate movements or was there noticeable pacing, rocking, and hand-wringing?
How was the choreography, seven minute rule and integration of visuals?"
5. Leverage Your Authority Status
Once you have had a speech recorded professionally, how can you leverage this to a wider audience via other media platforms?
Here are my speech coaching questions:
"Can you post it on YouTube?
Can you post it on Facebook?
Can you put it on your website?
Can you email it to others?
Can you put a ink in your company newsletter.
Can you tweet it?
Can you put your visuals on Slideshare and post to groups on LinkedIn or add to your portfolio?
Can you post the audio as a podcast?"
There are so many ways to share and curate video and audio to position you as the recognized authority in your niche.
Please consider my next public speaking course on Tuesday August 12th 2014.
Numbers limited so book here.Labels: fear of public speaking, public speaking, public speaking tips, public speaking training perth
