WRITING AND SPEAKING MORE FLUENTLY

WRITING AND SPEAKING MORE FLUENTLY

Most managers, like most people, find speaking in public and writing well difficult. Obey simple rules and you performance on paper will pass any normal tests, while you also have the potential to be an effective public speaker for any audience.

WRITING TEXT

Always use sort words rather than long, and active rather than passive verbs, when you are producing text. Keep sentence short and to the point. Do not use self-important devices, like capital letters for words that are not proper names., or managements jargon. Avoid archaisms like "albeit" or "notwithstanding". Shun cliches like "no-going" or "at this points in times". In addition, seek a smooth flow, with logical transitions from thought to thought and paragraph to paragraph. Never write more words than you need. If you shorten any piece of writing, you will probably improve its    quality. It helps throughout to visualize your audience, and to aim your words at that target.

TAKING NOTES

Space your note in short paragraphs and concentrate on picking out the main points, facts, and phrases. Try an easy speed writing system, which can double your speed by eliminating vowels and using symbols for common words.

DICTATING PROSE

Writing takes considerable Time. Only experts can write good prose at 20 words a minute or more speaking at 160 words per minute(wpm) is comfortable for you and the listener , so it flows that dictation is the faster from of writing. you will not reach 160 wpm, of course. But you can easily double or triple your current speed. You will need somebody to take the dictation or transcribe the tape, however, and will also have to find time for revision and rewriting. Computer programs can take dictation, too, but they are not yet perfect.

DICTATING TEXT 

You will be able to dictate faster if you plan the document beforehand and have all notes and reference material ready. Allocate the time required and keep on to the end before revising your material. 

SPEAKING CLEARLY

Nearly everybody speaks perfectly well in ordinary life. There are extraordinary orators, but you are not competing in their league. In your everyday conversation, you make your meaning clear, have an easy flow, and cover all the necessary ground without being long-winded. That is all that is required in speaking for you professional purposes. Imagine that you are speaking to a group of friends who, like you, are deeply interested in what you have to say, and whom you do not have to impress with wordiness.

BEING NATURAL

If you are familiar with your notes, you will appear more natural and will be better able to establish a good rapport with the audience.

OVERCOMING NERVES

Even professional broadcasters, who look thoroughly at ease on camera, admit to nervousness before a programmer starts. Even prize-winning authors doubt the quality of their latest writing such nervousness reflects a desirable stimulus, setting the adrenaline flowing as you gird yourself for the fight. If you suffer very seriously from nerves, relieve them by using relaxation techniques, going for a short walk, or going over your material. Above all, remember that your audiences and associates generally want you to succeed. There are rarely hostile. They want to be pleased as much as you want to please them.

REDUCING LAST-MINUTE NERVES

Try this breathing exercise to clam your thoughts and dispel tension. Close your eyes. Place one hard on your upper chest, the other on your diaphragm. Breathe in, feeling your diaphragm rise then breathe out slowly.

STRUCTURING YOUR TALK

Any talk consists of three Ms: Massage, Material, and Manner. What do you want to communicate? Have one over-arching, big massage you will leave with the audience. Follow the basic sequence of telling the audience what you are going to say (the big massage) , saying it, and finally repeating what you have said. Within the overall massage, write down the key points (as few as possible) in bullet form, and allow about three minutes per points. What will you use to support the massage? Write down against each key points the slides, statistics, other facts and stories that you will use. The ideal length is between 20 and 40 minutes. Above that, audiences tend to lose concentration.

PRESENTING YOUR TALK

How will the massage and material be presented? you have a wide choice of styles: roaming the stage or room, delivering from a fixed point, using notes, reading a script (which is rarely advisable) , formal or informal participative or lecturing, and so on. Suit the choice to your own personality and preference, but above all to the audience. Learn as much as you can about what each particular audience expects and likes. Maintain eye contact so that you can judge the impact of your talk and adjust if necessary. Use audio-visual aids if at all possible. Videos, slides, and overheads make the massage much more effective and memorable than words alone can achieve.

PRESENTING EFFECTIVELY

Make use of visuals wherever possible, since they are powerful aids, but remember to maintain that all-important eye contact by looking at the audience rather than the screen. Try to inject some humour into the presentation as a means of winning over you audience, and always end on a strong, emphatic note.

CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Americans are fond of moving around while speaking and of trying to become part of the audience. The British are much more likely to use a lectern and to rely quite heavily on audio-visual material. The Japanese can surprise their European or American audiences by giving extremely witty and informal presentations. The Germans, too, can speak humorously, although their humour may be more apparent to German audiences than to other nationalities. The French may be very fluent - even in English.