Transcripts

Tony Carlson:
I think the biggest mistake people make when they start thinking about a speech they start with what they want to say as opposed to what they want the audience to know or wants to hear.

Tony Carlson, author of the book, The How Of Wow A Guide To Giving A Speech That Will Positively Blow Them Away says every speech needs a hook.

I remember one speech we did was happening on the day of the anniversary of the Pony Express being launched. And the speech was about technology. And in my research, I found to my surprise the Pony Express only lasted about 18 months, surpassed or made obsolete by the telegraph. So that fit right in with the theme of the speech.

In terms of the nuts and bolts of speech giving, Tony says memorizing is probably not a good idea.

The best way to do it is to learn what you're going to say. To have six or seven broad headings on notes so that you can just look at them and appear as if you know what you're talking about.

Telling jokes in a speech is risky. They often bomb. But stories - that's what people will remember. Tony often tells the story of the Steven's Island wren.

It's a little flightless bird that lives on an island off New Zealand that was made extinct when the light housekeeper brought in a house cat. It's the only species ever eliminated by a single house cat. So it's a metaphor for the inability to change in a changing environment. And you can build numerous speeches around that.

At somethingyoushouldknow.net I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know.