Are You Prepared to Speak?

The ability to speak well off the top of your head is an important skill to master. We've all been caught in situations where we've been asked to give our thoughts, or we have to fill in for someone else. Whether it's a sales call, department meeting or a last minute presentation, the ability to make your point consisely, and communicate effectively adds to your success.  Here are ways that you can prepare yourself to speak at a moment's notice:

Increase your knowledge

Information is your friend. The ability to think critically about any subject is an important skill to develop and is the result of stretching your mental muscles.

Read. Read everything you can. Take a few moments each day to read the news. Use the paper or go online to news sites Choose a variety of sites with different viewpoints (liberal, conservative, international). Your local newspaper will also have an online presence.

You don't have to read each article in depth. Just skim enough to make yourself familiar with the topic. Read the top headlines, the opinion and editorial sections, as well as the business section. And yes... don't forget the comics and advice columns.

Listen to news radio stations. If you have the time, listen to the local NPR (National Public Radio) station. You may not always agree with the ideas presented, but it's a great way to get you thinking and learn about other's viewpoints.

Recognize that you don't have to answer the question directly. In an election season, it's easy to see examples of this. Here's an important point about this technique: if it's obvious you've avoiding the question, the technique is ineffective.

Make sure your thoughts have a beginning, middle and end. Wherever you start, finish by alluding to your opening statement. Think of it as a circle.

Paraphrase the question if you can't think of anything to say immediately. This buys you time to think of your answer.

Look for opportunities to speak spontaneously whenever you can. It's exercise for your brain. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. I've recommended this group in the past: Toastmasters. Go to www.toastmasters.org for more information and a chapter near you.

Slow down. Make sure everyone understands what you are saying. Sometimes, in our rush to answer, we speak so quickly it's difficult to understand.

Watch how others speak. See what techniques they use. It's not that others know more, they've simply developed more sophisticated coping tools.

Strategize. Think about how you want to answer: directly, indirectly, not at all? Test yourself by practicing different ways to answer the same question.

Finally, take a deep breath! It allows you a moment to collect your thoughts AND it helps focus the group's attention to you.