Two minutes? Seriously? Part 2: The Nuts and Bolts ? David Otey

Two minutes? Seriously? Part 2: The Nuts and Bolts

31 May 2012?|? Posted by?David Otey?|? 0 Comment.

In Part 1 of this lesson, I address the challenge of the two-minute report at the conceptual level. In that message, I urge you ? the speaker or presenter ? to place the audience?s needs ahead of your own in deciding how to make the best use of your limited time at the lectern. The framework for considering those needs can be expressed by the ?three C?s? ? connection, context, and consequence. Here they are again, in brief:

Connection ? Why is this important to you, the speaker? If I feel a personal connection with you, and I can see that this topic matters to you, then I am more likely to be engaged.

Context ? Why was someone assigned to do this work in the first place? What is its relevance to the larger effort of this body?

Consequence ? Why is it important to me, the audience member? What decision will I need to make, or what action will I take, which might be influenced by what you have to say? If the answer to both questions is, ?Nothing,? then you really ought to reconsider taking time in the program and making a demand on my attention. If you are not there to make a difference, why are you there?

Once you buy the concept of this framework, there is still the question of how to fit your message into your allotted time. The rest of this article covers the ?nuts and bolts? of the process. Given the importance of time limits due to the sheer number of presentations, you demonstrate your respect for the audience and your fellow presenters by following this process.

The process relies for its success on a single overarching principle to which there can be no exception: YOU MUST WRITE IT DOWN! No matter how many times you have spoken in front of an audience, DO NOT give in to the temptation to ?wing it.? Even experienced speakers cannot be counted on to fit their remarks into a tight time limit while working from an outline.

Writing out your remarks ahead of time does not mean that you have to read them. What it does mean is that you will have a written script that you can use when you PRACTICE your presentation. Furthermore, there are three distinct benefits to be gained from writing out your remarks:

1. A speech that is written is a speech that can be edited. By ?edit? I do not mean simply to cut or to shorten, as the word is often used. I mean to revise ? to wordsmith ? to polish. There is no way to edit a speech that does not exist until you give it; therefore, you must write it in order to have a starting point for improvement. Great speeches aren?t written; they are re-written.

2. Writing your speech is the best way to reveal and correct its structural flaws. As you read through what you have written, you should be able to see where your points do not flow logically. If you find yourself saying, ?Again?? or ?As I said?? then you must eliminate these time-wasting statements and figure out how to re-order your points so that there is no need to repeat yourself.

3. Writing a speech is the best way to know ahead of time how long it will be. There is a very simple rule you can follow. While only an approximation, it is a good one. American men tend to speak about 125 words per minute, on average, while women average about 150 words per minute. Therefore, if you are given two minutes in which to speak, you must get your speech down to about 250 or 300 words depending on your gender. There is no getting around this. If you respect the event and its need for time limits, the numbers don?t lie. (I happen to know that my speaking rate is about 135 wpm. If you know your own rate, you can use that information instead of the approximation above.) If you are using Microsoft Word, your word count appears in real time at the bottom left-hand corner of your screen; I?m sure other programs do something comparable.

?But I don?t write the way I speak!? you say, and I congratulate you for that awareness. It takes practice to write in your speaking voice. However, there is a very simple way around this problem. Create your outline, write out your opening and closing lines, and then talk through your speech into a voice recorder. Transcribe what you said, and there is your written, first draft.

Now that you have your first draft, begin tightening it up. Structure your points so you don?t repeat yourself. Eliminate unnecessary details and back-story. Let go of the need to explain everything; give your audience credit for their existing knowledge and intelligence. Careful wording of your transitions will make it easy to follow your points without repetition. Use precise verbs, to keep adverbs to a minimum. Use the active voice whenever possible (?Everyone had a good time?), not the passive voice (?A good time was had by all?). Keep sentences short: you should speak in shorter sentences than you write.

Let?s assume you have done all these things and your speech is still too long. Now what?

It all comes back to the audience. Ask yourself this question: ?When I am finished, what do I want my listeners to think, do, or feel differently?? The answer to that question is your Specific Purpose in speaking. Until you can answer that question, you are not ready to speak. Once you do know the answer, you must use it as a filter. Anything that does not directly contribute to that purpose ? to making that difference ? needs to be taken out.

What this means, ultimately, is that of the ?three C?s,? the last one trumps the other two. However, even in a two-minute report, you should be able to devote a sentence or two to making a connection and establishing a context. Still, the most important question in the listener?s mind will be, ?What difference does this make to me?? Provide a clear answer to that question, and you will earn your audience?s gratitude.

To sum up the process:

1. Answer the ?three C?s? questions.
2. Create your first draft ? using the record-and-transcribe method if necessary.
3. Edit the first draft for structure and efficient language, thus creating your second draft.
4. Apply the Specific Purpose test to filter out everything that does not contribute to the difference you want to make.
5. When your polished draft is down to 250-300 words (or two minutes at your speaking rate), congratulations. Now practice it.

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