Public Speaking and the Workshop Leader

By Michael Ronayne

What is the key element of a good public speaker?

Answers will vary from; eye-contact; vocal variety, engaging manner, confidence, subject matter. However there is one element without which, even if everything else were perfect, interest would quickly ebb away. And I would even go as far as saying that if you had this element alone and nothing else, your listeners would forgive your failings and would still listen to your message.

The element? – Structure

Structure creates clarity. Clarity breeds trust. It is like being on a train journey, where each station is announced and so you know how many stations to expect before your stop.
Nothing loses an audience quicker than a sense of ‘Where am I?’ and ‘How much longer will this be?’

Good speech structure is simple and robust. It helps the speaker because it is easy to remember and it helps the listener because it is easy to follow. A strong opening, a clear message at the end and no more than 3 points in the middle is more than enough.

For the workshop leader or trainer, the same principles hold true.

The opening of a training session should have the same preparation as a speech.
I am not suggesting it should be delivered in a dramatic rhetorical manner, just that the same level of structural thought should go into it.

Starting a session with low energy and with either vague or too many goals for the day can cause the participants to suffer what Jerry Weissman refers to MEGO (‘my eyes glaze over’).

A simple clear opening, that reassures the participant that their attendance is going to be worthwhile, that gives a clear overview of what the training is going to cover, will go a long way to setting up a positive foundation for what is to follow.

First impressions are indeed lasting impressions and a lot of trust can be won by quickly establishing that you know in which direction you are leading your students, and that you are the right person to lead them there

Another speaking principle says that ‘How you deliver your message is often more powerful and memorable than the message itself.’

So as a trainer of workshop leader, delivering a clear strong opening to the session will gain the double benefit of giving clarity to the day both in words, and more significantly, in manner.

Once this level of trust is established, it then becomes much easier for the participants to dive confidently into the body or the training.

From then on all the trainer needs to do is occasionally come back up to the surface to introduce different sections of the training programme and then immerse the group in the next activity.

A training session can then become a series of ‘set pieces’ that the trainer uses to introduce or bridge between different activities. Each set piece, if approached from the stand point of a speaker, will then have a clear simple structure that highlights the key points to be covered and acts like a solid fence post, providing structure for the trainer and participants alike.

As a 4 times Finalist and UK National Public Speaking Champion for the ASC (Association of Speakers Clubs) and with a background as a professional musician, Michael Ronayne has developed a profound understanding of the different aspects of speaking and public performance. He is a Director of the College of Public Speaking: http://collegeofpublicspeaking.co.uk/