There is a constant debate among speaking professionals about how much of a presentation should be planned and written and how much should emerge spontaneously from the speaker. As with most polarizing arguments, the answer is generally that the best practices come from a blending of the two approaches.
Few of us are good enough to build a coherent, clearly structured, strategically sound presentation without taking the time to consider our purpose, marshal convincing arguments and brainstorm different approaches. Often, it takes me hours of writing and deleting to even find the central message that I’m trying to communicate. Having a script keeps me on track to deliver that message.
Yet, for as comforting as it is to know what you are planning to say, focusing on the words, rather than the people in front of you, tends to inspire a rather robotic, detached quality in the speaker. The essence of compelling speaking is to direct your energy out to the audience, not at a paper or screen or inward to your own mind.
An entirely spontaneous presentation is usually fresher and more immediate. It allows the speaker to focus on the audience, to respond to how they react and to adjust course on the fly. It also lets the speaker nurture an intimate audience rapport that a pre-scripted speech simply can’t achieve.
Spontaneous speeches are also infamous for the, “I should have said” moments that generally follow. Though I often get some of my best ideas in the heat of the moment on stage, I’m rarely able to express them in their most concise and coherent form without some time to ponder and massage them. Our minds sometimes work in intuitive leaps and tangents, but that’s something the audience will rarely be able to follow in its raw, unfiltered form.
Deliberate consideration leads to a well-reasoned, persuasively logical flow of information and the immediacy of spontaneous insight and expression gives it the spark to inspire, so plan carefully what you want to say, but then express yourself freely.
Put more simply, don’t worry about the words you use. Remember what you want to say.
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