February 2006
Reading Your Talk--Part 2:
Preparing the Reading Draft
This
is the second in a series on reading a talk. As I said last month,
while reading the talk has disadvantages, it does let you plan the exact
words to use. This month I give some considerations for preparing the
reading draft so it is easier to do a good job presenting the talk.
Guidelines for Preparing the Reading Draft:
-
Use as large font as practical to
increase visibility and readability.
-
Use serif fonts, those with little
lines at the top and bottom of the letters to help guide the eye from
letter to letter and see the word as a whole. For example, use Times
New Roman font rather than Arial font.
-
Double space to make words stand out
and reduce confusion.
-
Write out difficult to pronounce
words phonetically or put the correct pronunciation immediately
following the word to keep you from stumbling.
-
Type on only one side of the paper
for easier handling.
-
Mark your draft in ways that help as
you read it, such as boldface or underlining for important words or
lines between words where you plan to pause.
-
Mark places where you plan to use
visual aids.
-
Use short paragraphs to reduce the
chance of losing your place.
-
Number the pages with large numerals
in the upper corner.
Next month I will give suggestions
for practicing the talk.
This material is adapted from my
book
Speaking Effectively |
