Speaker's Briefing

A painless way to correct faulty introductions
It’s not unusual for hosts to mispronounce a speaker’s name, especially if the speaker has not provided the host with a prepared introduction. Hosts can also mispronounce the speaker’s organization or garble some other detail of the speaker’s background. If that happens, don’t ignore it. Turn to the person who introduced you and — with good humor — say something like “Actually, I really work for Widgets Company, not Wingets, although very often we do wing it, so it’s understandable to get it mixed up.”

Use this ‘clarity test’ for your next speech
From professional speaking consultant Paul Evans (www.instantspeakingsuccess.com), writing in Presentations magazine, comes this surefire way to determine whether your next speech is on target.

Winning ways to handle tough questions
Nearly every question-and-answer session elicits a few troublesome questions, and you need to be ready for them. Here are some tested tips for dealing with those nuisance questions.

Misused words and phrases
Where versus that versus when. Avoid using where for that. Example: “I read that (not where) our company has issued new bonds.” Don’t use where in place of when. Example: “That was the time when (not where) he lost his temper.”

Match your meeting space to your message
Successful meeting or conference planning starts with a good script ... but it involves a lot more. Think of it as staging a successful play. Besides producing the roles for the right players, you also need to choose the right stage setting.