Speak Easy Healthcare professionals are often asked to speak at various conferences and other functions. Their speeches have a better chance of success when they follow the guidelines below:
- Have a worthwhile message for the particular audience. Decline invitations to speak if you do not have a clue about the audience's interest.
- Ask to be the first speaker in the session or on the panel. A fresh audience is more inclined to listen.
- Write your own introduction and find out who will deliver it. You have the prerogative to suggest who will introduce you.
- Prepare for the speech as soon as possible. Speakers who wing it often bomb.
- Prepare the speech yourself. An audience can easily tell when speakers have delegated the speech-writing task because their unfamiliarity with the text and lack of conviction become apparent. Once you have decided what you want to say, a seasoned speechwriter can add polish to the speech.
- Remember that speechmaking is a form of show business. Make eye contact with the audience and frequently look up from your notes.
- Acknowledge your expertise. Do not be self-deprecating; audiences often find such behavior insincere.
- Avoid humor if you are not adept at it.
- Speak no longer than 20 minutes. Stick to this time length even if you are allotted more.
- Anticipate the toughest follow-up questions and prepare responses to them. If audience members remain reticent, raise a few frequently asked questions yourself. This may spur the audience to ask further questions.
In addition, speech coaches and other resources, such as books or the twice-monthly magazine, Vital Speeches of the Day, can be helpful to healthcare professionals who must fulfill speaking commitments.
From Vicki Contavespi, "Unaccustomed as I am . . .," Forbes, January 16, 1995, p. 100.
Stamina Makes the Difference
In a downsizing age, survivors are likely to be those who can work longer hours than their colleagues. Such persons — they might be labeled
staminacs — thrive on crowded days, short nights, and lots of travel. Unlike workaholics, compulsive people who tend to burn out early, staminacs may take up new interests but they rarely burn out. Herb Kelleher, who puts in 90 hours a week as chief executive officer of Southwest Air, is a well-known staminac. He gets by on five hours of sleep per night.
There appear to be two types of staminacs. Paleo staminacs are nearly always male, over 50, and look like former football players. Kelleher, 69, is a good example. Neo staminacs, on the other hand, are often slim, high-energy women like Pam Alexander, a public relations executive who numbers several big corporations among her clients. Alexander, 40, has no permanent address because she does so much traveling. (She keeps apartments in Paris and San Francisco.)
Both paleo staminacs and neo staminacs tend to be extroverted, optimistic, and perhaps a bit egotistic. According to Kathryn Williams, a psychologist who counsels senior executives, people with exceptional stamina often turn out to be survivors of profound crises. Unlike most of us, staminacs are not seriously troubled with doubts about themselves.
Staminacs seem to be born, not made, but there are several things nonstaminacs can to do keep up with them:
- The majority of people need more than the five hours of sleep that Kelleher gets — but they can train themselves to make do with about six. Those who take brief daytime naps will find they need less sleep at night.
- Most staminacs watch what they eat. They avoid fat and alcohol, both of which can make one feel sluggish and sleepy. The best stamina lunch is three to five ounces of protein with only a small amount of carbohydrate, which raises the level of tranquilizing serotonin.
- Regular exercise is vital for those who want to increase their stamina. Exercise not only helps the body to work more efficiently; it also lifts morale.
From Lee Smith, "Stamina: Who Has It, Why You Need It, How You Get It," Fortune, November 28, 1994, pp. 127-139.