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Speech! Speech!

By Stephanie Booth
Special Writer

Princeton Packet Special Writer

It's what people are most scared of in the world.

No, not the IRS. And not flesh eating bacteria or nuclear war. What consistently sends people running for the hills (at least mentally) is none other than talking in public. Whether it's an in-house presentation, charity event, or just toasting the boss at his retirement party, getting in front of an audience and "saying a few words" sends shivers down many executive spines. No wonder, then, that speech coaches are increasingly in demand, across the nation as well as in the Princeton area.

Perhaps the best known organization for the promotion of better public speaking is Toastmaster International. The Princeton area Toastmasters Club meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of each month at the Princeton United Methodist Church. According to member Judith Markets, the club welcomes people from a variety of background. "It's really a mixture," she said. "Business people, teachers, housewives. You just have to be over 18. We have one person who's 92."

The motivation for joining is just about equally divided between personal reasons and business concerns. "For some people, it has a direct bearing on their job," said Ms. Marks. :Others are simply afraid to get up and speak. Some people fear public speaking more than dying."

Most people stay with the club long enough to deliver 10 speeches, and thus quality as a CTM (Certified Toastmaster). Others continue to achieve higher honors, such as the ATM (Advanced Toastmaster Certification). Ms Marks knows of one Princeton student who, after gaining his CTM status, launched out on the lecture circuit and became an accomplished professional speaker. "We saw such a change in him," she said. "He became so enthusiastic. You could see the difference between one speech and the next as he become more and more confident."

Whereas many will attest to the success of programs like Toastmasters, it sometimes requires one-on-one professional help to achieve such startling results.

Enter Mary Gardner, owner of Marco Productions in Princeton, who spent seven as a celebrity lecture agent with Keppler Associates in Washington D.C., a firm that handled the likes of Robert F. Kennedy , Jr., Charlton Heston and comedian Jeff Foxworthy. "Just because people are celebrities doesn't necessarily mean they're good speakers," she said. She learned what (and who) made a good speaker and put this to use in starting her own public relations firm in 1993.

In addition to organizing national media campaigns for various celebrities, Ms. Gardner also coaches professionals on the fine points of interviewing and presenting. Her clients range from Olympic gold medalist Peggy Fleming to New Jersey state employees. All, at one time or another, need to be able to connect with an audience, she said.

"If you get on stage and read your speech, the audience won't respect you... 85 percent of what a person remembers from a speech is how they feel So yes. You have to have statistics and facts and figures but you also have to have a personality."

Whether we like it or not, all of us are judged on appearance, she said. "Within three seconds, an audience has you summed up. Your economic status, the industry you're in, whether you have a chip on your shoulder... If you have a bad haircut, crooked glasses and scuffed shoes, the audience subconsciously takes that in."

Ms. Gardner works with her clients on presenting a positive, confident image, meeting with them once a week for the three months, before a scheduled speech or presentation. She works with some clients over the phone. "I like to see the person face to face, but a lot of this is mental," she explained, adding that many clients disclose their fears more easily over phone.

Both on phone and in person, Ms. Gardner has clients practice their inflection, be aware of facial expressions and visualize what a successful presentation would look and feel like. "Most people are better speakers than they think they are," she said. Much of the help she offers, therefore, is in the area of confidence boosting, "I tell them what they're doing right, and we build on that."

Her own experience as a speaker on national tours adds to the tips she's able to pass on, which include the importance of making eye contact and of moving around.

There are definite physiological changes associated with public speaking, such as increased adrenaline, sweat production, and color fluctuations. "You need to learn how to harness the adrenaline," said Ms. Gardner.

It helps, of course, to know as much as possible about the subject that you will be presenting, but if you don't know the answer, Ms. Gardner suggests that you try throwing the question back to the audience.

And although the idea of speaking in public might sound frightening, it can be lucrative for those who master the skill. According to Ms. Gardner, public speakers are in great demand on both college campuses and in corporations. Speakers can net $5,000 for a half day, or $10,000 for a full day.

Helping people to achieve peak performance through speech therapy is the professional goal of Terri Rossman, director of the Princeton Speech and Language Center on Route 206 in Montgomery. Specializing in language pathology, the Speech and Language Center is geared towards helping individuals improve stuttering or articulation, or modify their accents.

Some of Ms. Rossman's clients have a strong regional accent from Brooklyn or the deep South that they find personally unacceptable. "It's important to be perceived as able to communicate clearly, "Ms. Rossman explained. "It's not that an accent is unappealing, but it can be difficult for the untrained ear to understand. If it hampers the ability to communicate with a client, it can undermine a business transaction."

Some clients seek speech remediation for self improvement, she said, while others have been told, "'you have to work on this to progress in the company.'"

Ms. Rossman, who initially concentrated her practice on pediatric clients, now employs seven speech pathologists on her staff. Together they see approximately 125-150 clients a week; and, according to Ms. rossman, interest continues to grow, especially at the corporate level. "More companies are willing to pay for the services once they understand it will benefit their company as well as the individual," she noted.

According to Julia Poulos, owner of All the World's a Stage in Princeton, studies have shown that when a speaker stands up to give a presentation and uses visual aids, the audience is 43 percent more likely to be persuaded - and will pay 26 percent more for a product or service.

Many of Ms. Poulos's clients hail from the Princeton Corridor, and the majority are not salesmen. They're scientists and engineers from big corporations whose analytic background puts their face-to-face communication skills at a disadvantage.

"This is the age of show business," said Ms. Poulos, who has an acting background. "Too much information works like a TV zapper. You don't keep people's attention, and they turn you off."

Since 1980, Ms. Poulos estimates she has coached some 100,000 speakers all over the country.

To help nervous clients learn to be both concise and interesting, Ms. Poulos, like most other speech coaches, uses a video camera to show her client the strengths and weaknesses of his speech. "The key is to get them to be themselves and use their own natural style," she said. Yes, humor is a great tool, but not if you're not naturally funny. Having a stack of facts to back up your points is admirable, but are there any stories you could tell which will hit the point home?

Individual clients typically visit Ms. Poulos for weeks before a presentation, usually working with her for up to an hour and a half. When the speech is over, she hopes the communication skills they've learned will stick with them. "Shakespeare's wisdom, 'All the world's a stage' really applies to the business world," she said. "We're always on stage."

Additional reporting by Cynthia Snyder.

Contact Info:
Lifestyles Communications, Inc.
P.O. Box 1716.
Winter Park, Fl 32790-1716

Email: mary@marygardner.com
Phone: (407) 644-4046
Fax: (866) 264-6405