When developing a speech or workshops, there are so many places to start, and you may not know where to start. In the next few weeks we'll be covering the KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL PRESENTATION in a four part series. These concepts have been developed to help make speech writing easy and we hope you'll let us know how they work for you by emailing us at parallel49strategies@gmail.com!
So now we have the speech figured out, it's so vital that we look the part. This week we'll be talking about choosing clothes that not only make you stand out, but also presenting your speech in a way that sets you apart.
Part 1) The hands. When practicing your speech, it's important to pay close attention to your actions. If you're using one hand motion over and over, perhaps you need to adjust that. If you're doing hand motions that are not useful, it's okay to have your hands to your sides for part of your speech. Whatever you choose, just realize that your hands can be a great tool, but also a great distraction.
Part 2) The feet. WATCH OUT FOR HAPPY FEET! Happy feet can become such a large distraction that people forget to listen to you! Watch how often you move, more importantly make sure you move with a purpose. Using your body language is important - it makes you more relatable. So when you move, make sure you get to a spot (usually done when a new point arises) and stay there until you finish the point. When you move, thats when you say your transition. This keeps your body language in sync with your speech! Neat huh!?
Part 3) The clothes. This is where things get tricky. If you're a member of an organization (like FFA, BPA, SkillsUSA, DECA, FCCLA and FBLA) there's no question about what to wear, wear your professional or official dress - perfectly to code. Yes, I know some girls like to wear pants instead of skirts - BUT! Often (like in FFA) Pants are only for outdoor activities - otherwise you're breaking the code! If you're not involved in an organization or are just at an event, it's safest to ask what others will be wearing, and go one notch above that. Say everyone else is in a T-shirt, you be in a button-down or polo with a pair of Khakis. AVOID JEANS! Jeans, contrary to many "designers" are NOT professional in any case - black, brown, green, pink or blue! I dont care what color they are they are NOT professional! Khakis or chino's are always safe, and they come in so many great colors! Also, it's important to have the right cut. If you're like me, and a shy on the bigger side, it's even more important. Most khaki's will taper too fast and make your hips look huge! Also, pleats sometimes will have the "mega-hips" effect which you should also avoid. People on the skinner side, pleats can often build your size and benefit you. Guys - sometimes it's just best to find a good, honest girl to give you advice. Girls - be honest! I usually take a close friend shopping and have gotten to the point where I can make pretty good decisions on colors. Trust me - you DO NOT want to go into a speech with black shoes and a brown belt - it really is a BIG deal. Also, as odd as it seems, your colors need to coordinate with the seasons. Fall tends to bring more earth tones like gray, brown, olive and dark blue, winter is more rich colors like red, grey black and green. (do NOT look like a Christmas tree though!) Spring allows you to play more with brighter colors and summer should always be brighter colors - but not tacky! Check out websites like gq.com or askmen.com for guys. Girls, I recommend websites like elle.com. Just remember to take these things with a grain of salt. It's important to still be relatable.
Next week we'll focus on the big A. Attitude!
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