Trevor
Curwin 

It's not what you say, it's how you say it -

actually, it's both

I defy you to think about the term "public speaking" without re me mbering that musty old lectern in middle school. The sweaty, curled recipe cards with key points that you never really re me mbered. The phrase itself causes me ntal, maybe even physical, shriveling. It's a Scout badge nobody ever wanted.

It's true, we hate to do it, even when it is for a good cause that's your passion. Turns out that public speaking is our most common social phobia, according to the 1996 book"The Hidden Face of Shyness." It routinely beats out fears you might think would be more pressing - like death, for example - in surveys of otherwise normal people.Of course, that may be explained by the fact you may find yourself stepping into the spotlight many times in your life, whereas you really only need to move into the light that one time.

But if you only knew that your audience felt that exact same way about that rambling I-swear-it's-really-short-at-30-minutes "and in conclusion" aural cinder block you were about to dump in their well-dressed laps at your next fundraiser, you'd see why the fear of listening to speeches may soon overtake the fear of the grim reaper, too. But you do know, because I'll bet you've heard plenty of bad speeches in your time.

"The worst is the monotone," says Darian Rodriguez Heyman, executive director of the Craigslist Foundation in San Francisco, and a veteran of many nonprofit speeches. "The ones where they basically read off their Powerpoint."

Heyman's organization actually runs an annual bootcamp in the Bay Area and in New York City to help those toiling in the nonprofit trenches, and those who'd like to join them, teaching them how to reach out to their communities. But he says the passion sometimes doesn't translate from the podium.

"It amazes me that people always forget what it's like to be in the audience they were just sitting in two minutes ago," says Margo T Krasne, a New York-based communications and behavioral specialist and creator of the "Speak Up!" Program, designed to help people confront their fears, and their misconceptions, about public speaking.

While you might think you're up there to raise money or to give an annual update, Krasne says making a connection with your audience is really all you'll be doing. "It's always about the audience, every single thing you do," she says, adding that it's crucial to remember how you feel when you're the one watching and waiting for dinner. By the way - one of her points is always keep them waiting for dinner. "Food's a reward," she says. Otherwise, anything you'll say will be lost amidst the clanking cutlery or the post dessert dash out the door to take a call or check a Blackberry.

Heyman seconds her point on making a connection - the most engaging speaker he's seen is very interactive with the audience. "He'll connect, he'll look someone in the eye and ask them a question, versus just asking the audience. He's animated, he comes back to emphasize points."

It's just as important to focus on who's doing the talking. The choice of speaker is also key. "I see, and make, a lot of speeches, and I would say the speeches I find most compelling and inspiring are those where the non-profit's staff and a beneficiary of the non-profit's services speak together," says DonorsChoose.org Northwest executive director Becky Johnson, who is passionate about her non-profit's work to serve public school students and teachers, and tries to involve them in her events. "That way, the audience can get a true sense of the impact of what they are doing - or of what we are asking them to do."

Johnson points to an event she recently attended an event hosted on behalf of Citizen Schools. This Boston-based nonprofit operates apprenticeship programs for middle school students around the country connecting adult volunteers to young people in hands-on learning projects. She says having the students there was the focal point of the speaking part of the program, even though the nonprofit's founder was there.

Jenny Stadler, state director for California for Citizen Schools, knew she had to make a splash with the event Johnson attended. Their annual event in Boston - their cornerstone fundraiser - preached to the choir; the vast majority of attendees were previous donors. But for her Silicon Valley event, Stadler knew she was mainly reaching out to a fresh audience for the first time. Sure enough, 300 showed up.

The speeches weighed in at 35 minutes. Onerous, I hear you. So, 300 attendees got a chance to sit through about a half hour of speeches. "I thought it would be way too long, we were hyperventilating about that," says Stadler - but it that started with 30-second "popcorn" speeches by seven people affected by Citizen Schools' work - kids, grandparents, teachers, school administrators and mentors.

Stadler said the first speaker, a student, "had the audience at hello."

Seven separate speeches. You might feel that's a little like herding cats, but the Citizen Schools' team simply interviewed each speaker, and reworked what they said into the speeches they'd give, allowing them to practice and ensuring they were familiar with the material. Practice and preparation is key, says Krasne. "It's the professionals who practice, it's the amateurs who wing it."

After a cute one-on-one interview by a student of a Citizen Schools' staffer, then came the heavy hitter, founder Eric Schwarz - the part where Krasne says the speaker's ego, cadence or lack of co-preparation with his fellow speakers can bring momentum to a halt.

Schwarz kicked it off by high-fiving the student leaving the stage. "We had no minimal transitions, no MC," said Stadler. He had prepared with "five different directions" to take his few minutes of speaking time, using that knowledge and passion to riff off whatever the audience would find most appealing - reading his audience and keeping them the focal point.

Finally, the last speaker, a member of the larger community served by the nonprofit, did "the ask" - a two-minute pitch that showed people how to donate right then and there. It was a great success.

"It's about content and performance," Krasne says. "Content must involve the audience and be seen from the audience perspective. Even if you are asking for money, make the audience feel it's important to them."


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