Visit Theatre Techniques for Business People on the Web (www.energyspeak.com).

Sidebar: Made in the Shade

Most presentation coaches agree that audiences remember less than 10% of what they hear - and more of what they see and do. That doesn't mean that presentations require over-the-top performances. Instead, argue Martha Burgess (above) and Jennifer Scott, presentations require effective nonverbal language.

One way to convey information nonverbally is by "shading" - that is, by augmenting a spoken sentence with an internal dialogue. Scott, for example, might introduce herself by saying, "Hi, my name is Jennifer Scott." At which point she pauses and says silently to herself, "and I'm warm and friendly," then out loud: "and I work for a company called Theatre Techniques for Business People." At which point she might say to herself, "and I love what I do."

It seems silly at first, but Burgess says that you have these internal dialogues all the time - so you might as well put them to work: "Many people feel so vulnerable in public situations. When they're saying, 'Hi, my name is Joe Smith,' they're thinking, 'And I'm scared to death.' That's not said aloud, but it comes through."

In addition to shading, Burgess and Scott advocate "pre-editing." Write out what you're going to say, or know it thoroughly. Then choose key words - no more than two or three in a sentence - and attach emotion and pictures to them. Pause either before or after those key words, but not both before and after. "That way, the audience is not swamped with words," Burgess says. "You're doing the work for their ears. You're saying, 'This is what I want you to remember.'"