Mrs Mary Atkins

Qantas Ambassador takes time to prepare his speech

This advice and more can be found in Finding Your Voice:

As the son a drama teacher, actor John Travolta does not subscribe to the 'off the cuff' speaches that is frequently seen at Hollywood award ceremonies. He never stands before an audience to speak without preparing thoroughly beforehand. On the Oprah Winfrey Show, he admitted that it took him several weeks to plan, write and rehearse his acceptance speech to an invitation to pilot a Boeing 727 jet around the world as a Qantas ambassador. Mrs Mary Atkins, Speaker and Author.

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Celebrity Tip - Deborah Hutton

This celebrity has kindly contributed advice for Finding Your Voice:

It's vital to find out all relevant background information to give you a clearer idea of whom you are talking to. For instance: How many people are there? What do they know? Do they know each other? If in a group, what have they done that day? What are the clear objectives of your client? Should it be a relaxed or formal presentation? What time is required? What is the size of the venue? What equipment is available (lecturn, video screen)? This information will help guide you with your approach to speaking to and addressing the audience. Deborah Hutton, Editor-at-large, The Australian Women's Weekly.

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Celebrity Tip - Lyndey Milan

This celebrity has kindly contributed advice for Finding Your Voice:

Preparation is all-important for any speech. First, know your audience, how large it will be, who they will be, what they will be expecting and how many there will be. Make your spech relevant. It is vital to connect with your audience as soon as possible. This can be done with humour early on in your speech -- as long as what you say is funny, appropriate and not possibly offensive. Lyndey Milan, Co-host of Nine Network's Fresh - Cooking with The Australian Women's Weekly.

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Celebrity Tip - Ian Ross

This celebrity has kindly contributed advice for Finding Your Voice:

First and foremost -- be prepared. It is impossible to be 'over-prepared' for any speech or public oration. It is a live performance. You can't go back and do a re-take. It has to be right the first time. So please treat it with care and respect. Ian Ross, News Presenter, Channel Seven Nightly News.

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Step One - Preliminary Planning

This advice and more can be found in Finding Your Voice:

"We think in generalities, we live in detail." -- Alfred North Whitehead, British mathematician, logician and philosopher. To stay on track and deliver a clear, well-crafted speech that your audience can relate to every step of the way, make sure you carry out all of the defining steps: create a plan, decide on the style of your speech, find out about your audience and identify your central theme. These preliminary steps will make the fleshing out of the speech so much easier. They are simple steps and will give you powerful results. Mrs Mary Atkins, Speaker and Author.

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