Occasional presenters often rely on scripts or note cards to help then through public speaking, but these "tried-and-true" approaches aren't the solution. Speech expert and coach David Richardson explains why.

A close friend called me recently to ask for ideas and advice on how to make a good speech for a business audience. We ultimately put together a talk that made him look like a real pro, and the experience proved to me once again that, more than carefully planned phrases or specific techniques, the key to a good speech is a true passion for the subject at hand.

Nevertheless, even the best speakers often harbor the fear that they will not appear favorably when presenting before a group. And when such fears consume us, the point
of our presentation is usually lost.

One way to control our fear is to prepare effectively. Unfortunately, the "tried-and-true" methods of speech preparation don't always serve us well.

For example, many occasional presenters rely on outlines or scripts. But no matter how well they're constructed, written speeches always present a problem: Someone has to read them. And for audiences, there's nothing worse than sitting through a speech in which the speaker pores over his notes and reads them to the audience.

Once you being to read, you can rest assured the audience will leave you. It's like hearing a canned sales pitch over the telephone. The audience-speaker relationship is all wrong, and very little, if any, real communication takes place.

Another favored tool for occasional speakers is the trusty stack of index cards. The organizational theory usually involves having each essential thought clearly marked on its own card. Each card is then meticulously arranged in order so that, as you finish a point, you can simply move the card to the back of the stack and glance at the next one.

I like card tricks as well as anyone, but I still think it's a bad idea to rely much on this method. I'll never forget the time I witnessed a speaker at the podium nervously fiddle with his stack of cards until, in one fleeting movement, they all cascaded to the floor. His carefully prepared speech ended then and there.

If you want to use one or two cards, or even a couple sheets of paper, fine. But if you feel the temptation to prepare scripts or detailed notes for your talk, remind yourself that your prep time would be much better spent on practicing the act of speaking itself.

In other words, put down the note cards ... And rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.