Best Possible Presentation – Script Your Meeting For Success

by Shetland Arts

Best Possible Presentation – Script Your Meeting For Success

“The keynote speaker was great, but the rest of the program was torture!”

I have heard variations of that phrase following countless events. And it highlights one of my biggest pet peeves–spending valuable time and resources to attend an event, only to be held hostage to poor production. Most guests are polite enough to suffer in silence. But the goal of the wise meeting planner is to give attendees a dynamic experience that will make them eternal fans and promoters. In pursuit of that goal, the script can be one of your most valuable tools.

A good script adds energy, dramatic flair and professionalism to your meeting and keeps the program flowing smoothly. Printed dialogue helps presenters avoid rambling, while ensuring that all of your most important speaking points are covered. But be careful. Some speakers feel contagiously uncomfortable reading in front of an audience, making listeners feel equally uncomfortable.

For the best results, consider scripting only certain portions of your program-portions in which speakers can deliver printed dialogue in a smooth, comfortable manner without appearing to read. You will find that speakers who do not work well with scripts may have better success using written bullet points. Make sure these individuals carefully outline their messages and rehearse well in advance paying careful attention to speech time limits. If possible, take the added precaution of having them rehearse during your sound check or dress rehearsal, helping them stretch or shorten speeches as needed.

If you are having the program professionally videotaped and the budget allows, you may opt to have the production crew run scripts via teleprompter-sort of an electronic cue card. Presenters should be able to read teleprompter scripts without the audience ever noticing. But just in case there is a technical glitch (prompters have been known to crash), your speakers will have to “wing it” so keep a printed or “hard” copy of the script on the podium or within easy reach.

Ideally, everyone should rehearse their material several times prior to the live presentation, making certain they are prepared to deliver with authenticity, passion and enthusiasm within designated time-frames.

NINE TIPS FOR WRITING A GOOD MEETING SCRIPT

1. Start with a strong agenda. Your agenda will keep you focused on the most important elements of your program and serves as an excellent guideline for writing your script. The agenda clarifies the flow of the program and helps you visualize the entire production including how and where people will enter and leave the stage, which speaker handles which content, audio-visual transitions between segments of the program and exactly what speakers will say to transition from one segment to the next.

2. Decide how long your program will run. Then in the left margin of the agenda (for your eyes only) pencil in how long each item on the agenda should run. Do this for every single item-welcome, invocation, entertainment, speaker introductions, speeches, announcements, awards, acceptance speeches, videos and all. Then add all of your times together, adjusting items and/or times until you reach the desired show length.

3. Start early. In most cases you will not need to provide a script or bullet points for your keynote speaker, but make sure your keynote is well aware of your purpose and theme, as well as how long to speak. For the best possible program you want all other presenters-from the emcee to the CEO-to be as familiar with the script as possible before hitting the stage. Get a copy into their hands at least a week or two in advance and encourage each to make it “their own” by making adjustments to suit their personalities. Early receipt of the script will allow presenters to schedule their own individual private rehearsals in front of the mirror, practice in front of trusted confidantes and make revisions as needed. Once speakers are familiar with the script, you will find they adapt quickly to changes and feel comfortable helping you incorporate last-minute adjustments into the program.

4. Ask for help. Ideally, your program budget will include a scriptwriter. If not, it can be overwhelming for one person to write an entire script, especially if it is not part of his/her regular job description. So the natural reaction is to procrastinate until the absolute last minute, which can create anxiety for everyone involved. Spare yourself some stress by getting two or three colleagues involved. Have each person write for specific topics, speakers or segments and be sure to set writing deadlines. Proofread the work; hold an editorial meeting or two so your writing team can make revisions and improvements. Then compile the entire script for a final review and required approvals prior to distribution to presenters.

5. Do your homework. What is the vision of your organization, the purpose of your event and what outcomes do you desire from this event? What points “must” be made during the program according to your CEO and leadership? What inspires people to invest themselves in your cause? The better you understand what moves your audience, the more powerful your script will be.

6. Use a conversational tone. Writing for speakers is different from writing for print. Write as if you were speaking to a friend one-on-one and keep it simple. Use real life stories, statistics and humor to illustrate important points and concepts. Be sure to that each section of your script, including narration, falls within the designated time limit.

7. Mind the Format. Teleprompters often are designed to project print in easy-to-read sizes and prompter scripts often include upper and lower case letters. However, your hard copy-the one your presenters may have to reach for on stage-should be written in all upper case letters, double spaced, in a simple, easy-to-read font, at least size 14. If the stage lighting is very low or extremely bright, it helps to use a bold font. Most presenters will be able to read a script in this format easily enough to maintain strong presence and natural delivery in an emergency.

8. Clearly Mark Audio and Video Clues. To show when your technical crew should roll audio and video, place your audio and video cues in parentheses in the corresponding line of your script. In addition, the name of a speaker should be clearly written immediately above each section of the script he/she will read.

9. Keep everyone on the same page. At “show time” keep everyone aware of last minute updates. And make sure each presenter has the very latest version of his/her script, complete with all changes.

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