In the days of Ancient Rome, it was common for people to gather in the arena where on the orders of the Emperor, a Christian would be thrown among the lions, and the people would enjoy the spectacle. At one such event, the Emperor was astonished when he saw a Christian whisper a few words in the ears of all the lions which approached him, after which they turned and sheepishly went away. Summoning the Christian before him, the Emperor offered him freedom if he would reveal what he said to the lions. The Christian replied, "Simple. I told them that if they ate me, they’d have to make an after-dinner speech."

Making speeches is either a stimulating experience or a strenuous effort, depending upon one’s perception of public speaking. As you can fathom from the joke just presented, even the lions were afraid to speak before a crowd. However, one must understand that effective speakers are made, not born. Several decades ago, there was a young man who knew instinctively the importance of public speaking to success in life. Unfortunately, he had none of the qualities that make a great orator. He stuttered, and he spoke with a lisp. He flunked some of his high school courses, and never went to college. His initial attempts at public speaking were embarrassments. He once was so nervous about a speech, that he fainted! But what he lacked in natural ability, he made up for in determination and careful study of the secrets of public speaking. Perseverance paid off and his speeches rallied a nation and helped defeat the seemingly invincible Hitler’s army. Who was this great speaker? None other than Winston Churchill!

Some years ago, a magazine surveyed Americans on their greatest fear. What do you think scares Americans the most? It’s not snakes, nor flying, nor disease, nor heights. The third greatest fear of Americans was "death". Number two was "cancer". The biggest fear of all was "public speaking". Maybe the Americans would prefer to die alone rather than in front of an audience.

What then is the comfortable way to be a good speaker? Most of you will get plenty of opportunities to speak at a public platform. How will you get on with the performance you may have to make? Some of you will have to represent your organization at conferences and seminars. Some of you may have to make a detailed presentation before a delegation or before a team of your clients or prospective customers. Some of you may have to speak before your colleagues and superiors at your own organization. Some of you may become Jaycees, Rotarians, Lions, etc. Your speeches may be in form of reports or in form of audio-visual displays or in form of spur of the moment remarks. You will have to be ready and you will be expected to be effective.

This lecture will deal with impromptu speaking, written speech, and an analysis of the audience you will be talking to. I will highlight before you the essential features of preparing a workable speech and how you can attain the next logical step, that is, getting up in the front and delivering that speech. Before I delve into the subject, I would like to give a little brief about how I got into getting up on stage and speaking to an audience. In 1970 when I was a Sophomore in a University in USA, my advisor made me take up the class on Public Speaking. This advice made me shudder and I tried to wriggle out by mumbling something about not knowing how to speak in English. My advisor was a well experienced gentleman, and he knew I got full points in my English Proficiency Test and that he understood I was trying to be nervous about it. I had to take the course and I remember how jittery I was on the day I had to make my first speech, and that was on Pakistany wedding customs. I still remember I had a yellow shirt on with a Sindhi embroidered waistcoat. I had written my speech and had spent hours memorizing it and even had my room-mates as my trial audience. On D-Day, that is, Delivery Day, I got up on the dais and with all forces at my command, got up and went thru the whole "ratofied" speech. The teacher, a kind and sweet matron, in her remarks wrote that my presentation was okay, my appearance was excellent, but I had to improve my pronunciation and speak more in what we call the American way. My next two speeches were alright too. However, my fourth speech which was on the environment, and for which I had done a lot of required research, was a disaster. What happened was that the teacher had called in the University television guys who had set up their equipment and were video-taping the speeches. I got so nervous that I just forgot most of my material and at times I was dumbstruck. That was the only day in my public speaking career that I was floored. Nevertheless, the teacher brushed this off as stage fright and counseled me positively. Finally, my confidence in speaking before a crowd was restored in the last speech in that course. I had to give a speech on a problem, and its causes, effects, and solutions. I decided to speak on Kashmir and I was all set to go. Lo and behold, when I got to my class, I saw a lot of strange faces. The teacher had transferred more than half of the class to another teacher’s room and vice versa. This was the litmus test for me. Somehow, when my turn came to speak, I went up to the dais and really spoke with gusto. I must have done a good job because as soon as the class was over, the girl who was the best speaker in the class came up to me and congratulated me for making a real good speech. Believe me, that was the day I became confident and that was the day that made me stand up before all kinds of audiences and speak my views and opinions.

Let us suppose you are invited to make an impromptu speech. You may be asked to get up immediately and present your views spontaneously or you may be given a very short time in which to frame your thoughts and get up on the podium. Let us assume that you have a few minutes to organize your thoughts. As a speaker, you must remember a few imperative points and by being aware of these, you will be able to get up and speak before an audience. The advance time normally given for an impromptu speech is short but for a written speech, whether read or spoken extempore, one may have some days or even some hours to prepare. Yet, there are many people who do not enjoy giving extempore speeches since it affects their concentration and they are more relaxed with a written presentation. There are five easy to learn "tricks" which professional speakers use to make their oration worthwhile.

Start off with something that will attract the attention of the audience. Never begin the speech with "How glad I am to be here" or "Gee, I am so uneasy being among you" or words to that effect. Survey the audience or keep in mind the occasion and you are bound to get a brainwave. Most of you must be surfing the Internet. You could memorize a joke or an anecdote or even a verse from some Great Poet. If the situation is of a sober nature or if the event is a protest meeting, for example, then your start-off should reflect comments pertaining to that particular situation. Anything that will get the attention of your audience. I remember that just on September 17, we were having a dinner for our supporters and well-wishers during the recent elections for Karachi Chamber. I had no idea what I was going to speak on. I even went around requesting a few friends and seniors to advise me on what to say. All thru the week, I had been making speeches from Korangi to Jodia Bazaar, and from Cloth Market to the Chiniot Anjuman Hall in North Nazimabad. I had exhausted my views and what ever I would say at one meeting, somebody would use this idea and say it at the next. When I got up in front of over 3500 people, I had already formulated in my mind, just sitting on the stage, that I would start off with some relevant but humorous remarks. My friends consider me an encyclopedia of jokes, but, of course, most of them are not fit for civil company. Anyway, I made three pertinent remarks that brought about a loud laughter from the crowd, and pretty soon I was on my way speaking confidently during the five minutes allotted to me. I am not too much proficient in Urdu, but I had written a few verses on a piece of paper and people were surprised to hear me recite these verses.

The second thing to remember is that you should be comfortable with what you have to speak on. You should only talk on a subject you are familiar with and you have some opinion about it. Beating about the bush or talking in uncertain terms will reflect unfavorably on you and may result in a negative impression that you may not want from your audience. I remember my first political speech. I was invited many years ago to a political rally in Adamjeenagar. A friend of mine was contesting against a former President of Karachi Chamber who was also a Provincial Minister. I had gone there to participate for sometime and I was sitting with a friend way back when the announcer called my name and said that the candidate wanted me on the stage. When I got up there, the candidate informed me that I would have to make a speech. I had less than five minutes to get my thoughts organized. I also had to say something that reflected my support for my friend. When my turn came to speak, I began with why I was voting for him. All of a sudden, while speaking to the huge crowd, I recalled the famous speech of Senator Edward Kennedy in which he ridiculed President George Bush. This memorable speech was referred to as "Where was George?" speech and I began to do the same with "Where was Javed?". As you can see, this made a lot of sense to the audience and, believe me, the audience was really charged up. I gained a lot of recognition after that speech and I may have also made a few enemies. You have to get your mind working overtime during the short time you have to prepare.

This leads to the third factor. Organize your thoughts around a few points and then expand them thru your personal experiences or maybe thru an appropriate anecdote. While you are "filling" up your speech with these, you give the audience a chance to review what you said in light of your personal "fillers" and this will keep the listeners motivated to hear the next point. One has to understand the fact that the average person’s capacity for sustained attention is astonishingly small.

The next point to comprehend is that one must speak naturally and comfortably. One must not get up and thru body language give the impression that it is an act of drudgery or that the speaker is standing up with a millstone around his neck. The person should make natural gestures, smile occasionally, move around to release tension, move around to emphasize a point, move around to reveal one’s personality, make eye-to-eye contact with the audience, and at times use hands to gesture, or facial expressions to express thoughts. The audience should be stirred up.

Finally, one should end the speech with an appeal that stirs the emotions of the listeners. Make it dramatic. Please note that a good ending may overshadow any shortcomings in the speech and that the listener may go home with a favorable opinion. People tend to remember what the speaker said in the closing remarks. It has been a major flaw in speeches of many people who start off with saying that they will just take a couple of minutes and ramble on for a long time. They try to end their speech by mentioning to the relief of the audience that they are concluding but then again take up precious time trying to needlessly come up with irrelevant notions.

I have had the honor of being involved in what we call "trade politics". I have been participating in the affairs of SITE Association of Industry, Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Employers’ Federation of Pakistan, and other Associations. In these organizations, we have to welcome guests, like foreign diplomats or delegations, government officials, and other relevant personalities. We also have to address a lot of seminars, conferences, and workshops. Sometimes, we have to invite dignitaries, such as the President, Prime Minister, or Governor. Invariably, at these programs, we do have a written speech so that we could present our views more effectively. I have the pleasure of making a lot of these speeches not only in Pakistan but in many foreign countries. In fact, I have been regularly writing not only my speeches and papers, but I have been writing speeches of various Chairmen of SITE Association, etc. When Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto visited SITE, I wrote the Chairman’s speech. When President Leghari came to SITE, I not only wrote the Chairman’s address of welcome, I had to write the President’s speech too. This happened again when President Rafiq Tarar attended our function early this year. This has now become a routine job. Maybe I should make speech-writing a side profession and earn some money. Oh yes, I write press releases for so many that I should be classified as a journalist. I have this habit of also writing letters to editors, articles for magazines and newspapers, and writing letters for companies and people.

I would now refer to some relevant keys to irresistible success when preparing a written speech. I shall talk about nine such keys. Of course, there will be some repetition from what I mentioned while talking about "on the spur of the moment" speech. However, since you will get enough time to write the speech, you will be at a vantage position to prepare accordingly. Before you get on with the task you have to know the topic of your speech. Here, you may have to speak on a given subject or you may be asked to decide for yourself the theme of your choice. If you are given a subject, you of course will get a head start and channelize your thoughts accordingly. If you are asked to come up with a topic, then you will have to consider a few pointers.

These points are relevant and essential. It is an easier job if you know or are familiar with a particular subject. I have spoken a lot on Child Labor all over Pakistan and in other countries too. I have collected a lot of information on the subject and thus if I am asked to make a presentation on Child Labor, I am sure I can be comfortable with this subject. However, if I am asked to come up with a good thirty minute speech on, say aerodynamics or AIDS, I will have to do a lot of research and I may not be very eager to speak on these issues. I would rather talk on industrialization or on the issue of infrastructure for industrial self reliance. What I am trying to emphasize is that familiarity with an issue accentuates the confident presentation of one’s views.

Now to get on with the nine keys to overwhelming success in public oratory. I would like to reiterate here that these are guidelines that will lead you to super success in your career as a public speaker.

The first point to understand is that the first 90 seconds are very crucial to the speaker cause the audience is ready to make a quick judgement about you. The audience will either zero in or zone out. The introduction must be with a bang and must be quick, like in the action movies. The start of the speech could be a humorous quote, remark, or maybe an anecdote. Good speakers generally begin their speech in this way. It is also referred to as an "ice-breaker" as it puts the speaker as well as the audience more at ease and introduces an attentive mode.

Normally, you should brief the audience about what the speech is about, then speak on those points, and after that you should tell them what you said in your speech. In this manner, the audience is able to digest the gist of your presentation and they can tie in the loose ends. This is a sure-shot formula for the successful acceptance of the speech. The motive behind this is that during the presentation, there is a possibility of your thoughts being misconstrued or forgotten by the audience.

The primary function of your speech is not to perform or impress, but to put forward your point of view. Make your intent clear and your message simple. You should ensure that your sentences are short, easy to read and comprehend, and not long and winding. You should refrain from using bureaucratic language, because it really turns off the audience. I have heard governmental officials speak at various forums and you can get frustrated listening to them deliver their presentations in "bureaucratese" These are awful for an audience to hear as it is difficult even to read what officialdom has written.

You must develop eloquence and this can be achieved by reading up speeches of great statesmen. Take advantage of the library and check out a few books. You will be able to work your way towards consolidating your delivery posture, your movements, and your timing. You can develop your own confidence when you believe what you have been speaking on. This gives that extra zest that allows you to state your views.

You should ensure that your speeches are filled with enthusiasm and that your audience shares this feeling with you. You have to be convinced that your points are nor boring, that your views are not stale, and that your words are not redundant. You should totally believe that you can excite the listeners and, with that positive attitude, you really can work wonders with the crowd, even though your speech may not be such a classic presentation after all.

You should first of all decide for yourself whether you are making the right speech and whether the speech itself ignites your fire. You should be your own critic and you should reckon for yourself whether what you are going to say will catch the attention of your audience. Therefore, it is imperative that you rehearse your speech and, if you have a video camera at home, you can tape your rehearsal and check out the faults. This is a great help especially for new and upcoming speakers.

As I said before, you have to make your presentation memorable to the audience and that they are eager to hold on to your point of view. Winston Churchill advised once that if you have a point to make, you should not be subtle or try to be clever. You should drive home the point with a hammer. Hit the point with all the force you have until it settles into the minds of the audience.

It is better to enliven your speech with stories or with illustrations that enable the audience to understand your points. Most of the time, the audience grasps the meaning of the points you have to make after you substantiate these with a well-related tale or a well-planned graphic picture. These tools are complementary features and they help make the speech more favorable and convincing.

You can guarantee the success of your speech if you concentrate your presentation around specific central points. If you entangle yourself into many different facets, you will see that the audience loses the core message of your speech and will possibly meander into other thoughts more relevant to them. President Franklin Roosevelt said: "Be brief, be sincere, be seated" to those who asked for his advise on how to make a good speech. In fact, one must end his speech while the audience is still asking for more. This assures that the address has been favorably received and this is the best compliment a speaker can obtain from the audience.

I have had to deliver speeches not only at gatherings of businessmen and industrialists but also at conferences, workshops, social functions, protest meetings, political rallies etc. The audience is never the same everywhere and the way in which one has to speak also depends on what kind of audience is hearing these views. How does one analyze the audience and how does one decide how to then plan for the audience? There are three important factors one should keep in mind.

The first factor is the occasion. The implication for the speaker is obvious. If it is a routine meeting of a club or an organization then the interest of the audience will be very moderate and will mainly reflect courtesy. However, if the event requires a highly charged atmosphere, then there will be enthusiasm among the audience and the speaker will have to be prepared for delivering the speech with corresponding fervor and excitement. In 1991, after the National Budget, I had to chair a seminar on income tax. All thru the evening I listened to esteemed income tax practitioners and chartered accountants criticizing the new measures. I was making copious notes, as is my habit, and I had decided that my closing remarks would be strong and affirmative. I passed a note to a senior income tax practitioner and mentioned my desire to be forceful. He wrote back that my remarks should be tough. My conclusions were extempore as I had then and there jotted down my ideas. For more than twenty minutes, I let loose all the frustrations and I came heavily against the manner in which the government had introduced the amendments in the Income Tax Laws. I had found a receptive audience and there was continuous applause from a very serious group. A few days later, a relative came to me and said he was very concerned that I may get into trouble from the authorities for making such strong speeches. The point I am trying to prove is that the occasion demanded such a statement and I channeled that enthusiasm into constructive action and presented the sobering realities to the audience.

The second factor is the education level or the composition of the audience. The speaker must try to anticipate the structure of the audience. If the listeners are members of a social club, the speech will cater to that particular segment. We can get into trouble if we speak in English and most of the audience is ignorant of the language. The speaker must adjust the subject, material, and delivery to the type of audience present. On September 26, our colleague took over as Acting President of the Karachi Chamber. I had written his speech in English in advance, as we anticipated that he may have to take over. As soon as he started speaking, the very large and noisy crowd started demanding that he speak in Urdu. He continued speaking in English and pretty soon no one could hear him because they lost interest. At the fag end of his address, he had no choice but to switchover into Urdu, but by that time he was speaking to a deaf audience. In 1977, during the national elections, we were following the procession of Prime Minister Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto. We were with him from morning and the procession was to culminate at Kakri Ground in Kharadar. It was about four in the morning when Bhutto got up to speak to a tired crowd, mostly composed of residents of Lyari and adjoining areas. Believe me, he made a super intellectual speech, talking about foreign policy, about the government’s economic program, about the geo-political situation, etc. Unfortunately, this Master Orator was speaking to a wrong crowd. This type of speech would have earned him accolades at an international conference, but the Kakri Ground gathering wanted to listen to "Roti, Kapra, aur Makaan" rhetoric. Benazir Bhutto, inspite of her atrocious Urdu, manages to draw crowds and she confidently speaks in her own brand of Urdu.

The third important factor to keep in mind is the location. One must know in advance where the speech is to be made. Is it in the hall, is in the open ground under a tent, is it in a classroom, or is it in an office? The speaker must take into consideration the location because one may get over-awed by the place. Many speakers are comfortable when addressing a smaller crowd while there are others who get all charged up when they see a large audience before them. The topic of the speech is also directly related to the location of the venue. One should realize before hand and try to find out much as possible about the setting. One should know that with the increase in load-shedding, a good speech goes down the drain if the audience is not able to hear them.

I would now like to mention something about the audience attitudes. One must bear in mind that the characteristic of the audience is of paramount importance because it is the response of the audience that makes a speech worthwhile and memorable. There are five such attitudes. These are:

The speaker should recognize at the outset that the audience may be disinterested, inattentive, and bored. Audience apathy has many causes. Poor hearing, fatigue, immaturity, low mentality, etc. The speaker than has to adapt his speech to change this apathy into interest by the time the speech is over.

The audience is such that it will convey a message that it believes and agrees with the speaker. Thus the orator has to ensure that this belief is fortified and so the points that one makes must be in that direction. Once Winston Churchill was making a speech and holding on to a piece of paper. A journalist who was sitting by noticed that the paper was an old shopping list and did not have anything to do with the speech. Afterwards he asked Churchill about this. He said he knew it was a shopping list but the audience did not know, yet this gave the audience confidence that he had come prepared.

Most of the time, the audience is aware of the subject of the speech and thus would not tolerate ignorance. The audience may disagree with one another and many in the audience may also dissent with the speaker. It is the job of the speaker to be well prepared and to display the knowledge to overcome the reluctance of the audience.

There are situations where the audience will listen to the speech but will doubt whether the arguments offered will work. If these doubts are caused by lack of knowledge, it is the duty of the speaker to provide the essential information to remove the doubts and impressions. At times, the speaker may not be able to succeed in changing these doubts into belief, but might make it easier for the next speaker to be heard objectively.

There are situations when the speaker is confronted with a hostile audience. It may not mean a rowdy crowd or a threatening audience. The hostility can be demonstrated by being silent, or inattentive too. A hostile crowd is not only found at political rallies. We even had a savage crowd at the recent annual meeting at Karachi Chamber. Certain outsiders had infiltrated into the hall and they waited for the opportune moment to attack and destroy the atmosphere of the meeting. The speakers also have to confront hecklers at meetings too. It takes composure and poise to keep one’s nerves steady. At times like these, the speaker has to be ready with a poignant remark or a joke, probably at his own expense, so that the ice is melted and the invisible wall is removed. It often works.

 The effective speaker becomes a well sought after person in due course of time. In the United States and in Europe, corporations and even individuals pay huge amounts of money to professionals to help them with constructive oration. Seminars are organized all over to instill a sense of confidence in public speaking. Training sessions are held to orient speakers on how to deliver their material, how to perfect their timing, and how to establish compatibility with the audience. Companies spend millions to teach their sales personnel in practical merchandising and public relations.

I have tried to present to you some basic pointers and have related to you some of the events that have happened in my speaking career. I have talked about impromptu speech, I have dealt with hints on how to write a speech, and I have explained to you something about the audience. The ball is now in your court. You, the students of IBA, are privileged to get opportunities to hone your speaking skills. You are fortunate to have competent scholars to impart the knowledge required to move into the outside world. You are beneficiaries of an excellent institution that has produced top business leadership over the past decades. The years that you spend behind the portals of IBA will help you attain distinguished positions where ever you may go and whatever you do in your professional and personal careers. You are the leaders of tomorrow and you will be called upon to take charge and rouse the dormant feelings of the nation. You are the future builders of this country and the older generation can be content with the fact that Pakistan's destiny will be in qualified and capable hands. In the words of Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi:

Before ending my lecture, I want to remind you about a Chief Guest who had to listen to hours of speeches late into the night. Finally, when the Master of Ceremony announced, "And now, ladies and gentlemen, the Chief Guest will give his Address", he got up, observed the audience, and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, my address is A/25, KDA Scheme No 1, Karachi, and I wish you all well. Goodnight".