Is it easier to read in public or speak without a full script? Many of you will immediately say “reading”. But reading in public can be a real nightmare. Why?
Is it easier to read in public or speak without a full script?
Many of you will instinctively say “reading”. You’ve got everything written down, you don’t need to remember anything and you can hide behind a lectern without caring too much about the audience.
“Oh no, don’t tell me he’s going to read all that stuff!”
In fact reading in public can turn into a real nightmare.
One problem is that it’s harder to maintain that essential rapport with your listeners. You spend the whole time looking down at your script rather than the audience. It’s like speaking to someone without looking them in the eye. And that’s no good.
What’s more, written text is usually more complicated and structured than spoken language. It demands more attention and effort from the listeners.
So if you want to involve your audience in what you’re reading, you have to employ some specific techniques.
Just think about how you would read a bedtime story to a small child. If you think you could do that, then with a bit of practice you should have no trouble reading aloud to other kinds of audience.
Once upon a time …
