Build Your Knowledge

• What statistics support your message?

•  What anecdotes can you use to add to what you have to say?
•  How can you represent your message visually?
•  Ask questions

Gather resources
Apart from your own personal experiences, there is a great deal of material available to provide support. For the computer literate, the internet is a marvellous resource.
There are a large number of sites dedicated to jokes, clip art, statistics and quotations. It is impractical to provide addresses here, as the net changes so rapidly that by the time you finish reading this chapter the list will have changed.
Be warned: when you use a search engine for quotations, you will find what you are looking for mixed in with thousands of other references for investment strategies, second hand cars and home improvements. By looking for "quote" and "speak" and "research" and "health" and "life expectancy" you greatly reduce the number of alternatives. Read through the search engine tips for advice on how to combine several queries into one.
If the last paragraph is apparently in some foreign language, then I have some good news and some bad news: the good news is that the internet is very easy to use, and with libraries, cafes and kiosks offering cheap short term internet access is easy to access without investing in your own computer. The bad news is that if you are not internet literate, then a large part of your audience will attribute a lack of intelligence to your efforts. Perhaps that is unfair, but that does not make it untrue.
Please look at the copyright conditions associated with the material that you use. Most sites permit their material to be used, provided that acknowledgment is given. Others ask that you seek permission or provide feedback. While the chances of prosecution may be slight, some sites do aggressively protect their copyright, and so they should. The best reason for complying with the conditions that they impose on your using their material is simply that it demonstrates your integrity. Add to that the impact on your credibility: When you trot out your statistic, some in the audience will challenge (hopefully silently) its accuracy. If you are able to report that it came from the latest census, via the government statistics web site, you are demonstrating that you point is supported, and that you have done your homework.


Build a database
The acquisition and selection of material is essential for the preparation of a great presentation.
I still find Readers Digest a great source. Aside from jokes, there are personal experience, quotes and examples of "picturesque speech" throughout every issue. Most of the material is timeless, so while the current issue may contain material that is currently doing the rounds of bistros, bars and bus stops, past issues contain a great deal of material that is still quite useful.
Television shows, comedy stand up routines and comic strips in daily newspapers are further examples of places to look for a humorous view of life.
The Internet is a mine of jokes, it is simply a matter of knowing where to look. Because the world wide web is developing at such a rapid pace it is impractical to give addresses in a book like this, but search engines and links are two terms that any good speaker has to become familiar with in today's world. Ask any computer literate colleague to explain them to you, or preferably show you how they work.
The greatest source of material, however is your daily life. If you look for examples, you will find them. The challenge is to look.
Having found the material, it is time to store it.
I use a computer data base file now, but for many years relied on the low tech equivalent, index cards. I still carry a supply of blank cards with me. To record incidents as they happen, but as soon as possible I transfer it to my data base.
Rather than just cross reference a page and issue of Readers Digest or a joke book I always rewrite the material to suit my style. I am not in the habit of copying other people's material word for word, but rather emulating the way that they provide the surprise twist.
By personalising it, I find it easier to remember, too.
By and large, preparation is largely about collecting, sorting and deciding on application. Then it is time to practice your material.