Moderating a debate

You job in this form of presentation is to manage the discussion rather than to debate or evaluate.

If you are ever called on to run a debate, this guide from National Public Radio might be helpful, The advice should also help with moderating debates on controversial issues.

Giving a funny speech

This is a rare circumstance, but worth a little attention. Being funny is not as easy at it seems. Still, some cases call for a liberal use of humor or just a couple of good jokes. Here are a few guidelines:

• Keep it clean!
• Test your funny lines beforehand.
• Avoid jokes you read in a joke book.

Speaking to people from a different cultural background is a tough one. Skip the humor or use something you have checked out and know will go over well.

Here are some more tips from Emmy-winning writer Gene Perret (from "Your Comedy Checklist" published in the June 2013 edition of Toastmaster magazine.

1. Focus on current events.
2. Good jokes draw on a recognizable reality
3. Short and funny is the goal.
4. Help the listener conjure a silly visual image
5. Make sure people can see and hear you.
6. Use tone of voice, body language or facial expressions to tell the audience when to laugh.
7. Compare two ideas that clearly go together, like Thanksgiving and big meals.
8. Make sure the humor is appropriate for the audience.
9. Be clever about how you make an observation or state an overlooked truth.
10. Your ending must be a surprise.

Answering off the cuff

Some presentations come as a bit of a surprise. The best way to be ready for this scenario at work is of course to be thoroughly in command of whatever information you are supposed to know. Assuming you have the ability to give a good answer, the best way to start is with a brief pause. No one will care if you take a few seconds to collect yourself. It may help you to get started with a simple lead-in to your real answer - "I'm glad you brought that up." "I do have a few things in mind that people need to know."

The Elevator Speech

If you work in sales, or are self-employed, or are looking for a good job, you will need a quick way to sell yourself or your company to other people. This is what an elevator speech is for. A proper elevator speech is 10-15 second verbal sales pitch. This is a tricky thing to do well, in spite of the short length of your typical elevator speech.

Cliff Suttle, a professional speaker and author, presents a different take, which he calls the "anti-elevator" speech. In his version of the elevator speech you do three things:

1. Hook the listener by saying something vague but intriguing. Include a feeling word like 'dream' or 'achieve' if possible.
2. Tell the listener what you do, not how you do it.
3. Reel in the listener by explaining how you do what you do.

An example using my own idea for a consulting service:

"I turn organizations into star performers. I do this by helping non-profits develop and implement new ideas for fundraising, programs, advocacy campaigns and so forth. The process involves training in creative thinking and facilitated brainstorming sessions."