What are the pros and cons of reading a script to an audience, and what are the pros and cons of internalizing a message so that you don\u2019t have to refer to a script?<\/p>\n

Positives about Reading a Script <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
1. Your ideas are laid out clearly–in black and white–so that you can deliver your complete message with carefully crafted words<\/a>.\u00a0 This is highly important in situations such as The State of the Union Address<\/a>, when what you say will be part of the historical record, or when there is a great need to be precise, such as thanking a long list of dignitaries in the audience.<\/li>\n
2. Reading a script makes you feel more secure because you know you won\u2019t go blank.\u00a0 You can always look down at your text and carry on.<\/li>\n
3. Reading a script minimizes your rehearsal time.\u00a0 The real work is done when the script is finished.\u00a0 Yes, you do have to practice reading it aloud, but if you are familiar with the contents of the pages, your rehearsal<\/a> may be relatively quick and easy.<\/li>\n
4. Reading a script makes you appear to be prepared, intelligent, and maybe even academic.\u00a0 After all, at many academic conferences, scholars are invited to read<\/em> papers.\u00a0 I am told such conferences are rarely riveting entertainment.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

   Negatives\u00a0 about reading a script<\/strong><\/p>\n

   \n
   1. You\u2019re reading written prose, so you will sound formal and more distant.\u00a0 We don\u2019t speak in complete sentences, and the rhythm of formal prose is very different from the cadences of spontaneous speech.\u00a0 Actors train for years to be able to make written scripts sound \u201creal\u201d or conversational.\u00a0 Few people outside of the theater have this ability.\u00a0 Reagan had it, but he was an actor.<\/li>\n
   2. Your ability to maintain eye contact with your listeners is limited.\u00a0 This means it\u2019s harder for you to convey a sense of conviction and belief.\u00a0 As a result, you may try to manipulate your voice to indicate conviction, which may add to your problems of inauthenticity.<\/li>\n
   3. When you read a script, it is also difficult for you to read your audience.\u00a0 After all, your eyes are on the page to ensure that you don\u2019t flub your lines.\u00a0 Therefore, if you lose your audience, or offend them in some way, it\u2019s harder for you to make adjustments.\u00a0 Making adjustments is the meat of being in dialogue with an audience.<\/li>\n
   4. With a script, the audience does not get to see you thinking on your feet, performing under pressure, and demonstrating your best qualities of leadership<\/a>.<\/li>\n
   5. When you read a script, you will probably stand behind a lectern.\u00a0 You are well-protected from the audience by the lectern itself, and by the wall of words that you plan to recite to them.<\/li>\n
   6. You therefore have difficulty creating a sense of intimacy with your audience, and audiences crave intimacy with speakers.\u00a0 They want to know who you really are.\u00a0 They don\u2019t care how much you know until they know how much you care.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Positives of Internalizing a Message<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
      1. Without a script, you are free to wander away from the lectern, move into the crowd, engage in dialogue with members of the audience, or perch on a chair or a table and be entirely informal.<\/li>\n
      2. You look more accessible as a person.\u00a0 Your listeners are more attentive because you are actually speaking from the heart (or from memory.)\u00a0 Or they are attentive because they expect the unexpected<\/a>: they are not sure what you\u2019re going to say next.\u00a0 To them, you may appear to be improvising.<\/li>\n
      3. You can maintain eye contact constantly.\u00a0 You can watch the faces of your listeners and respond to what you see.\u00a0 You are not constrained by a text, and therefore your speech or presentation approximates dialogue.\u00a0 Your presentation is more like an interactive lecture than a formal address, and we know from research that an interactive audience is more easily persuaded<\/a> than an audience that is not asked to participate.<\/li>\n
      4. The audience sees you thinking on your feet, and therefore you display qualities of character that require courage and confidence.<\/li>\n
      5. Internalizing a message means that, while the words will change slightly every time you deliver the message, the core content will not.\u00a0 In fact, you will find new and better ways to say what you mean if you give the talk multiple times.<\/li>\n
      6. The danger of going blank, or losing your train of thought, gives you an electrical charge that is gripping for the audience.\u00a0 Your energy level is high high, which ignites the curiosity and attention of your listeners.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         Negatives of Internalizing a Message<\/strong><\/p>\n

         \n
         1. It is hard work–it takes time to rehearse aloud early and often so that your talk is planted in the gray fiber of your memory.<\/li>\n
         2. You run the risk of going blank, losing your place, and suffering the embarrassment of total melt down.\u00a0 Nevertheless, if you rehearse enough, this will not happen to you.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Written scripts that are read can be electrifying, and presentations that are internalized can be deadly.\u00a0 Preparation<\/a>, sensitivity to the audience, and delivery will carry the day in almost all cases.<\/p>\n

            In business, in my experience, written scripts are a liability.\u00a0 We expect our experts to be able to talk about their area of expertise without the aid of a text.<\/p>\n

            And business leaders, although they may not be experts in all aspects of the business, need to convey their leadership expertise by creating a bond with their listeners by getting away from a text, and into the ears and eyes \u2013hearts and minds–of those they lead and seek to influence.<\/p>\n

            Sims Wyeth & Co.<\/em><\/a>\u00a0provides\u00a0<\/em>public speaking courses<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>executive speech coaching<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>presentation skills training<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>voice and speech training<\/em>,\u00a0<\/em>speech writing<\/em><\/a>, and courses that address stage fright, body language, presentation strategy, and effective use of PowerPoint, all of which contribute to greater executive presence and personal impact.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            What are the pros and cons of reading a script to an audience, and what are the pros and cons of internalizing a message so that you don\u2019t have to refer to a script? Positives about Reading a Script Your ideas are laid out clearly–in black and white–so that you can deliver your complete message… Read More »Public Speaking: Reading a Script vs. Internalizing a Message<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","_ti_tpc_template_sync":false,"_ti_tpc_template_id":""},"categories":[144,149,1],"tags":[548,291,145,146,327,117,904],"yoast_head":"\n