Public Speaking Course:
Callbacks
A callback means to refer back to a word or phrase you mentioned earlier
in your presentation. Callbacks are very useful for your presentation,
and will be practiced in my public speaking
course.
A Callback can be used whether the previous material got a good
laugh, or received a bunch of groans. If the previous material had a
good reaction, bringing it up again will create more laughter and make you
look good for being able to tie the previous material to the present.
If the previous material got a bad reaction, using a callback will show your willingness
to make fun of yourself, which is an admirable quality the audience
will appreciate. A true professional having been through my public speaking
course knows when he does well and when he doesn't. He can laugh at
himself and learn from his mistakes.
Here's how to make it work : Let's say you used a successful
two-liner in your presentation 'Don't rely on health books too much.
You could die of a misprint'. Later in your presentation someone might
notice you misspelled a word in one of your handouts or visuals. You can then
'call back' and say, 'See, that's one of those misprints I was telling
you about earlier.'
Another thing that could happen, that is just as good, is someone from
the audience might make the connection and do the callback
for you. One of them may blurt out something about your health book
line. Laugh along with them, because you are getting them involved and
allowing them to feel superior to you, which makes them feel like the
star of the show. Participation is part of audience attention and is
an important skill to focus on while in your public speaking course.
You could then come back to the callback with, "See, I put that there
to test you." When you really get confident, you might actually make
the misprint on purpose to set up this whole scenario. Home
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