I was about to enter the meeting, when Jennifer walked up to me and said, “I can’t believe this, but I have to go home. My cat had a seizure and my boyfriend can’t handle it. I was supposed to give this educational presentation tonight.” Jennifer showed me her typed speech notes and extensive handouts for a 10-minute educational talk. “Could you give my speech?”
What would you do?
Odds are that if you speak enough, you may be faced with “pinch-hitting” for another speaker. Will you step up to the plate?
After reviewing the material for half a minute, I said, “I could give this speech tonight on your behalf. It won’t be as good as what you would have done, but I’m familiar with the material.”
With that, Jennifer left and I walked into the room and let the person in charge of the agenda know that I would be substituting for Jennifer, with the same topic.
Fortunately, I was on the agenda as the second speaker, and there were a few preliminary matters in the meeting that allowed me to briefly look over Jennifer’s speech notes, typed in outline form, with a few inspirational quotes written out. I also paged through the handout. I made particular note that Jennifer had chosen an analogy to open and close with. As the first speaker spoke, I noted how I could weave something she said into the opening analogy.
I developed a quick plan in my head:
- Address the situation humorously
- Move into the opening analogy and tie into the first speaker
- Preview the material with the audience, crediting Jennifer for the material
- Ask some relevant questions of the audience, for interaction and engagement
- Distribute the hand-out and give the audience a minute to look at it (which allowed me to look at it more closely to determine what I would highlight)
- Go through the points, give examples
- Intersperse the written-out quotes as appropriate
- Close with revisiting the analogy
The key to my acceptance of the task of giving another person’s speech was that I was familiar with the material and knew that I did not have to resort to saying her exact words. Also, I quickly developed a plan.
If you are faced with a similar situation, consider the following:
- Do you have a grasp of the material?
- Are the speaker notes easy to follow? (or can you create your own structure on the spot?)
- Would it be better for the speech not to happen or better for you to do the best you can? (Which is better for the audience? Nothing or your best attempt?)
If you can say “yes” to the above questions, then be the meeting planner’s hero. Step up to the plate, be a pinch hitter and hit it out of the ball par