What did he or she say?

Think back to the last time you heard someone make a speech or deliver a workshop. What were the key points made? I bet that you can't remember many. If you had a handout, you would be able to find out easily. Handouts count...every time you speak.

The List...as a handout.

A simple way to create a handout is to make a list of your most important points. Sometimes, the list can even be a narrow page that looks like a book mark. Most of the copy of the page should be useful information, not your advertising. You can, and should, provide contact information so that the reader can reach you later. Here's what a list might look like after a presentation on the need for using handouts...

1. People forget, help them remember with handouts.
2. Handouts can be on paper or online.
3. Handouts should be useful if you want the audience to keep them.
4. Colorful handouts are better, but more expensive.
5. Avoid giving out a print out of your PowerPoint presentation.
   
6. Keep your handouts at a readable size. No one will read 500 pages later on.
7. Spell check...any times. See what I mean, the spell check thinks that "any" is correct, when we know that the word should have been "many."
   

The handouts of McCain and Obama...

Senators McCain and Obama speak frequently. However, if you want to know how they stand on the issues it's a good idea to go to their "handouts" or Web sites where they give detailed information on the issues of the day. One interesting question about handouts is at what reading level should the handouts be written for. Many cynics think of our watered down society and think that we should go for a 6th grade reading level. What about McCain and Obama?

Looking at their respective Web sites, I took their positions on Iraq to compare. I ran their positions through Microsoft Word and looked for the reading levels of each their positions. Microsoft Word uses the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level system.

McCain's statement on Iraq consisted of 1432 words. According to the Flesch-Kincaid system the reading level was 11.9.

Obama's statement came in with 1255 words. Flesch-Kincaid rated his statement with a reading level of 12.0.

Both candidates are appealing to people who are at least high school graduates, at least in their online handouts.

Don't be silly...I can't make a handout for 3,000 people...can I?

It doesn't matter if there are 3 people who are listening to you or 300,000! You can create a very effective handout using software such as Microsoft Word by simply saving your document as a Web page and adding it to your Web site. It's that easy. If you can create a handout using Word, you can create one for everyone to see...later on. You will, of course, need a Web site and tell the audience where to look for it. One way to make sure they don't forget the location is to have something on your home page that links to "Handouts" and list them by the date that you present.

It doesn't matter how many people are in your audience, a Web page is a great handout. You might be speaking at a Toastmasters meeting or addressing the Democratic or Republican conventions...you can and should have a handout for folks to remember what you said.

Send 'em a postcard...

One of the most effective handouts I've seen is a postcard. While at a seminar, the speaker gave out blank postcards and asked us to self-address them. He then asked us to write down a few of the best tips we had learned. He collected the cards and sent them to us a couple of weeks later. It served as a great reminder because I got it weeks after the seminar. It was even better because it reminded me of what I thought were the most interesting points of the seminar. Obviously, this technique works well with relatively small groups where it's practical to give out a bunch of postcards, however...it's worth it.

Will your handouts last 30 years?

I went to an 8 hour seminar for professional photographers recently. I try to keep up with the latest going on in photography. [I wrote the Amphoto Guide to Wedding Photography more than 25 years ago.]

When I sat down, there were some papers on all the chairs. Usually, that's the way photographers (and others) like to give out their handouts. These handouts were different. The handouts consisted of two order forms. They listed the other products that the photographers had to offer. In this case about $600 worth of CDs. Nothing else was given out.

While one speaker was talking he said that we should write a circle on a piece of paper. Besides the fact that we only had their order form...the room was completely darkened because he was using PowerPoint. We couldn't even see the paper to write on. What he wanted us to write was a circle with four phrases on it. I forget what he wanted us to write. Wouldn't it have made sense to give us something besides an order form? I think so.

About 30 years ago, I went to my first photography seminar. It lasted a full week. The handout that I received consisted of one typed page. I still have it! And, it still applies to photography today. It doesn't mention digital anything, of course, but it still applies today.

Handouts should be useful. They should be helpful in the future so that the audience members will want to keep them.

Five Speaker Handout Basics

When creating speaker handouts keep these basics in mind...

1. Always prepare speaker handouts.
2. Make sure your contact information is on everything you give out.
3. Include useful information, not just your own advertisements. [If it's just advertisements, they will probably throw it out...fast.]
4. Give a summary of what you said, not everything.
5. Proof read everything, then proof read it again!