How did your scripts / outlines / talking points HELP you?

The following are comments from our annual post-Telethon survey of WRUW staff members. The question was "How did scripts, outlines, or talking points HELP you during the fundraiser?"

Take heed of the advice of your fellow staff members, and get prepared!

Reminded me of topics and clever phrases I didn't want to forget about.

They help to keep focused on talking points.

They helped gather my thoughts in a logical way.

Gave me a list of tihngs to talk about - Kept me from repeating myself _too_ much - knowing that I had some of my pitches on paper in front of me helped boost my confidence

i divided my pitches in to topics. each topic had a separate outline.

give you structure

I drew out a clock with all of my pitches marked out, and planned which topic i was going to stick to for each one. that helped me to plan out my music selections to come before and after each pitch.

Just knew what I was talking about

They kept me from drifting according to my mood and stay focused on the communal event at hand(i.e., the Telethon).

Because I knew what things I was going to talk about, during each break and what items I was going to push.

There's no way I could wing this, so I needed them. Plus, you can refer to more specific facts CORRECTLY.

they kept me on point, gave me a flow to my pitches, and helped to remind me of key phrases and info i wanted to convey

well, it made it a bit easier to remember what to talk about and also made sure i was accurate with details

Gave me a sense of direction on the show. I didnt' say everything in the outline, but I used them whenever I got stuck and was looking for more to say. They kept me on track, more interesting, less psycho-babbling, etc.

i just had everything written down that I wanted to push.

Gave me a guide and list of things to run through. Made it really easy to make pledges that weren't all over the place topic wise.

They kept me on target and focused in my appeals.

as reference points.

keep me from having dead air time

Of course they give you reminders and prompts to be informative but also not sound like a drone/ clone . Help alleviate any "dead air ummm what should I say now?" situations.

Kept me focused and on point

I knew what I was going to cover during each pitch and did not forget any important points.

i didnt forget points that i wanted to mention. they also helped me to sound prepared and pace myself.

Made sure I knew what to say. Kept my monologues straight forward and understandable (no rambling around to random topics, etc.).

Helped me keep mouth moving while mind slipped out of gear.

I had a clear reminder of what I needed and wanted to highlight

Gosh, it helped me not ramble on and on, scrambling for things to say.

i use them as prompts....or teasers...to set up my patter

Kept the info straight, didn't have to rely on dodgy memory.

They pointed out the major things to mention.

Helped bring me back on track when I realized I may have started talking about some other things

It kept me on track.

Allowed me to flow through the points I wanted to talk about without getting completely lost.

We had the "How To Beg 2005" website open and went from some of the great suggestions off there, it helped keep us organized and brought up points we would not have thought of.

I didn't follow my scripts exactly, but the process of writing them out helped me remember what I wanted to say.

Sound professional, no winging

kept me from repeating points or sounding redundant.

They kept me right on the five minute mark for each pitch.

Helps keep me focused. Prevents me from drifitng to far off message.

Relaxed me, freed up time to think about improvising some points let me be organized

We knew what we wanted to talk about at each break and were able to stay on message. The talking points allowed us to focus on one idea, but also helped keep our messages succinct.

It kept me from rambling by keeping me focused on just one or two things per pitch.

First, I used the script outline from Caban's "How to Beg" material - very helpful. This caused me to organize my thoughts into a specific number of separate appeals. It also forced me to segment my premium mentions into specific appeals.

I knew what I was saying.

Remind me what to say and to say it in a way that flowed better.

They helped us to remember key points that we may have otherwise forgotten in all of the excitement of the Teleton. They also helped us to pace the information we were giving out, so as not to bombarde the listener, for example, with every possible premium and combination of premiums in one pitch break.

Allowed me to sound confident on AIR and have cohesive and well-structured pitches. Helped me remember everything I wanted to say, and at the same time, not be repetitive.

I wasn't stumbling for words.

In the past, I've used the How-to-beg outlines. This year, I stuck somewhat to those, but really devised my own pitch format. Scripts are great for helping me keep on track.

kept me coherent. i could not do a telethon pitch without a scripted presentation.

Keep me on track, focused, and non-repetitive.