Simple Public Speaking Tips

My client asked for the most simple public speaking tips as advice in a one-hour training. Always up for a good challenge, I used these key points for my presentation.

1. You are not the focus.

A speech is never about you. If you make it about you, you’re simply going to feel even more nervous because 100% of the attention is directly focused on you.

Your presentation is about – and for – the audience. They are there because they want to hear something from you. I guarantee you people don’t waste their time coming to a presentation in hopes the presenter will fail. They want you to succeed, if for no other reason than they don’t want their own time wasted.

Think of your presentation as an organised series of messages relevant to your audience, not to you. Before you prepare your notes – such as jotting a few key words on a piece of paper – remember your objective should be simple and focused on this singular question:

What do you your audience to do, consider or remember after you’re finished?

Consider how you might start with that objective (after your introduction of course), as well as use it to close your presentation.

2. Use your voice effectively.

People want something useful or relevant from a public speech. The primary way they get their information is to hear it. So, your voice is your #1 concern of all communication skills. An effective voice is clear, enunciated, loud enough, and calm.

Volume comes from your diaphragm, not your mouth. To be heard, you need to breath fully and naturally to project your voice to the farthest point in the room. One exercise a past teacher gave me was to practice breathing a bit more deeply than I formally do. After a minute or two, my teacher asked me to start speaking. I was surprised that when I took better breaths, I could actually talk louder.

You might speak fast, but people do not listen fast. Find a medium speed between too fast and too slow.

Think of yourself as an athlete. Just as they warm up their muscles before a competition, you must warm up your voice. Before you speak, go somewhere private and talk loudly to get it warmed up. You might do that in your car driving to the event.

Protect your voice box from poor foods and drinks which prevent it from working properly. Avoid:

• Milky drinks of any type (it will cause you to constantly clear your throat on stage).
• Caffeine drinks will dry out your voice cords, as will alcohol.
• Too hot or too cold beverages (neither helps your throat stay relaxed)
• Fizzy drinks which will fill your stomach with gas, preventing you from breathing most naturally. It’ll also make you burp more.

You may need a microphone if you find it difficult to project your voice to the farthest point from where you will speak. If possible, ask the organiser to let you try it beforehand so it’s not a surprise when you start to speak.

3. Own the stage.

People prefer to listen to someone who acts confident. You need to look comfortable on stage, even if you don’t feel it.

Perhaps the easiest way to become more confident is to get rid of surprise.

Ask the organiser if you can if you can get up on stage prior to the event. This allows you to get familiar with the stage and the room. Look around. How far can you see? If you wear glasses, clean them before you get on stage.

The lights on a stage can be dis-orienting. Again, get on the stage prior to the actual presentation. Can you (do you want to) see your audience? Are you blinded by the lights? Lights tend to be hot so you might want to wear lighter clothing.

Look for the person who could be sitting farthest away from where you will be speaking. That person is the one who you want to make sure can hear you. If they can hear you, everyone else will be able to as well. Here’s a trick. Put an ally or colleague in that spot furthest from you. They should give you a signal – an ear tug, a scratch on the top of their head – to tell you to TALK LOUDER.

Minimise any ‘outside noise’ or any distractions which may make it more difficult for people to hear you. Another reason for a microsphone to ensure people can hear you and you don’t have to shoit.

Think about how you’ll enter and exit the stage. Test the floor to see if it may be slippery, particularly if it’s humid or wet.

4. Keep your speaking simple.

What are you going to say? And, what will you use to help guide your talk?

You don’t need nor want a detailed script. Do not memorise your speech. You are not an actor in a theatre. Instead, focus on the truth. You are a well-known respected businessperson in your community. Your good reputation likely precedes you. You don’t need to pretend to be anything else. As a result, you are already familiar with your topic: you and your business.

Write the fewest amount of notes to remind yourself what you want to say. In reality, you only want a few words to prompt or remind you what to say. If you give yourself too many notes, you’ll find they distract you from simply talking.

Write your notes large, so you can glance down and easily read what you’ve written. (Another reason to have clean eyeglasses.) You can decide if your messages are the best ones by checking them against this list of qualities.

The best thing you can do is tell a story. There are two types.

1. The story is about you, your work and how it reflects what you want to say.
2. The other is about your customers, perhaps similar to the people in the audience.

Both types of stories should focus on how you and your business helped them or helped benefit the community. Remember: keep the focus on your audience, not you.

5. Practice. Then practice again.

Practice is not memorising your speech. Instead, think of your public speaking as a simple conversation with tips for the audience. Don’t try to be formal. Be yourself. You are talking about something you are familiar: you and your business.

I’ll repeat here, on purpose: practice by speaking loud enough so everyone can hear you. If you are using a microphone, again, try to rehearse in advance. Ask the organiser to stand away from the stage to tell you how loud you may need to speak into the microphone. If it’s a small room and you already speak loud, you may not need one.

Always take a glass of cool water with you to the stage. Take a sip whenever you feel your mouth getting dry. No one will notice if you stop for a moment to wet your mouth. Stopping for a moment also gives you a chance to breath. A bit of silence also helps your audience think about what you just said.

Above all else, remember to look at your audience, not at your notes.

6. Accept your nerves.

You will very likely be nervous, but focus on the things you can change. Everyone who gives a public speech is nervous, but most know how to disguise it.

Nerves will probably feel horrible to you, but often the audiene doesn’t notice. And, even if they did, no one in the audience wants you to fail. In fact, most of them are happy that it’s you and not them. Focus on giving them good information, and everything will be happy.

Nerves do not last. For the vast majority of people, your body will calm down after 2-3 minutes. To get yourself over this nurdle, make sure the first 2-3 minutes of your presentation are very well rehearsed. It not only will help you make a good first impression, it also builds your confidence that you started well.

Have the last 2-3 minutes prepared as well. Even if you get nervous in your presentation, it’s good to have your closing prepared as well. People tend to remember two things about a speech: the opening and the close. That’s why it’s also good to make sure your key messages are in both the first and last 2-3 minutes of your presentation.

7. Be good, not perfect.

Your goal should never be perfection. If it is, the moment you make a mistake – and it will happen – you’ll tense up even more. It will also make the next mistake feel worse.

Accept when you make an error. Ignore it and keep going. It may feel horrible to you, but I’ll guarantee your audience won’t remember it after you’re finished.

Focus on doing the very best you can, that’s it. I remember one student said she was fearful she’d forget something. That’s natural. But, consider the audience’s point-of-view. They don’t know what you forgot to say.

Even if you did forget something important, I’ve often used that message in a follow-up email to the audience, often sent to the audience by the organiser of your presentation.

8. Be positive, not negative.

This is not the time to be negative about yourself.

You’ve been asked to speak, so think of it as a complement. The organiser believes you have something interesting and important to share. That’s why the best thing you can tell yourself is do the best job you can. That’s all anyone can ask of you.

And, if you do better than you expected, you’ve exceeded your own expectations. Congratulations!

Along the same lines, remember to smile. It’ll not only brighten your voice, but it’ll make you seem confident.

9. Be enthusiastic and passionate.

After all is said and done, audiences only ask for two things from the speaker.

• Be relevant. Tell your audience something that’s important to them, not you.
• Be enthusiastic. Your audience is interested in what you have to say. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have shown up. Be passionate about what you’re saying.

I’ll say it again: your audience rarely (if ever) cases if you’re nervous. Just do the best job you can.

10. Be proud of yourself.

Public speaking can be scary, yes. But at the same time, once it’s over, relax and congratulate yourself. You did it! Each time you do it, you’ll improve.

Any tips for easy, simple public speaking?  Any other aspect you’d like to add or contribute?  Please add your thoughts and comments below.