Usually I conduct workshops for senior experienced executives. Next month however, I have an unusual group: a large group of ‘regular people’ who only need the simplest public speaking tips for the ‘non-presenter.’
My audience will be roughly 250 hard-working business men and women who run small convenience stores in hundreds of towns across Asia, usually with populations of less than 5,000 people. None of the owners have ever spoken in a public way. However, given their prominence and success, they’re increasingly asked to present at local business or community associations. These owners will never have had the chance for presentation skills training. None of them have ever used – or will ever use – PowerPoint.
My client asked for the simplest 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. It’s a series of messages which are relevant to your audience. Before you prepare your notes (such as jotting a few key words on a piece of paper), remember your objective should be simple.
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 end your presentation.
2. Use your voice effectively.
Speech is what your body does with sound. It comes from your diaphragm, not your mouth. That means you need to breath fully and naturally to project your voice to the farthest point in the room. An effective voice is clear, enunciated and never rushed. 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 can do that in your car driving to the event.
Protect your voice box from 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)
- Too hot or too cold beverages (neither helps your throat stay relaxed)
- Fizzy drinks which will make you burp, if not give you gas
Always take a class 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.
Depending upon the size of the room, you may need a microphone. 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.
Again, ask the organiser if you can get up on stage alone 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.
With the lights on, can you see your audience? Are you blinded by the lights? Are the lights hot? You might want to wear lighter clothing.
Where will the farthest person be? (That’s the person you want to make sure can hear you. If they can, everyone else can too.)
Is there outside noise that might make it more difficult for people to hear? You will want a microphone so you don’t have to shout.
Finally, 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 speech simple.
What are you going to say? And, what will you use to help guide your talk?
You don’t need a detailed script. You don’t need to memorise your speech. You are not an actor in a theatre.
You are a well-known respected businessperson in your community. You already have a good reputation. You don’t need to pretend to be anything else. As a result, you are already familiar with your topic: your business, which each of you knows very well.
Write a few notes to remind yourself what you want to say. Write your notes large, so you can glance down and easily read what you’ve written. (Another reason to have clean eyeglasses.)
The best thing you can do is tell a story. There are two types.
- One is about you, your work and how it reflects what you want to say.
- 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 should not be memorising your speech. Instead, think of your presentation as a conversation with the audience. Don’t try to be formal. Be yourself. You are talking about something you are familiar.
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.
One thing that often surprises people is how dry your mouth will be. Also, a loud voice means more air is going through your mouth and throat. Again, have a glass of cool water at hand, and take a sip whenever you need it.
Above all else, remember to look at your audience, not at your notes.
6. Accept your nerves.
When speaking in front of a group, your body will work against you. You will likely be nervous. That’s true of everyone, so welcome to the club.
The good news is your body will calm down after 2-3 minutes. To get yourself past this amount of time, make sure the first part of your presentation is very well rehearsed. It not only will help you make a good first impression, it will also build your confidence that you started well. You might also think about the last 2-3 minutes of your presentation, so the lasting impression is as good as the first.
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.
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. The best thing to tell yourself: 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.
They also don’t care if you’re nervous. They simply want to be entertained for a few minutes with good information.
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 thing you’d like to add or contribute?
3 Comments
#11. The number of slides used to support the speech is inversely proportional to the importance of the speaker. The President/Prime Minister/World Leader of your choice doesn’t use slides. Neither should your President/CEO/Senior Leader. Let the words carry the message. And use the time you would have spent agonizing over the bullet points to know your speech, so you can deliver it, not read it.
Nice list Andy!
One that would be on my list is to find your full ‘authentic purpose’ for speaking: the reason why what you’re saying is so important to you. e.g. it could be because you desperately want to create a mindset shift in your audience, to bring them benefit.
The only way I could ever overcome my own fear of public speaking was by making my reasons for speaking more important than my nerves. In my case it was about desperately wanting to win my dream job through a series of speeches I had to ‘suffer’.
Once you know your authentic purpose in speaking you find that whatever nerves you feel in speaking to an audience will be nothing in comparison to the potential outcome you’re seeking.
Sarah, your point about authenticity is fantastic. As you say, it’s not about you – it’s about bringing value to the audience, not about your own motives. It also increases your credibility with the audience, which in turn, also helps to manage nerves and anxiousness.