Gain Confidence and Proficiency In Public Speaking
Do you avoid public speaking because you are not good at it or the discomfort doesn’t seem worth the stress? If so, you are losing out securing new business, heightening your visibility, building your leadership abilities, solidifying your brand, and growing your influence.
Start small. Dip your toe into the public speaking water by offering to speak on a topic you know well at a department or all-company meeting or a chamber of commerce event.
Here are my 12 tips to gain confidence and proficiency in your public speaking so you won’t turn down the next opportunity when asked to speak.
1. Watch the Pros
If you want to speak like a pro, spend time watching some of the best speakers on TedTalk videos. Ted.com offers a wealth of information about public speaking, allows you to watch expert speakers and, in the process, learn about a wide variety of topics.
2. Put Your Entire Body into It
There is a fascinating 1990 study by Harvard psychologists Nalini Ambady and Robert Rosenthal about the power of body language to communicate. The study took a video of 13 university teaching fellows as they delivered lectures to their students. Next, they showed a 30-second video clip of each teacher’s lecture without audio to random non-biased judges. The judges were asked to rate the teachers based on 15 traits like honesty, likeability, confidence, competence, etc. The judges’ scores of the teachers were nearly identical to the ratings given by students who took the classes. The highest-rated teachers also had a higher degree of body movement including smiling, nodding, laughter, pointing, etc.
For your next speech, consider how you can incorporate more body movements into your presentation. Use hand gestures, move around the stage, bring props, make eye contact with audience members, add genuine emotion to your talk, and vary your volume and pace of speaking.
3. Focus Your Topic and Material
Limit your presentation material to three key takeaways you want your audience to remember. Build your speech around these takeaways by explaining the concept and then telling a compelling story or statistic about each of the three points.
4. Practice Multiple Times!
The worst mistake you can make as a novice public speaker is to deliver your speech without practicing it. Even if you are the leading expert on your topic, you should practice. Ask a trusted colleague to give you feedback, time yourself, and record yourself so you can go back and listen for any verbal tics. Experiment with nuances to determine the most memorable way to communicate your message. Even the pros practice regularly.
5. Add a Story
People tend to remember statistics and stories. Better yet, add a personal story to explain a concept and use lots of detail. For a great book on making an idea “sticky” aka remembered, see Made to Stick by Dan and Chip Heath; Principle #6 is use Stories.
6. Preview the Stage
Whenever possible, check out the room and the stage where you will be presenting. When you are clear about the environment, you can make small or large recommendations on set up that will improve your effectiveness, you can practice while visualizing the space, and you can understand the physical dynamics the room creates for your presentation. If you can’t visit the venue where you’ll be speaking, ask questions about the set-up in advance. Will you have a microphone and podium or just a handheld microphone and no podium? How many people are expected to attend?
7. Pull Out the Power Suit or Dress
Eliminate one item to worry about by planning your speech attire early. Select attire that has three traits: commands the room, is comfortable and doesn’t let them see you sweat.
8. Buy Yourself an Ice Cream Cone
Treat yourself to a little reward when the speech is over. Aside from professional speakers, few people relish the idea of giving a public speech. Even if we give speeches and presentations regularly, they are stress-inducing. Acknowledge your effort and accomplishment.
9. Invite Post-Speech Feedback
Once your speech is over, you may be tempted to move on quickly with the thought, “Phew, glad that is over.” But make an effort to obtain candid audience feedback on how you did. Note the areas where you shine and work on the areas you could improve upon before the next speech. One technique I use is to give myself an A-F grade rating and list what I thought I did well and not so well before I receive feedback. This technique helps you to accurately evaluate yourself and use your judgment in the planning of your next speech.
10. Get Control of Your Jitters
Channel your stress into positive energy that can help you think and react more quickly. Get a good night sleep, eat a small meal, bring water, and do some stretching and deep breathing exercises beforehand.
11. Prepare for a Blunder
Our best-laid plans can go awry, so why not incorporate some failsafe plans to make your speech a success? Write out note cards to overcome a momentary brain freeze, have a back-up for technology problems, develop your handouts a week prior, and prepare for bad traffic to the event by arriving early.
12. Develop a Stage Persona
“What are your best qualities as a speaker? What might your trademark features be?” Consider developing an authentic but beefed up stage persona, like stepping into a Teflon coating, to help reduce your anxiety.
Public speaking is not natural for most people. Build your proficiency in steps over time through repeated opportunities to present your knowledge. What customer organization could you offer to speak to in the next year? Why not contact them today about speaking at an upcoming meeting?
