After 2 careers over 40 years, there are too many fears of public speaking engagements to count. I am sure I never totally lost the fear, especially at the beginnings of the talks.
Perhaps you recall the old Jerry Seinfeld joke in which he observed,
“According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that seem right? That means to the average person, if you have to go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than presenting the eulogy.”
While it is debatable whether public speaking ranks number one among our fears, a couple of things are certain: Public speaking causes a great deal of anxiety, stress, and fear for a large percentage of small business owners and managers. Speaking before groups is part of the job for many of those who own and run small businesses.
If, stage fright is keeping you from doing your best in front of an audience of any size, here are critical tips that can help you overcome your discomfort.
Getting ready
Know your opening and closing statement COLD. Rehearse well. 3 hours prior to your speech, go for a short walk. Once on stage adapt the alpha pose to lower stress and increase your confidence.
Focus on the
people in your audience, and their needs and fears
The
worst thing to do if you are trying to improve as a presenter is to focus on
your presentation skills. If you do, you’ll be focusing on YOU, rather than on
the only thing that matters: The person you are presenting to.
Start with a question the audience wants to ask
Most people will tell you the best part of a presentation is the Q&A session that comes at the end. So why wait? Use questions and answers as the framework of your presentation. If you do this, you don’t have to worry about what questions might be asked–or how the questions might be posed.
Chances are, you’ll answer the questions the audience members might have and, if not, the questions will likely be simple follow-ups to the questions you have already answered.
Start strong
Use a well-constructed story, question, or staggering fact to set the audience’s mindset. Frame the speech. The first minute is critical.
Focus on the audience’s challenges
What can you share that will help them.
If
you are in the audience during a presentation, which of these would you find
more compelling and helpful: (1) Charts, graphs and bullet points outlining
every detail, no matter how small, of the presenter’s product or service, or
(2) A presenter who is describing a dilemma you are experiencing and sharing
with you how others have successfully overcome the dilemma.
Passion beats all … people feel what you feel. Help them feel it. Don’t rush it. Build-in peaks and valleys with defined points of suspense to create curiosity. Use body language that shows you are comfortable and composed.
Taking the stage
Get ready for taking the stage.
The most important point to remember is to not rush at the start. Overlook to the audience, smile and pick out a few faces to concentrate on. Talk to these few faces and maintain good eye contact.
Smile
and be comfortable
You’ll
feel more confident if your presentation looks good, and you look good, as
well. Remember the words of the caricature impersonation of Fernando
Lamas performed by Billy Crystal on Saturday Night Live, “It’s better to look
good than to feel good and darling: You. Look. Marvelous.”
Keep things simple
You can keep it simple, even if you have
mountains of research to report.
First, fine-tune your core message. Chisel away at your topic until you can reduce your presentation to a core message. Once you achieve this, all your ideas can march behind it.
This is as true for business presentations as it is for political campaigns. Consider Obama’s campaign speeches. He used his simple slogan to make us believe he was the politician for change — something so many Americans longed for — and he appealed to us to have faith (to believe) in the change he was offering us. He won people through a simple slogan, which then allowed him to more easily serve up his ideas about meaty topics.
Use down to earth language
Chisel away at your speech wording until
you can reduce your presentation to a core message. Once you achieve this, all
your ideas can march behind it.
This is as true for business presentations as it is for political campaigns. Consider Obama’s campaign speeches. He used his simple slogan to make us believe he was the politician for change — something so many Americans longed for — and he appealed to us to have faith (to believe) in the change he was offering us.
He won
people through a simple slogan, which then allowed him to more easily serve up
his ideas about meaty topics.
Concentrating
on Relaxing
Don’t be that presenter who waits until the night before to throw something together. You’ll end up foregoing the one thing you need most before you present: rest. Get your preparation done in time so that you can sleep well and if at all possible, be able to go for a walk or some other light physical activity before your presentation.
Master use of pauses
Well planned pauses will do wonders for your speech. For example, Obama has mastered the art of pausing. He pauses to let us catch up with him. He pauses to let his words resonate. He pauses, in a sense, to let us rest.
Pauses also give the impression of composure and thoughtfulness.
Where
you pause is up to you; there are no hard and fast rules. Try it. Slowly inhale
to the count of three at each breath mark. Speak as though you had plenty
of time. The goal of this exercise is to teach your body to slow down.
Lots of practice to get experience
Although all of these tips can be helpful, you must do one more thing that is required to improve any skill: practice, practice, practice. But you are not alone.
Chances are, there’s a local chapter of Toastmasters nearby. Join it and gain the warm and positive support of others who, like you, are seeking to improve their speaking skills and to gain more confidence in front of an audience.
Finish strong
As we have said, focus on one theme and eliminate everything else. One relevant message and several great stories to illustrate.
Save your most memorable story for your ending. Hopefully, the one that is also the most encompassing of your message.
