The Art of Public Speaking

The Art of Public Speaking

At TABLEtalk last night we played our own made up version of a speaking game. People had to talk for two minutes on a given subject, but they could be challenged for repetition, hesitation and deviation. 
Everyone began the game with a bowl of 10 chocolates but if you were challenged by another person and the challenge was agreed by the remainder of the group; firstly, you lost a chocolate to the challenger and secondly, the challenger then had to continue speaking on the same topic.  
If you spoke for the whole two minutes without any challenge you earned another chocolate out of the box :-)  That might sound confusing but, trust me, it did work.
Our topics included: making decisions, smiling, life on other planets, weird people, dinosaurs and body hair.  I managed to speak for two minutes without anyway challenge on the topic of 'teeth'. Either my talk was unbelievable riveting or people were losing the will to live.

Below you will find my shortened version of 'Ten Tips to Public Speaking'. If you would like the extended version, you'll have to contact me.



1.1  Find out what works for best for you.  It may be that you

want to write your presentation notes in quite full detail or

maybe simply having the key points written down works best

for you.

1.2  At all costs avoid reading your presentation.

1.3  Practice, Practice, Practice  …  

2.1  Who are you speaking to? What is the event? What are

the aims of your presentation?

2.2  Give your audience and the event the respect they

deserve.

3.1  Avoid techno-terror!!

3.2  If you are using a microphone or any form of technology, practice with this in advance. Never leave such preparation until you are in front of your audience.

3.3  Slides can really make or destroy a presentation.

4.1  Start by addressing your audience  …  pause, take

a deep breath, smile, and then begin.

4.2  Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm  …  negative

thinking will get you nowhere!

4.3  Don’t apologise for nervousness  …  your audience

probably won’t even notice.

5.1  Engage the personal touch

5.2  If you can turn your talk into a story or a journey, not

only does it become easier for you to remember, it becomes

far more engaging for your audience 

5.3  Ask your audience questions; it will help to keep them

engaged in the listening process.

6.1  Find out what dress code is required. The better you look,

the more ready and professional you will both appear and

feel. Never under-dress.

6.2  Have eye-contact with your audience

6.3  Be aware of any nervous, repetitive gestures you make. 

7.1  When things go wrong, what really matters is how you react.  Everyone makes mistakes; if necessary acknowledge them and move on.

7.2  Be prepared for technology to go wrong. Regardless of

what happens, your presentation should be able to go ahead.  

7.3  No matter what  ...  keep smiling!

·       8.1  Your audience will only take in a percentage of what you

say  … and they will filter that through their own

perspectives. So create a structure that allows you to repeat

and reinforce key points

Always, Always Run Short

While captivating an audience is a skill that takes years to develop, there are some simple ways to instantly improve your speaking and presentation skills. Here are simple tips for preparing, practicing, and rapidly improving your skills.
And as a bonus, each tip includes a link to an awesome TED Talk; not only can you see great speakers in action… you can broaden your knowledge too! Jeff Haden

Let’s start with some preparation tips.
Dopamine and epinephrine help regulate mental alertness. Both come from tyrosine, an amino acid found in proteins.
So make sure to include protein in the meal you eat before you need to be at your best. And don’t wait until the last minute. When you’re really nervous the last thing you may want to do is eat.
Watch Amy Cuddy on the power of body language

Cortisol is secreted by your adrenal glands when you’re anxious or stressed. High levels of cortisol limit your creativity and your ability to process complex information; when you’re buzzed on cortisol, it’s almost impossible to read and react to the room.
The easiest way to burn off cortisol is to exercise. Work out before you leave for work, take a walk at lunch, or hit the gym before a speaking engagement. (If you’ve ever felt more grounded after slogging through a solid workout you now know why.)
Watch Nilofer Merchant on walking meetings.

If you’re like me, “what if?” is your biggest source of anxiety: what if your PowerPoint presentation fails, someone constantly interrupts, or your opening falls flat? Pick two of your biggest fears and create contingency plans. What will you do if the projector fails? What will you do if the meeting runs long and you only have a few minutes to speak? The effort won’t be wasted because the more you think through different scenarios, the better you can think on your feet if something truly unexpected occurs.
Watch Simon Sinek on the way good leaders make us feel.

Superstitions are an attempt to “control” something we’re afraid of. (Lucky socks don’t make an athlete perform better.) Instead of creating a superstition, create a routine that helps center you emotionally. Walk the room ahead of time to check sight lines. Check microphone levels. Run through your presentation at the site to ensure it’s ready to go. Pick things to do that are actually beneficial and do them every time. You’ll find comfort in the familiar—and confidence, too.
Watch Daniel Pink on motivation.

Say you’re speaking to a civic group on behalf of a charity you realize your presentation is falling flat. In response people usually either try too hard or basically give up. If your primary goal is to land a contract and you can tell you won’t succeed, shift to planting the seeds for another attempt down the road. If you see you won’t get what you really want, what can you accomplish? Then, when the room doesn’t go your way, you can stay positive, focused, and on top of your speaking game.
Watch Brene Brown on the power of vulnerability.

Now let’s look at unusual ways to instantly improve your presentations.
Many speakers tell self-deprecating stories, but simply admitting a mistake is a waste if you only use it to highlight how far you’ve come. Instead, tell a story and let your emotions show. If you were sad, say so. If you cried, say so. If you felt remorse, let it show.
When you share genuine feelings you create an immediate and lasting connection with the audience. Emotion trumps speaking skills every time.
Watch Elizabeth Gilbert on creativity.

Pause for two or three seconds and audiences assume you’ve lost your place; five seconds they think the pause is intentional; after ten seconds even the people texting can’t help looking up.
When you start speaking again the audience naturally assumes the pause was intentional... and that you’re a confident and accomplished speaker. A poor speaker abhors a vacuum; only confident speakers are secure with silence. Take one long pause to gather your thoughts and the audience will automatically give you speaker bonus points.
Watch Seth Godin on spreading ideas.

Asking questions to engage the audience often feels forced. Instead ask a question you know the audience can’t answer and then say,” That’s okay. I can’t either.” Explain why you can’t and then talk about what you do know. Most speakers have all the answers. The fact you don’t—and are willing to admit it—not only humanizes you but makes the audience pay greater attention to what you do know.
Watch Nigel Marsh on work/life balance.

I’ve never heard someone say, “I was at this presentation the other day and the guy’s Gantt chart was amazing...” I have heard someone say, “Did you know when you blush the lining of your stomach also turns red?” Find a surprising fact or an unusual analogy that relates to your topic.
Audiences love to cock their heads and think, “Really? Wow...”
Watch Susan Cain on the power of introverts.

Most assume they should capitalize on a speaking engagement to promote a product or service, win new clients, and build a wider network. Don’t. Thinking in terms of sales only adds additional pressure to what is already a stressful situation. Put all your focus on ensuring the audience will benefit from what you say; never try to accomplish more than one thing.
When you help people make their professional or personal lives better, you’ve done all the selling you’ll need to do.
Watch Jason Fried on where work really happens.

Now let’s look at a few things you should stop doing.
Due to insecurity many speakers open with an excuse: "I didn’t get much time to prepare…" or, "I’m not very good at this…"
Excuses won’t make your audience cut you any slack, but they will make people think, “Then why are you wasting my time?” Do what you need to do to ensure you don’t need to make excuses.
Watch Tom Wujec on teambuilding.

Don’t wait until you’re onstage to check your mic, your lighting, your remote, or your presentation. Do all that ahead of time. And if there are people running some of those functions, talk to them about what to do if something fails.
And if something does fail, smile and try to look confident while you (or others) take care of the problem. When things go wrong, what really matters is how you react.
Watch Sheryl Sandberg on women leaders.

If a question pops up in the middle of your presentation, that’s awesome: someone is listening! So seize the opportunity. If you would have addressed in a later slide, skip ahead. (If you’re practiced skipping around it won’t throw you.) The best presentations feel like conversations, even if one-sided… so never ignore the opportunity to foster that sense of interaction. Never do anything to disengage your audience.
Watch Malcolm Gladwell on happiness.

Here’s a simple rule of thumb: Make your font size double the average age of your audience. Roughly speaking that means your fonts will be between 60 and 80 points.
If you need to fit more words on a slide that means you haven’t tightened your message.
Watch Michael Porter on solving social problems.

Your audience should be able to almost instantly scan your slides; if they have to actually read you might lose them. And you’ll definitely lose them if you read to them.
Your slides should accentuate your points; they should never be the point.
Watch Kelly McGonigal on harnessing stress.

Now let’s look at a few things to immediately start doing.
Instead of playing the “turn off your mobile devices” game, because no one will (and you just look stodgy), focus on earning their complete attention. Make your presentation so interesting, so entertaining, and so inspiring that people can’t help but pay attention. It’s not the audience’s job to listen; it’s your job to make them want to listen.
Watch Steve Jobs on living before you die.

Unless microphones are available, rarely will everyone in the audience hear questions other audience members ask. Always repeat the question and then answer it.
It’s not only courteous, it also provides you with a little more time to think of an awesome way to answer each question.
Watch David Blaine on holding your breath for way, way too long.

8.2  Seize any opportunity to answer questions. If people have questions it shows that they’re listening.

9.2  Know what’s expected of you.  If you have thirty minutes,

take 25. If you have an hour, take 50. Always respect your

audience’s time and end early. Finishing early will give you

the opportunity to ask if anyone has questions.

9.3  Keep it short … better to leave your audience wanting to

hear more than to bore them rigid.

9.4  Allow time for the unexpected.

10.1  Plan your finish.  Wrapping up can be the hardest part

of a talk.

10.2  Always give the audience something to take home  … 

not necessarily in the sense of a handout, this might not be

appropriate, but in the sense of certain key things to

remember or an action point.

10.3  Inspiration is great, but application is everything. Give

your audience something tangible that they should learn or

apply.Don't Ever Read Your Slides