Becoming a more engaging public speaker is not about charisma, natural talent or a perfectly polished script. It is about control: of your content, your delivery and the room. Here is how to keep an audience with you from your first word to your last.
Prepare for Your Audience, And for Yourself
Most speakers begin by asking themselves; “What do I want to say?” It feels sensible and, in some regards, it is; however, you need to consider “the audience question.”
The right question is, “What does this particular audience need to take away from this presentation and why should they care?” It is useful to know in advance who will be in the room, what they already know and what problem you are helping them solve. Build your talk around that and it becomes a conversation. Although this conversation is, for the most part, one-way, it is very helpful to consider it as a conversation. When you feel like you are having a conversation rather than making a presentation you will relax and sound authentic. This will help significantly to get your desired message across.
So now you have created the perfect balance between what you have worked out the audience needs and what you want them to hear. You are also presenting your message with both confidence and authority. For more practical advice, read these 10 tips to improve your public speaking skills.
Having Control
Controlling the situation is vital to delivering an impactful presentation. Control of your:
- Emotions
- Body Language and Eye Contact
- Voice
- Content
- Outcome
Its Not How You Finish, It Is How You Start
There is an old showbiz song which says to do the exact opposite. It derives from a Broadway show “Seesaw”. Although I appreciate the sentiment and it is true should you find yourself having made mistakes you can most certainly recover; however, the stronger your start the most impact you will have with the audience, helping you to relax and feel confident and signalling to the audience that they want and need to pay full attention. Finishing strongly is also important, but you are less likely to get that opportunity if you have lost the audience’s love, respect and attention along the way.
Tell Stories That Stick
Facts are forgotten; stories are repeated.
A good story needs only a person, a problem and a turning point. It does not need to be dramatic, and it certainly should not be a highlight reel of your greatest successes. A mistake you made, and what it taught you, will almost always beat a victory lap. People trust speakers who have learned lessons the hard way. Stand-up comedians who are the most consistent deliverers of impactful presentations, quite often on a daily basis, when telling stories to each other about their shows, they focus on the performances which went horribly wrong, as they are funny, self-effacing and memorable.
Use Your Voice Effectively and Skilfully
A monotone voice can actually be distracting and overshadow your excellent, well thought out and well prepared content.
- Vary your pace: Speed up to build energy and slow down when something really matters.
- Adjust your volume: You need to be heard, so you will need to project your voice. You can alter the volume according to the specific message you are sending. Avoid shouting and indeed whispering.
- Use pauses: Pauses are a powerful tool. Silence can feel like an eternity to you on stage but it feels like emphasis to the audience. Let your best lines breathe.
Think About Your Body Language
Plant your feet, stand tall and use your hands as you would in a real conversation. Pacing up and down is nervous energy, and can easily distract the audience.
When you make eye contact, hold it with one person for a complete thought before moving on. Sweeping the room looks like scanning. Locking in feels like connection. Until you are comfortable doing this, it can be cheated. For more advice on connecting with your audience, read How to Connect With an Audience.
Get the Audience Involved Early
A passive audience drifts. An active one stays.
Once you have settled on stage and you know the room believes you are confident (or, at the very least, you have convinced them), invite people to raise a hand if they have a “pressing question”. You will get questions that are relevant, genuine and easy to answer with authority. Ask for a show of hands, ask questions of members of the audience. It keeps them completely involved as none, but you, knows who might be asked next.
Keep It Simple and as Short as Possible
All too often speakers are on stage for too long. They have outstayed their welcome as far as the audience is concerned. Create punchy, interesting content. Cause a reaction by revealing something new or controversial. Leave them wanted more!!
Focus on your core message and remove everything that does not support it.
Practise Out Loud, On Your Feet; But First …..
Begin rehearsing silently in your head until you know your presentation off pat. Once you have “nailed-it” rehearse out loud. Stand up, say the talk aloud so that you can hear what it sounds like. This will make it familiar to you when your time comes to speak in public, it will be like an old friend. You will also give yourself an opportunity to alter phrasing or substitute words that you may have trouble pronouncing. Don’t record yourself or practice in front of the mirror. Know your material thoroughly, but there is no need to know it word for word; you don’t want to sound scripted. Create a list of topics in the order you are going to deliver (a set-list) and learn the running order, not the exact wording. Being well prepared removes a huge amount of pressure from you and helps you look confident and not feel nervous.
Turn Nerves Into Excitement
Nervousness and excitement feel almost identical in the body, so tell yourself, “I’m not nervous I’m excited,” and put that adrenaline to work. Take one slow breath before you begin and remember that the vast majority of the people in the room would not exchange places with you. They are on your side.
Be Yourself, Speak with Your Authentic Voice
Just be yourself is not always easy advice to take onboard. The real trick is knowing exactly what makes you tick and makes you …well you. I might well be that it is your particular sense of humour, your rhythm or your specific or unique angle on the subject, and then intentionally put that across. At times what you say and how you say it will not be to everyone’s taste, and that is okay.
Your Next Step
All of the above are a comprehensive overview of how to became more engaging public speaker. As you are finding your feet as a speaker you can elect to focus on some of the above suggestions, but as time goes on, as you speak more often and become more experienced, they all can and indeed should be used in the whole.
Every time you make a presentation you add mileage to your person speaking clock. The more talks that you give the better you will become and therefore more confident and probably more adventurous. You will enjoy speaking more and more and you will transition from hoping to get through your presentations unscathed to owning the room, being remembered and leaving a lasting legacy behind.
If you would like help identifying what is holding you back and developing practical strategies to speak with more confidence and impact, contact Ashley Boroda.
