2

Copyright©BeHeard

3

TableofContents

INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................................4

BENEFITSOFPUBLICSPEAKING.............................................................................................................4

THEPOWEROFPUBLICSPEAKING........................................................................................................7

THEFEAROFPUBLICSPEAKING....................................................................................................................9EXPERIENCINGFEAROFPUBLICSPEAKING......................................................................................................9WHEREDOESTHEFEAROFPUBLICSPEAKINGCOMEFROM?............................................................................10PUBLICSPEAKINGCOACHES......................................................................................................................11

PERFECTPREPFORPUBLICSPEAKING.................................................................................................13

PUBLICSPEAKINGINACTION..............................................................................................................17

CONCLUSION......................................................................................................................................22

4

INTRODUCTION

Humans’abilitytocommunicateusingformalizedsystemsoflanguagesetsusapartfromotherlivingcreaturesontheEarth.Whethertheselanguageconventionsmakeussuperiortoothercreaturesisdebatable,butthereisnoquestionthatoverall,themostsuccessfulandmostpowerfulpeopleoverthecenturieshavemasteredtheabilitytocommunicateeffectively.Infact,theskillofspeakingissoimportantthatithasbeenformallytaughtforthousandsofyears.Theironicfeatureofpublicspeakingisthatwhilewerecognizethatitisanimportantskilltohave,manyofusdonotlikeorwanttogivespeeches.Youmaybereadingthisbookbecauseitwasassignedtoyouinaclass,oryoumaybereadingitbecauseyouhavetogiveaspeechinyourpersonalorprofessionallife.Ifyouarereadingthisbookbecauseyoulikepublicspeakingoryouhaveaburningdesiretolearnmoreaboutit,you’reintheminority.Thegoodnewsaboutpublicspeakingisthatalthoughitmaynotbeonthetopofthelistofourfavoriteactivities,anyonecanlearntogiveeffectivepresentations.Youdon’thavetolooklikeaHollywoodstar,andyoudon’thavetousefancywordstobeasuccessfulspeaker.Whatisimportantisthattheaudienceunderstandsyouandrememberswhatyouhavetosay.Bylearningandusingthetechniquesprovidedinthisbook,youwilldiscoverhowtocreateengagingspeechesandpresentthemusingyourowndeliverystyle.BENEFITSOFPUBLICSPEAKINGNomatterwhatyourambitionsandinterestsare,developingspeakingskillswillbenefityourpersonal,professional,andpubliclife.

5

PersonalPeopledon’tjustgivepresentationsinajoborinclasses.Attimes,wearecalledupontogivespeechesinourpersonallives.Itmaybeforaspecialevent,suchasatoastatawedding.Wemaybeaskedtogiveaeulogyatafuneralforafriendorlovedone.Asapartofvolunteerwork,onemayhavetointroduceaguestspeakerataneventoracceptanawardforservice.Anothergreatpersonalbenefitofpublicspeakingisthatitbuildsself-confidence.It’snosurprisethatspeakinginpublicisscary,butbyengagingintheactivityyouwillbuildself-confidencethroughtheexperience.ProfessionalTVannouncers,teachers,lawyers,andentertainersmustbeabletospeakwell,butmostotherprofessionsrequire,orattheveryleast,canbenefitfromtheskillsofpublicspeaking.Accordingtoresearch,70%ofjobstodayinvolvesomeformofpublicspeaking.With,therecenteconomicshiftfrommanufacturingtoservicecareers,theabilitytocommunicatewithothers,hasbecomecrucial.ThetopCEOsadviceisthatgreatleadersmustbeabletocommunicateideaseffectively.Theymustbeabletopersuade,buildsupport,negotiateandspeakeffectivelyinpublic.Effectivespeakingskillsmakeyoumoreattractivetoemployers,enhancingyourchancesofsecuringemploymentandlater,advancingwithinyourcareer.Employers,careercounselors,andtheNationalAssociationofCollegesandEmployers(NACE)alllistgoodcommunicationskillsatthetopofthelistofqualitiessoughtinpotentialemployees.PublicLearningaboutpublicspeakingwillallowyoutoparticipateindemocracyatitsmostbasiclevel.Publicspeakingisimportantincreatingandsustainingasociety,whichincludesinformed,activeparticipants.Evenifyoudonotplantorunforoffice,learningaboutpublicspeakinghelpsyoulistenmorecarefullytoandcriticallyevaluateother’sspeeches.Listeningandcriticalthinkingallowsyoutounderstandpublicdilemmas,formaninformedopinionaboutthem,andparticipateinresolvingthem.Theprogressofthepastcenturyinvolving

6

segregation,women’srights,andenvironmentalprotectionaretheresultofpeopleadvancingnewideasandspeakingouttootherstopersuadethemtoadoptchanges.

7

THEPOWEROFPUBLICSPEAKING

"Youcanhavebrilliantideas,butifyoucan'tgetthemacross,yourideaswon'tgetyouanywhere."--LeeIacoccaPublicspeakingisoneofthemostessentialandpowerfulskillsthatcanhelpyoubecomeapersonofgreaterinfluence.Leadersofgreatinfluence,throughouthistory,areleaderswhoexcelledtremendouslyinpublicspeech.Takeamomenttorecallsomeofthesegreatleadersofmassiveinfluence:MahatmaGandhi,theleaderwho,throughhisspeeches(andactions),liberatedIndiaandbroughtthecountrytoindependence;MartinLutherKing,theleaderwhofoughtforracialequality,arolemodelwhobelievedthatAfricanAmericanscanco-existpeacefullywithWhites;LeeKuanYew,whothroughhisspeeches,galvanizedsupportfromallracesandgenerationsinSingapore,broughtthecountrytoindependence,andthentransformedthecountryfromathirdworldnationtoafirstworldmetropolis.Ofcourse,therearemanymoreleaders,manyofwhomareexceptionallytalentedinpublicspeaking,whousedtheirremarkablespeechestoinfluenceandchangetheworld,forbetterorforworst.AbrahamLincoln,WinstonChurchill,AdolfHitler,MaoZedong,andthelistgoeson...AndwhileyoumightbelievethatthepervasivenessoftheInternetmightreducetheimportanceofpublicspeaking,andespecially,onitsroleinthegameofinfluence,thinkagain.Duringthemodern,hightechnologyera,theabilitytospeakinpublichasallthemorebecomeaskillofcolossalvalue.OnebrilliantexampleisSteveJobs,wellknownformarketinghisAppleproductsthroughhisspeechesthatreachedmillionsofpeopleworldwide!Stevewasamarvelousexampleofhoweffectivepublicspeechescanleadtoastoundingsalesresultsthroughthepowerofinfluence.Inonespeech,Stevewas

8

tryingtointroducetotheworldhisrevolutionaryMacBookAir.Oneofthethinnestandlightestlaptopsintheworldatthetimeofitslaunchitwasbuiltasalightweightlaptopfortheeaseofcarryingaround(ascomparedtoitspredecessor,theMacBook).Inthemiddleofhisspeech,hedemonstratedthesignificanceofitsthinnessbypullingaMacBookairfromanenvelope!Theaudiencewasimmediatelyconvincedandroaredintoathunderousapplause.Suchisanexampleofinfluencingpeoplethroughpublicspeeches.BarrackObama'spersuasiveandinspirationalspeechesreachedouttomillionsduringhiselectoralcampaignsandwerebroadcastthroughthemediaandtheInternet.RandyPausch,aCarnegieMellonprofessorwho,unfortunately,hadcontractedcancerinhisforties,deliveredhisfamous"LastLecture"tohisstudents,andtomillionsmoreworldwide.MillionshavewatchedRandyPausch's"LastLecture"online.HisinspirationalspeechwasthendevelopedintoDVDsandintoabest-sellingbookthatwassoldinmorethan35languagesworldwide.MillionsmorearoundtheworldwatchedthefamousTEDtalksandTEDxtalksthroughwebinarsandvideos.Suchisthepoweroftechnologyinamplifyingtheinfluentialimpactofpublicspeechestoaudiencesandravingfansthroughouttheworld.Thevalueofpublicspeakinganditssignificantrelevancetowardsdevelopingyouintoapersonofinfluencecannotbesimplydiscounted,especiallyinthisdayandage.Finally,youhavegottounderstandthatnomatterhowknowledgeablealeaderis,howintelligenttheleaderis,orhowgoodandcompassionatehisintentionsare,anyinabilitytocommunicatewilllimittheoutreachofhismessage.Goodpublicspeakingisbasedongoodprivatethinking,andpublicspeakingisthetoolthatamplifiesyourmessagetotheworld.

9

TheFearofPublicSpeakingNodiscussionofpublicspeakingwouldbecompletewithoutdiscussingtheelephantintheroom—thefearofpublicspeaking.Thisphobiaisalwayslistedinthetopthreemostcommonfearspeopleexperience,nomatterwhotakesthesampleandanalyzesthedata.Buttheskillofpublicspeakingisjustlikeanyotherskillinthatthemoresuccessthatyouhave,themoreself-confidenceyoudevelop.Themorefailures,orperceivedfailures,thatyouexperience,thebiggerthefearofpublicspeakingyou’llexperience.Thenervousnessoranxietythatyoufeelwhenyoupresentisnormal,butexperiencingthatpublicspeakingfearfortherestofyourlifedefinitelyisn't.ExperiencingFearofPublicSpeakingDoyourealizethatpeopletendtoratethefearofpublicspeakinghigherthanthefearofdeath?Ironically,thatmeansmorepeoplewillprefertobeinthecoffinthangivingtheeulogyduringafuneral.Glossophobia,orspeechanxiety,isthefearofspeakinginpublicandmanypeopleareknowntoexperienceitatleastonceintheirlifetime.Accordingtovariousglobalsurveysandstatistics,thefearofpublicspeakingrankshighonthelistoftheworld’stoptenfears,surpassingfearofspiders,fearofflying,fearofheightsandoftenthefearofdeathitself.Publicspeakingfeartypicalstartsoutasanincreaseinthespeaker'sheartrateanddrynessinthemouth.Inextremecases,panic,nausea,headachesandevenanxietyattacks,canbeexperiencedbythespeakerbeforethespeechstarts.Oncethespeechstarts,theheartcanstartbeatingevenmorerapidlyandthespeakercanstarthearingthetrembleintheirownvoice.Thespeakeratthat

10

pointsometimesstartsstutteringorspeakingrapidly.Inextremecases,thelegsandeventhebodywillvisiblystarttoshake.Onthementalside,negativethoughtsoflookingfoolishmaystarttocloudthespeaker'smindandtheirmindmaygoblankduetotheiroverwhelmingfear.Evenafteraspeechisover,prevalentthoughtsofbeingembarrassedandlookingstupidcanoccupythemindofthespeaker.Itisnowonderthatmostpeoplewoulddoanythingtoavoidsuchanexperience.Howcanoneovercomesuchapowerfulfear?We’lldiscussthisinthenextchapter,“PerfectPrep.”WhereDoestheFearofPublicSpeakingComeFrom?Thinkaboutanyskillthatyouhavedevelopedinyourlife.Forinstance,youdidn'tcomeoutofthewombknowinghowtorideabike,driveacar,playamusicalinstrument,orworkyouriPhone.Thefirsttimethatyoutriedanyoftheseactivities,youprobablyexperiencedsometypeofdiscomfortornervousness.Thekeytogainingself-confidenceinthese,orwithanyskill,istohavesometypeofsuccesswhereyougrow.Iftheearlystagesoftheskilldevelopmentarewroughtwithfailures,though,theself-confidencewilldiminish.Forinstance,ifsomeonewhohadneverdrivenacarbeforegetsbehindthewheelofacarallbyhimselforherself(noteacherorcoach),thenthereisagoodchancethatthisfirstexperienceisnotgoingtogoverywell.Ifthefirstattempttodriveisonafreeway,thenthatfear,justlikepublicspeakingfear,isgoingtobehuge.Attheendofthedrive,thepersonmightsaysomethinglike,"Inever,ever,wanttoexperiencethatagain!"Ifforcedtoattempttheskillyearslater,thepersonwillexperiencethatfear,anditwillgrow.Abetterwaytolearnaskillistostartwithsomethinglessrisky.Inthecarexampleabove,mostpeoplestartinaparkinglotwithaparentoracoach.Once

11

theconfidenceincreasesalittle,thenthenewdrivermightmovetomakingright-handturnsaroundaneighborhood.Thenmovetoleft-handturns.Thenmaybegetintoahighertrafficarea.Thefreewayislast.Ifyouaretryingtodeveloppublicspeakingskillsandeliminatepublicspeakingfear,you'llwanttotakeasimilarapproach.Startwithsomethinglessriskylikespeakingupatthestaffmeeting.Mostmanagersorexecutiveswantinputonideasorproblemsduringstaffmeetings.Developahabitofspeakingupatleastonceduringthesediscussions.Next,volunteertogiveareportonaprojectatastaffmeeting.Onceyougetmorecomfortablewiththesetypesofpublicspeakingopportunities,trysomethingriskier.Maybeaskquestionsasanaudiencememberinabiggerpresentation.Rememberthatjustaswhenyoutriedmorecomplicatedthingsinlearningtodrive,ateverystageyouexperiencedmorenervousness.Onceyougottothefreeway,theparkinglotfeltreallysafe.Thesamethingwillhappenwithpublicspeakingfear.Asyoustarttoexperiencemorecomplicatedpresentations,theeasierpresentationsbecomesecondnature.PublicSpeakingCoachesJustliketheparentorcoachwhotaughtyoustep-by-stephowtodriveacar,agoodpublicspeakingcoachcanshavealotoftimeoffyourlearningcurve.Forinstance,ifyouwentintheparkinglotforyourfirstdrivingexperience,itmighttakeyouawhiletolearnhowtoparkcorrectly.Thehardestpartwouldbethatyouwouldhaveverylittleframeofreferencetocompareyourskillwith,soyoumaynotknowwhenyouaredoingagoodjob.Worryingaboutthequalityofjobyouweredoingwouldstayinthebackofyourmind,causingnervousness.Oneofthemostimportantpartsofcoachingishavingsomeonetellyouwhenyoucompletedtheskillcorrectly.Bytheway,youdon't

12

havetogooutandfindaprofessionalbusinesscoachorpublicspeakingcoach.Justlookforsomeonewhoyouthinkpresentsverywellinfrontofagroupandaskthepersontowatchyouandgiveyoufeedback.AlotofToastingclubsusethistypeofcoaching.

13

PerfectPrepforPublicSpeaking

Beingpreparedforanyactivityensuresyou’lldoyourverybest.Italsotamesthosebutterflieswhenyouarenervousaboutdoingsomething.Togivethebestspeechpossible,andfeelcomfortablewhiledoingit,followthesetips.Normalizeyourfear—Peopletypicallyareafraidofpublicspeakingbecauseofthefearoflookingandsoundingfoolishinpublic.Thisfearisaninnateemotionalresponsetoathreatandisabasicandnaturalhumanresponse.Theonlywaytocombatthefearistotrainthemindtoacknowledgethatfearisnormalandthateveryonefacesthisfearinvariousdegrees.Excellentpublicspeakersarepeoplewhohavementallytrainedthemselvestoacceptthisfearanduseittopropelthemselvestoextraordinaryheights.So,inotherwords,getcomfortablewithbeingalittlenervous.Itwillenduphelpingyoudoyourbest.Outlineit—Manypeoplewillwanttowriteouttheirspeechsotheyknowexactlyhowitshouldflow.Thiscanbeveryhelpful,butfirst,youshouldoutlineit.Thiswillhelpyoudiscoverthepurpose,mainpoints,subpointsandexamplesyouwanttoinclude.Fromthere,ifyoufeellikeitwouldhelpyoubemorerelaxedaboutspeakinginpublic,goaheadandwriteitout,thoughitisn’tnecessary.Knowyourpurpose—Thismightseemobvious,butwe’veallsatthroughspeechesthatseemedto“beataroundthebush”andnevergettothemainpoint.Beforeyoustartoutliningyourspeech,writeatthetopofthepagewhatyourpurposeisforit.Whatistheoverallthingyouwantpeopletotakeawayfromyourtalk?Structurelogically—Haveyoueverhadahardtimefollowingsomeone’stalkorlecture?Ifso,itwasbecausetheydidn’tstructureitlogically.Youwanttomakesureyoumovefromeachmainpointtothenextinthecorrectordersopeoplecanfollowyou.Thistendstobeanissueifthespeechisgiven“offthecuff”insteadofcarefullyplannedfor.

14

Writeoutpromptingwords—Evenifyoudowriteyourspeechoutinfull,youshouldneverreaditinfrontoftheaudience.Thatshouldbeonlyforyourpeaceofmindsoyouknowyoucancovereverythingyouwantto.Afteryou’vedecidedoneverythingyouwanttocover,writeoutmainwordsorpromptingwordstoremindyouofyournextthought.Thesearerarelyevenusedonceyougetintotheflow,buttheyarealifesaverifyoulosetrackofyourthoughts.Havingthemwithyouattheplatformwillmakeyoumoreconfidentwithoutbeingtoomuchofacrutch.Hook‘em—Whenwehear“TodayI’mgoingtotalkabout…”weallknowthecomingspeechisgoingtobeatotalsnooze.Don’tgiveyouraudiencethisimpression.Instead,startoutbyhookingthemwithastartlingstatistic,apoignantanecdoteorfunnystorythatmakesyourpointforyou.Utilizenon-verbalcommunication—Mostofourcommunicationisnon-verbal,whichsurprisesmostpeople.Butit’strue.Thismakesitespeciallyimportantwhenspeakinginfrontofanaudience.Knowyournervousticks.Forexample,doyoukeepyourhandsinyourpocketwhenyouarenervous?Playwithyourhairorjewelry?Asyourehearse,spendtimenoticinghowyouunconsciously“comfort”yourself.Beawarewhethertheseactionswillbehelpfulorhurtfultothepointyouaretryingtogetacross.Useaminimumofvisualaids—Toomanypeopleusevisualaidsduringtheirspeechesthataren’trelevanttotheirmessageoraresimplydistractingtotheirpresentation.Youraidswillbemosteffectiveiftheyaredirectandusedonlytodrivehomeyourmainpoint.Peoplewillbetterrememberyourmainmessageifyouusethemonlyinthisway.Getfamiliarwiththevenue—Ifatallpossible,youshouldrehearseinthevenueinwhichyouwillbespeaking.Thiswilladdareallayerofconfidencetoyourpreparation.Ifthisisn’tpossible,atleastspendsometimegettingfamiliarwiththeentrancesandexitsyouwilluse,whatthesizeofthestageis,iftherearestepsyou’llneedtoclimbandwhereyou’llsetupyourvisualaids.Ifyouaregoing

15

tohaveaPowerPointpresentation,makesurethat’sreadywellinadvance.Double-checkthatit’sworkingproperlyrightbeforetheaudiencebeginstoarrive.Memorizetheaddress—Agoodstartwillgrowyourconfidenceandultimatelymakeyoufeelcomfortableinfrontofyouraudience.Remember,youalreadyknowthematerialyouaregoingtopresent.Gettingstartedontherightfootistheeasiestwaytosettleyournervesandgetintotheflowofyourspeech.Publicspeakingisaformalandstructuredspeech,meaninginmostcases,youwillwanttoaddressyouraudienceappropriatelybeforeyouactuallybegindeliveringyourcontent.Mostofuswillgivesimilartypesofspeechesthroughoutourlives,dependingonourprofessions.Itstandstoreasonthenthattheaddressesyouwillusewillbemoreorlessthesameeachtime.Brainstorm—Brainstormingiseffectiveforboostingmostventures,butthequestioniswhentobrainstorm.Mostofuscan’tthinkquicklyonourfeet,especiallywhenwearenervous.Makesureyoubrainstormbeforegoingtothedaistospeak.Takethetimetocomeupwithallthemainpoints,examplesandstoriestomakeyourpointswellinadvanceofthespeech.Ifyouflybytheseatofyourpants,you’remorelikelytoexperienceyourmindgoingblank,whichwillonlyincreaseyournervousness.BreatheIn,BreatheOut—Rememberingtokeepcalmisimportantwhengivingaspeech.Giveyourselfthreebreathstorelaxyourbodyandmentallycountto10beforestartingthespeech.Takenotetobreatheinslow,measuredbreathswhenspeaking.Thiswillcalmyourcentralnervoussystem,bringinmoreoxygentoyourbrain,andhelpsingettingtheaudiencetofollowyourtrainofthought.Practice—We’llmentionthismorethanoncebecauseit’simportancesimplycannotbeoverstated.Themostimportantandthemostcommonpublicspeakingtipsistopractice—thereisnoalternative.Eventhemostsuccessfulpublicspeakershavetopracticeagreatdeal.WinstonChurchillpracticedinfrontofamirrorbeforegoingbeforethepublic.Youtoocanusethismethodtoreduceanxietyandensuresmoothdelivery.

16

Endwithabang—Notonlyshouldyouendyourspeechwithanoverviewofyourmainpoints,butalsowithapowerfulstatementorillustrationthatpeoplewillrememberlongafter.Whilethefirstimpressionisvitaltogetpeopletoengageandreallylistentoyourtalk,leavingwithagoodendingimpressionensurestheywillcountyouamongthebestspeakersthey’veheardandaremorelikelytoputyourideasintopractice.FindaReasontoJustDoIt...Again,andAgain—Excellentpublicspeakersdonotbecomeexcellentbygivingonespeech.Theyunderstandthatconfidencecomesbygivingmanyspeeches.VolunteertogivepresentationsatyourcompanyorgetinvolvedwithalocalToastmastersclubthatwillgiveyouopportunitiestopracticepublicspeaking.Seekoutaninstructortogiveyouadviceandtopushyoutoimproveyourselfwhenspeaking.Onlybyconstantlygivingspeecheswillyouovercomeyourfearofpublicspeaking.Witheachspeech,itwillbecomeeasier.

17

PublicSpeakinginAction

Letyourpersonalityshine—Everyspeakerisalittledifferent,andyouraudienceisnodoubthopingtolistentoanoriginal.Don’tfeellikeyouhavetobesomeoneyouaren’t.Thisinauthenticitywillbenoticedbytheaudience,makingitdifficulttoconnectwiththem.Instead,smile,useyournormalvocabularyandenjoyyourself.Allowingyourpersonalitytocomethroughwillonlyengagetheaudience.Improvise—Whileyoudefinitelyneedtofullyprepare,allowyourselftobeflexiblewhentheopportunitytoimprovisecomesalong.Rememberthosenotecardswerecommended?Thisiswhentheycomeinsuperhandy.If,forexample,someoneshoutsoutarandomcomment,gowithit,knowingyouhaveyourpromptingwordstofallbackonifyouloseyourplacewhenyouarereadytocomebacktothe“script.”Doingthiswillhelpyoucomeacrossasconfidentandrelaxed,whichinturnwillmakeyouthatway.Engagewithaudience—Don’tmakeyouraudiencefeelliketheydidbackincollegewhenaprofessortalkedatthemforanhour.Youandyourimportantmaterialwillbecompletelyforgettableifyoudon’tengagewiththem.Askthemforexamplestoyourpoints.Askthemquestions.Jokewiththemwhensomeoneintheaudienceanswersinacomicalway.Thesimpleactofengagingwillensureyoumakeanimpactonthemlongafteryouareoffthestage.Beentertaining—Thiscanbeconsideredapartofthetipabove.Publicspeakingisinformative,sure.Butthatinformationisbestperformedinanentertainingway.You’llkeeptheaudience’sattentionandyou’llhavemorefun.Don’tapologize—Ifyouarenervous,asurewaytopointthatoutsothateveryonewillbewatchingforitistoaskyouraudiencetobearwithyou.Don’tapologizeforhavingsomebutterflies.Everyoneunderstands,ifthey’veeverhadtospeakinfrontofagroup,andwhohasn’t?Beingalittlenervousgoeswiththeterritory.Ifyoumakeamistakeorthree,theaudiencewillforgetyoueasily,but

18

callingattentiontoyouruneasewillcausethemtofocusmoreonyourdeliverythanyourmaterial.Goslow—Mostpeoplewhoarenervoustalkfaster,evenwhennotspeakinginfrontofacrowd.Justbeawarethatthisiseveryone’stendencyandcombatitbyconsciouslyslowingdownyourspeech.You’llloseyouraudienceifyoujackhammereachofyourpoints.Theywillfeelyouaretalking“atthem”,whichwillcausethemtotuneout.Ifyouthinkyouarespeakingtooslowly,youareprobablyspeakingattherightrate.Breathe—Youmaythinkit’scrazytoaddthistipin,butwhenwearenervous,weforgettobreathe.Andwhenweforgettokeepourbreathingdeepandeven,itcausesanaturalstressresponseinthebody.Ourfightorflightresponsekicksin,thinkingweareunderattackbecauseourbreathingisshallow.Butassoonasyoudeepenyourbreath,you’llautomaticallystarttorelaxbothyourbodyandyouremotions.AllowPauses—Justaswementionedthatpeoplespeaktoorapidlywhentheyaretense,theyalsodon’tallowforanypauses.Havingtolistenconstantlyisdraining.Allowingstrategicpausesisasmartwaytoallowachallengingormajorconcepttosinkin.It’salsoawayforyoutotakeafewdeepbreaths,gatheryourthoughtsorgetbackontrack.Agoodwaytofillinthesepauses,ifthatdoesn’tcomenaturally,istohaveaglassofwateratthepodiumwithyou.Whenyoufeelyouortheaudiencewouldbenefitfromashortpause,stopandtakeadrink.Peoplewillbelieveyouneedaquickdrinkaftertalkingforawhile,evenifthat’snottherealreasonforthepause.Don’tread—Youshouldnotbetemptedtodothisifyoufollowouradvicenottokeepyourcompletedwrittenspeechwithyouatthepodium,butitbearsrepeating.Somepeoplethinktheywillbebetteroffhavingtheentirespeechwiththem,butwhentheydo,theyoftenfallintothehabitofreadingitinsteadofspeakingdirectlytotheaudience.Don’treadfromyourslideseither!Thisisacompletewasteoftheaudience’stimebecauseyoucouldsimplyprintoutyour

19

speechorPowerPointslidesandhanditouttoeachofthem.It’sboringtolistentosomeoneread,andthere’snoconnectionmadebetweenthereaderandthespectators.Projectyourvoice—There’slittlemorefrustratingthanattemptingtohearwhatsomeonewhotalkstoosoftlyormumblesissaying.Ittakesalotofenergytolistenintently,andafterawhile,youendupfeelingit’sjusttoomuchefforttobother.Makesureyouprojectyourvoiceandenunciateclearlyduringyourtalk.Evenusingamicrophone,youmayneedtoprojectyourvoice.Ifyouareconcernedyouaretalkingtooloudly(whichisoftenthecase),asktheaudienceiftheycanhearyouokayorifyouaretooloud.Thatwillassureyouthatyouarespeakingatacomfortablelevelforthem.Tellstories—Goodstorytellingisofgreatvalue.Peoplewillrememberyourstoriesmoreeasilythanthewillconcepts,soit’sagreatideatousestoriesoranecdotesasexamplesofkeypoints.Tellingstoriesisalsoawaytoentertainwhilebeinginformativeandforkeepingyouraudienceengagedinwhatyouaretalkingabout.Justmakesureyoudon’ttellrandomstoriesthatareirrelevanttoyourtalk.Keepeyecontact—Weunderstandthelastthingyouwanttodoistolookyouraudienceintheeyeifyouarenervous.But,thatisthefirststeptoengagingthem.Onceyoucangazearoundtheroom,holdingeachperson’sgazeforafewseconds,you’llstarttorelaxbecauseyou’llseethemsmileandnodinagreement.Thatistheunspokenconnectionyouarelookingforwithyourspectators.Ifithelps,findafriendoutintheaudienceandusethemasyourfirstcontact.Focusonyourbiggestfans—Youknowthosepeoplewhoaresmilingandnoddingwhenyoumoveyoureyesaroundtheroom?Thoseareyourfans.Theyarethepeoplewhopromisetostayengagedandarerighttherewithwhatyou’vesaidupuntilthispoint.Focusyoureyecontactonthosepeopleratherthanthosewhoarefrowningorobviouslynotengaged.Thatwillkeepyourelaxed.

20

Assumetheaudienceisfriendly—Theyareprobablytherebecausethey’vechosentobe,soinsteadofassumingyou’regoingtoborethem,assumetheyareopentowhatyouhavetosay.Ifyoufeelnegativedoubtsbubblingupinyourmind,remindyourselfthattheyarefriendlyandwanttheinformationyouhaveforthem.It’salwaysgoodtoremindyourselfthateveryoneintheaudiencehasbeeninyourshoesatonetimeoranother.Theyunderstanditcantakecouragetospeakinfrontofpeople.Trustthatunderstandingandbeyourself.Movearound—Onewayyoucanquicklysquelchyournervesisbymovingaround.Withthewirelessmicswehavenow,youcanevenweaveinandoutaroundthecrowd,whichwillmakethemfeelyouareoneofthem.Movingyourmusclesnaturallyreleasesfeelgoodhormonesthatwillcauseyoutorelax.Ifyoustandstiffasaboard,you’llbemorestressedandyou’llborethespectators.Moveyouraudiencearound—Askthemtoraisetheirhandsinresponsetoquestionsearlyoninthepresentation.Havethemintroducethemselvestothepersonbesidethem.Havethemfollowyouasyoumovearoundtheroom.Theseareeasywaystomakeconnectionswithyouraudienceandkeepthemengaged.Ifyoufeelyouarelosingtheirinterest,havethemstandupandstretchorsomemicromovementthat’sappropriate.Gesturenaturally—Althoughyouwanttorehearseorpracticeyourspeechandperhapsevenspecificphrasesyouwanttouse,avoidpracticinggesturingifpossible.Whenpeopledothis,itoftenendsuplookingstagedorawkward.Instead,allowyourselftogetcaughtupinwhatyouarespeakingaboutandgesturenaturally.Thiswillshowtheaudienceyouarerelaxedandconfident.Avoidfidgeting—Youdon’twanttostandasstiffasaboard,butyoualsodon’twanttofidgetorbroadcasttotheaudiencethatyouareanxious.Mostofushavelittle“tells,”thatannouncetoanyonearoundwhenweareuneasy.Wemightfusswithourcollar,playwithourhairorjewelryorevenblinkrapidly.Ifyou’vebeentoldyouhavea“tell”orifyouareconcernedyoumightaskafriendtowatchyourehearseyourspeechandaskthemaboutit.Orvideoyourselfgivingyourtalk

21

andthenwatchit,keepaneyeoutfornervousgestures.Onceyouknowwhattheyare,you’llbeabletokeepthemundercontrolwhilespeaking.Varyyourvoice—We’veallhadtositthroughtalksorlectureswherethespeakerwasmonotone.Howmuchofthoselecturesdoyoumember?Yeah,ustoo.Beawareofchangingthepitchofyourvoicewhenyouaskquestionsormakeanimportantpoint.Changethevolumewhenyoudescribeasadorthought-provokingidea.Anddidyouknow,it’sbettertosuddenlyspeakmorequietlyifyouwanttobeheardthantospeakloudly?Yep,it’stheoppositeofwhatwetypicallydo.Soifyoufeelthatinterestisflagging,tryloweringyourvoiceforashorttimetogetpeople’sattention.Wenaturallydon’twanttomisswhatsomeoneissaying,whichcausesustolistenmoreintentlyforashortperiodoftime,thus,grabbingtheirattentionagain.Don’ttrytolooksmart—Don’tyouhateitwhensomeonetriestoseemsmarterthantheyarebyusingabunchofacronymsyoudon’tknow?Orhowaboutusingfiftycentwordsinsteadoftheirusualvocabulary?Whenweencounterthesethings,weimmediatelyshutdownbecauseweassumethepersonisshowingoff.It’smuchbettertouseonlyindustryacronymsthatyouknowyouraudiencewillunderstand,explainthewordstoyouraudiencewhenyousaythem,orleavethemoutaltogether.Asforvocabulary—notonlyisitannoyingforyouraudience,butyouaremorelikelytotripoverwordsyouaren’tfamiliarusing.It’sbettertouseyournormalvocabularyandspeaksincerelytoyouraudiencethantryingtolooksmart.Youwon’tfoolthem.

22

Conclusion

Wheneveryouhavetospeakinpublicrememberthesepoints:

• Everyonewhodoesitisnervousnomatterhowexperiencedtheyare• Theaudiencewillalwaysforgiveyouformakingamistake• Beyourself—thereisno“right”wayofgivingaspeech

Inthisbook,we’vediscussedthefearofpublicspeakingandhowprevalentthatfearis.Justknowingthisshouldputyoumoreatease,butifyouneedto,remindyourselfthatveryfewpeoplenaturallyenjoyspeakinginpublic.Youshouldalsokeepinmindthatyoucanuseyournervousnesstoyouradvantagebyturningitintoexcitement.Maketheextraadrenalininyourbodyworktospuryouonforperforminginabig,enthusiasticway.Yourenthusiasmwillspillovertoyouraudience.We’vecoveredalotofgroundinthisbook,solet’sconsidersomeofthetoptakeawaysyouwillwanttobesuretoremember.

1. LikeagoodBoyScout,alwaysbeprepared.There’snobetterwaytoensureasuccessful,confidentpresentationthangoinginwiththeknowledgethatyouarefullypreparedforgivingthebesttalkpossible.

2. Engageyouraudienceassoonasyouwalkonstage.Openwithananecdotethatdemonstratesyourmainpoint,makeeyecontactwithmembersoftheaudienceandaskthemquestionsandsmile.

3. Sometimeswehavetofakeittillwemakeit.Ifthat’swhatyouneedtodointhebeginning,thendoit.You’lldiscoversuddenlythatyoureallydofeelconfident,andmaybe,eventhatyouarehavingfunonceyougetintothegroove.

23

4. Don’tforgettobreatheevenlyanddeeplyfromyourdiaphragm.Whenwebreatheshallowly,itrevsupourcentralnervoussystem,makingitbelieveweareunderattack.Thiscausesmoreadrenalinetoflowintothebody,causingmorenervousness.Dosomedeepbreathingbeforeyoucomeoutonstagetoletyourbodyknowyouaresafeandsecure.

5. Asyouprepare,thinkbacktosomeofthepresentationsyou’vebeento.Whatreallyworked?Whatboredyoutotears?Workonmimickingthepresenterswhoyouremembervividlyasbeingbothentertainingandinformativewhileavoidingthethingsthatmadeyoudisconnect.Eventhoughweallhaveindividualpreferences,ourcommonhumanmakeupnaturallycreatesinterestordisinterestbythesamethings.Smilingandprovidingeyecontactwillworkeverytime,whilefidgetingandreadingfromascriptneverwill.

6. Practicereallydoesmakeperfect,soallowlotsoftimetorehearse!Remember,eventherenownedspeakerWinstonChurchillrehearsedinfrontofamirrorandspenthoursrehearsing,evenfora10-minutespeech!Videoyourself,practiceinfrontofamirror,givethespeechinfrontoflovedoneswhowillprovideconstructivecriticism.Allofthistimewillbewellspentwhenyoufeelmorerelaxedandconfidentwhenthedayfinallyarrives.

7. Getcomfortablewiththevenuebyscopingitoutaheadoftime,evenifit’sjustafewhoursbeforetheaudiencearrives.Ifpossible,rehearsethere.

8. Keepyourvisualaidstoaminimum.Mostpeopleoverdothevisuals,usuallyoutofnervousness.Remember,thatpeoplehavecometohearyouspeak,otherwise,theycouldhavereadabooktolearnaboutthetopic.Useyourknowledgeofthetopictowowthem,notyourabilitytocreatePowerPointslides.

24

9. Rememberbodylanguageequatestoroughlythree-quartersofcommunication.Worktomakeyourgesturesnaturalandeliminatenervous“tells”likeplayingwithyourjewelryortakingoffandonyourglasses.Thissimplybroadcastsyournervousnessandcausesmoreofit.Keepyourchinupandstandupstraightwithyourshouldersback.Keepingthisstancealonewillmakeyoufeelasconfidentasyoulook.

10. Don’tspeaktoofastandallowforpauses.Whenweareanxious,wetalkfast.Consciouslyforceyourselftospeakmoreslowlythanyou’dliketo.Usepausestoletimportantconceptssinkinandhelpyoucatchyourbreath.Theaudiencewillrespondpositivelytothesepauses,evenifyouthinktheywon’t.