One
of the greatest fears we all have, is the fear of speaking in public. Some
research I read a few years back showed that people feared public speaking even
more than they feared death. Wow, that is quite an incredible result. It is
crazy to think that someone, would rather die, than stand in front of a group
of people and deliver a speech.
This
unnecessary fear is an instinctive primeval response, to our inbred fear of
standing out from the herd. When we lived in a society, where there was a
threat from predators. Anyone, who stood out from the crowd, was at the highest
risk of being predated. So yes that fear you feel, when you are expected to
deliver a speech in front of a group of people is real. It is primeval deep
rooted fear of standing out. My question here is pretty simple. When last did
you hear about a sabre toothed tiger eating someone, whilst they were speaking
in public?
Time to deliver
I
am sure that you have all experienced that incredible fear, as the announcer
reads your introduction and signals you to come onto the stage to deliver your
speech. As you walk towards the stage, your stomach is in your mouth, your
mouth is dry and your hands are shaking. This is a very natural response. The
challenge though, is that it is now time to stop worrying and to start
delivering.
This
is your moment to shine, a wonderful opportunity to deliver your valuable
message. It is your time to influence and inspire the people, who have come to
listen to you. As you start to speak, “Your
mind clears and you are able to deliver the best most inspiring speech of your
life”. I know this is possible for you too, as I was probably one of the
most nervous public speakers around and now I travel the world speaking to
audiences of between 20 and 2500 many times a week.
You can do it
I
have experienced standing ovations from huge groups of people and also had a
few really challenging experiences, where both the electrical power and my energy has
failed me. Despite these challenges, I had to continue speaking, with a
flashlight to a very unresponsive audience. All these lessons have helped
shape me and have honed my skills as a speaker. I
want to share a few secrets I have discovered during my travels as a public
speaker. I hope these ideas will help you to become a persuasive, influential
speaker too.
The talk you deliver, is never
about you
Always
remember that any talk you deliver is never about satisfying you. It is 100 %
about the audience. No matter where you are delivering a speech, even if it is
at a family wedding. The most important people are the audience members
themselves. Start by putting yourself in their shoes, seats and mind-sets.
Ask
yourself the question, “If I were this
audience, what is the most important, urgent message, I need to hear today”?
Next take your persuasion objectives and align them with their expectations,
needs, challenges and perspective, before you even start to speak. In other words,
you must show complete, genuine interest in your listeners and they will sense
your authenticity and in turn will show genuine interest in you and your
message.
Never write your speech out
word for word
You
can never deliver a really powerful speech, which is targeted at each audience’s
needs and expectations, if you try to deliver a canned speech, which you have
memorised word for word. You need to know exactly what your persuasion
objectives are and then you need to build, your delivery around the audience
and their needs.
Action Idea: Write your three key points out as precisely as
possible. You can also create a mind map or pictures, if you are a more visual
person. Once you have your key points clarified and the objectives of what you
are trying to achieve is absolutely clear. The next step is to practice
connecting all the points together, with a natural flow and pacing. Remember
that no-one will know that you forgot something out or that you flubbed a line,
unless you tell them.
Always expect the Unexpected
No
matter what happens, always act like the interruption is unimportant. If a cell
phone rings, a door slams, or any other major interruption occurs. Simply
ignore it. If you focus on the interruption, the audience will move their focus
away from you, to whatever you move your focus onto. So if someone sneezes and
you say bless you. You will have lost your audience and will need to regain
their attention, once again. As long as you stay focused on your message, so
will your audience.
Death by PowerPoint
There
is no worse way of delivering a message, than using too many PowerPoint slides,
with too much text on each one. To compound matters, the person speaking then
reads the slides to the audience. Nothing can lose an audience faster than
that. If you find yourself reading your slides to your audience, save everyone
some time and rather email them a copy. They can then read it themselves,
without wasting everyone else’s time.
Action Idea: If you must use PowerPoint, I suggest that you use one
slide per five – seven minutes of talking, with a maximum of 10 words on each
one. The best option is to use an appropriate picture or photo, to embellish or
enhance your message.
Close strong
When
you close, include a message to your listeners, about why they are important.
Stay focused on them and how your message will affect them, their jobs, lives
or families. Try really hard to humanise your message at the end and people
will leave with a connection, which goes way beyond the mere time you have
invested together.
Even
if you lose your footing and fall off the stage face down on the carpet. Simply
say “I will now take questions from the floor” LOL.
Speaking in public is not as hard as you believe it is. Enjoy the experience
and it can become one of the most fulfilling experiences of your life.
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