Public Speaking Guide

“According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.”

Jerry Seinfeld

It’s inevitable. We all can’t drift though life without doing it. We each have our own level of nervousness about it. But alas, the art of speaking to a group of people is a skill that we must all learn, and a basic act of communication that successful people must master.

…But, that takes time. We can’t all be stand up comedians over night and it’s a skill that takes forced practice - no matter how uncomforting.

The origin for our immense fear of public speaking derives from our own mental criticism. We are all consciously thinking of how others perceive us; and it’s a feeling that gets hugely magnified when we are up in front of others spilling our guts out.

Here’s the scene:

You glance out into the crowd – a million faces it seems like – as everyone stares blankly back at you. Each person’s widened eyes seem to demand the best performance out of you. You begin to think if what I have to say is even worth their time - did I prepare right? Do I look fat in these pants? Do I have a sprig of parsley in my teeth from lunch?!

Your palms are sweaty; your leg begins to twitch from the nerves. Your heart races; the thumping in your chest is all you begin to hear. Your dry throat cracks as you try to open your mouth and introduce yourself to the audience…

“…Want to get away?”

(Suddenly those Southwest Airlines commercials make sense!)

Truthfully, I think we wouldn’t have such a problem with it if we just knew the proper protocol for speaking publicly – What works, and what doesn’t. Unfortunately we aren’t all conditioned to this when we are young, so it’s difficult to grasp it as normal when we’re older. With a lack of knowledge in the art, it’s usually with our first bad taste of public speaking that we stop right there. We claim it’s not our thing… and just move on – not furthering the learning process.

In all reality, humans don’t like to learn the hard way… and you don’t have to. The smart ones learn from others that did it first. That’s why people like me are here to help you.

Preparation

1st - You shouldn’t be talking about any subject that you aren’t thoroughly interested in. A fault of many is that they don’t incorporate themes that naturally peak their appeal. Pick topics that motivate you and inspire you to want to express your passion for. That’s possible for most cases, unless you are forced to speak immediately – if so, and you’re already in the field of speaking publicly anyways… so, you better already love what you’re doing, and be over and past this part of the process…

2nd – Research the crowd and the environment for whom your about to speak for. Know beforehand the age and gender ranges, as well as the interests of your audience. Why are they there? Why are you there? Learn the placement of where you will be speaking in relation to the listening audience. Auditory positioning is very important, and vital if you want everyone to hear you clearly.

3rd – Don’t OVER prepare. Everyone feels that they need to memorize their lines or know all their points by heart. That’s what note cards and outlines are for – and there is no shame in using them. Tip: Write a few quick, important sentences about each point of your subject (stats, important dates, logistics, etc.) on each note card and number them in the order of which you’ll use them. As you move along in your speech, simply rotate each card to the back of the pile… At this point, you should be able to talk naturally about your subject with out reading word-for-word off a piece of paper – the note cards are all you need.

Now, on to the important part – the bread and butter…

The Art of Public Speaking

Believe it or not, this is the easiest part of the process. Honestly…

You’ve already done the hard part – You’ve gone through the research, you know your material, and you know the crowd. Now, you just have to stand up with confidence and deliver the goods that the audience came to see…

Remember, they are there because they need to be – they want your information, not to judge you. In fact, they probably won’t care who is in front of them as long as the person giving the speech holds their attention and has something informative to say. So, make it worth their while!

How to do that, you ask?

Stand up straight, shoulders back – don’t slouch; yet be comfortable. Reach down into yourself and pull out that bit of courage your storing and put it on display for all to see. View out into your audience – embrace the visual presence of your subjects (remember, you’re the master here – It is your time). Tip: If eye contact frightens you, here’s a trick. Simply glace at an invisible point in your mind’s eye directly over top of the audiences’ heads. In actuality you’ll be giving the speech to the back wall, but the people watching you won’t notice the difference. This helps making the process a lot less… personal.

Speak loud and clearly. Have a deep voice? Mesmerize the crowd with your low gentle tones (the ladies dig it too!) If you have a higher pitched voice, incorporate more energetic passion to your delivery and you’ll keep the audience on their toes and concentrating on your every word. Volume and clarity makes you sound mature and confident in your subject matter.

Use gestures and body language to help emphasize your points. Gestures also help those sitting in the back of the audience to see your presence more clearly and keep them interested in what you’re saying. Remember, you’re not a mime - so don’t go over the top. If it’s a really big crowd, walk around and make sure you address your audience as a whole – Everyone deserves a piece of your ‘verbal pie’… so to speak.

Use multimedia or displays (though not always necessary, but encouraged). Video clips, audio clips, and pictures make great visual aids. They should always support your subject matter and the statement you’re trying to get across. Keep them short and to the point. TIP: not much of a talker no matter how hard you try? Assemble a montage of various media clips to support you in between segments of your speech – you won’t have to talk so much...

Most importantly - Have fun! Enjoy yourself up there… A soft smile and a twinkle in your eye helps set the audience at ease. Show some of the charm and character that make you… you. Got a sense of humor? GOOD! Use it. Jokes make excellent attention grabbers and help the audience relate to the subject matter a little more.