Skills Series #2 - Speaking and Public Presentation

We've all had those sweaty palms, the shake in your voice that you can't get rid of, the lump in your throat that won't budge. Speaking in public is a fear common among many people but with some easy-to-learn skills, a few helpful facts, and lots of practice you can transform your confidence, content, and ability to communicate with large groups, all of which will make you more of an appealing and charismatic leader.

There are 3 main features of public speaking; image and movement, voice and expression, and content. Each is important and comes with its own aspects to master.

Image and movement:

Appearance is a crucial part of presentations. Your appearance is the first impression you make on your audience. In those first few seconds, your audience decides either to tune you out or to respect you. When you have an audience's respect, you have their ears.

Appearance can also give you self-confidence. Harness that feeling you get when you wear your favorite shirt or that special necklace. Strutt like you just bought those heels off of 5th ave. Self-confidence always translates to confident speaking.

It is also important to dress for the occasion, though it is hard to fight the human urge to fit in and lay low, if you are unsure about the dress expectations I always recommend dressing on the formal side. Clothes are a great way to represent yourself and can give everyone a glimpse of who you are, don't be afraid to express yourself.

Personal connection is key, and what is more personal than staring someone directly in the eyes for 5 whole seconds? It seems overkill but 5 seconds is the ideal eye contact period while presenting. Eye contact makes you appear less nervous, it engages the audience, and it reassures you that people are actually listening and want to hear what you have to say. One-on-one conversations are typically easier, so every 5 seconds imagine yourself having mini one-on-one conversations with everyone in your audience.

Sit back and relax. Well, don't sit, stand tall and relax. Posture can also make you seem more confident and less nervous, which also relaxes your audience. It helps you emanate competence and allows you to center yourself.

The last element of image and movement is gestures and facial expressions. These can convey enthusiasm, and feelings, and keeps the audience's attention. Smile when you can, don't wave your arms around aimlessly, and don't pace. Instead, try and use your hands as a communication device. Find a go-to position for your hands before you start presenting, often when we are nervous we pick our nails, or wring our hands together. Find a neutral position to rest your hands while you are talking.

Voice and Expression:

I love language. I'm infatuated with it. I'm fond of it. I revere language with a sense of worship like no other. Language can add personality, color, and interest to any sentence. It is important to speak to your audience, use language they will understand. Don't be afraid to learn new words and use them.

Pausing is a skill very frequently lost in speaking yet it is absolutely necessary to create a fluid presentation. Pausing allows you to catch your breath, and clear your mind, and it adds punctuation to your speaking. Clear thinking is the enemy of non-words like "um" and "uh".

I love tone like I love language. Tone brings life into your voice. It shows emotion and intention. Was your sentence intended to be impactful and eye-opening? Take a deeper and slower tone. Tone communicates urgency, and emphasis, while adding clarity. Shifts in tone indicate commas and parenthesis. It is also important to maintain proper pronunciation and enunciate your words. Take breaths, and slow down, people can't understand you when you talk too fast and nervousness tends to speed us up.

Content:

The trick to content is focusing on listener involvement techniques. You've probably seen most of them, charts (convince them with visual proof of your claims), question and answer sessions, and handouts. When producing visual aids make sure that they are attention-getting, (colorful), and simple, don’t forget to use call to actions! There should be an obvious and sensible flow of information through your slide show.

Humor may be my favorite speaking tool. I don't mind if no one gets my jokes, they make me feel more comfortable and personable. The key is finding the jokes that are appropriate for your speech, and that will make your audience comfortable (after all they should be your focus). Humor reveals your human side and shows authenticity. It can also be a stalling aid, if you need to burn a few seconds dive into your last topic and make some jokes. If you mess up a little and your words get twisted laugh it off (this however is really only a tactic in more informal presentations).

Aside from the 3 basics of public presentation here are a few more sure-fire tips:

- Practice a lot, practice while washing the dishes, on a walk, making your bed, and let your speech become second nature, it helps you loosen up and not focus on getting every word exactly right.

I rewrite every speech even if I've typed it because it helps me to see it in my own handwriting.

If you would rather not be reading your speech out loud on the bus or in your office you can record yourself reading it and play it in headphones to further familiarize yourself with it.

- Take a minute to relax before your speech. Step outside if you can, feel the sun, take a few deep breaths and take control of your body. Remind yourself you are going to do great!

- A helpful tool to keep your audience in mind is remembering the historical situation (why are you here?), purpose (what goal do you hope to accomplish?), and point of view (consider what the audience will think and how they see you).

- Be yourself, give them a character to remember, and if given the chance (maybe during a question-answer session) learn their names.

- Do your homework. If you can present on things you care about, powerful and creative presentations will be the result.

- Don't be afraid to use notes, if an index card makes you feel more secure no problem, as long as you don't read directly off of it. If you have a slides presentation you can use that to guide your speech as well, just remember to go beyond the slides as every teacher ever has told you.

I hope these skills and tips help with your next presentation and give you more confidence speaking in public!

The next Skills Series will be about Team Development!