So, You Want to be a Speaker – Getting Started
So today will start my series on speaking in public. My goal is to 1) help people get past their initial fear, and 2) then offer some things that anyone who speaks should focus on to become a better speaker. I don’t know how many blogs will be in this series, just depends on how I decide to break it up. I’m gong to try and keep each one brief and easy to read, so it’s not too overwhelming.
So, how do you get started? Well, it’s a cliché, but the first thing you have to do is decide you want to do it. Face your fear with rational thought – if you have an audience, those folks are there because they have an interest in what you have to say. So, you’re starting from a friendly position right away. If possible, start off by speaking to people you know and trust, and ask them for honest feedback and improvement suggestions. Then don’t get discouraged if they have suggestions! Embrace it and work it into your future engagements.
Pick topics you’re comfortable with, even excited about. When you have enthusiasm for a topic, it comes through in your delivery, and you are actually more comfortable because it’s a familiar topic. Since people showed up to listen, they obviously have at least a passing interest, so you have that in common and can build upon the relationship. Some of my best sessions when I’ve spoke at conferences were those that I had passion about, and it was reflected in the feedback I received from the audience.
Be prepared. This simple statement includes organizing your notes and presentation materials in a logical way, and then practice, practice, practice! Don’t just go over the material in your head. Go over it out loud, use a recording device so you can objectively listen to yourself. Use a mirror to see what the audience will see, and integrate effective posture, gestures, even facial expressions into your topic. Practice pacing your breathing, because (speaking from experience) once you get in front of an audience you can actually forget to do it! A basic trap is speaking too fast and running out of breath, so be sure to pace yourself. Once you’ve gone over your material a few times, try to get friends and family as a small audience to practice against.
Know your tools. I’ll discuss this in a lot more detail later, but part of being prepared is understanding all of the things that will be supporting your presentation. That means familiarity with any software, such as PowerPoint or Keynote. It means having a basic understanding of how the AV equipment functions. If you’ll be demonstrating something, have that planned out and understand how any components are supposed to work. Presentation tools like PowerPoint can be a blessing or a curse. We’ve all sat in on bad presentations, so keep those in mind and avoid falling into similar traps.
I’ll address a few others in the next blog. But I have one suggestion before I close today – there are a number of organizations that will help you become more comfortable speaking in front of an audience. Dale Carnegie, Toastmasters, and others offer an opportunity to practice short topics in a friendly, accepting environment. It’s something your can seek out if you want to make rapid progress.