On Wednesday, I was asked to present next week on the topic of public speaking. Because I am foolish and enjoy getting out of the office, I said yes.
Upon reflection, however, it occurs to me that I could use your help. But first, some background on this Change of Venue Friday.
The group I will address next Tuesday will be comprised of high school students. So right off the bat, you know that they will be attentive to the musings of a middle-aged magazine editor. (Here’s hoping they even know what print publications are.)
I have some confidence about my audience, though, having had the chance to meet their cohorts last year in something called the Asian LEAD Academy, hosted by ASU. You can read more about the program here.
And last July, I wrote about the group’s work putting on a mock trial at the Phoenix Municipal Court. They were terrific.
So I suspect these will be great kids. But delivering an hour-long program on public speaking? Hmmm.
Public speaking is one of those things I’ve done a lot, but never taught about. But maybe I can draw on some experience I had this past month. In early April, I was tapped to emcee a portion of a nonprofit organization’s annual banquet. That portion was actually a talent competition. The five participants were incredibly talented, and my job was to keep things moving and to encourage the audience to contribute (a lot of) money to the envelopes on their tables.
Opera has seen better days.
Somewhere in the days leading up to event, I came upon the foolhardy idea of including a goofy get-up in every one of my “bits” between the acts. I figured that I had to keep the audience engaged and reaching for their wallets. And what can be better after a world-class opera piece than me in a Brunhilde helmet? (Well, quite a bit, probably, but walk a mile in my shoes.)
John Travolta is retaining counsel as we speak.
So that was fun, and raised a lot of money for the nonprofit group. But that still leaves my list of public-speaking suggestions pretty Spartan. Tools, man, I need tools to recommend.
I would appreciate your thoughts:
- What is your strongest piece of advice for someone who is hesitant to speak in front of a group?
- What was your biggest obstacle to public speaking, and how did you overcome it?
- What is your worst public speaking disaster story? And were you able to right that capsizing ship, or to learn something from the experience?
Thanks! I will report back on the lessons I shared with the high school group—and the lessons they inevitably will teach me.
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June 1, 2012 at 9:49 am
Having recently made a spectacle of myself at an awards reception this spring, here is my advice:
- Best advice: Have a backup plan. Even if you memorize it, have some notes handy anyways.
- Biggest obstacle: Exhaustion. I stayed up all night the night before, preparing for the event and I was so tired being on stage for so long. Get some sleep.
- Worst story: Yes, I forgot all my words, all the awardees’ names and what they were being honored for and I said “okay you guys” like fifty million times.
June 1, 2012 at 10:03 am
Omigosh, Perri, you’re terrific! I love all of these, and I never would have thought about exhaustion. Thanks!
June 2, 2012 at 1:24 pm
Keep the Brunhilde hat, Tim, and you’ll be fine.
In all seriousness, public speaking is one of those things that I’ve never really thought about, only just done. My #1 hint, though, is that you need to be comfortable with the material on which you’ll be discussing. It’s not about memorizing a speech or some script, it’s about genuinely knowing the material. Of course, if you’re presenting information that has detailed specifics, like names, dates, or things with long strings of numbers, then you’ll want to have a cheat sheet.
June 2, 2012 at 2:34 pm
Thanks, Eddie! Great advice.
June 2, 2012 at 1:45 pm
Best Advice: Remember that in most cases the audience is on your side. Most public speaking situations involve sympathetic audiences. Even in an adversarial situation, your opponents are likely to feel empathy for you in your role as a speaker, even in they disagree with your position. Consider the audience a group of friends, address them as such, and accept their support.
Biggest Obstacle: Most speakers agonize over the perfect introduction to the point that they procrastinate development of the body of the speech. Instead, outline the body first and then find an element of it that is particularly attention-catching and make that the introduction.
Worst Story: I don’t have one. True public speaking disasters are rare. Most errors are mino and sound far worse to the speaker than to the audience. The worst disaster is having something important to say but not saying it due to a fear of public speaking.
June 2, 2012 at 2:37 pm
Terrific points, David. And I especially agree with the last; we all tend to overestimate the possible negative outcomes, but most audience members don’t even spot our mistakes.
June 2, 2012 at 2:18 pm
Best advice: its never about you only about your message and what your audience can learn from that message
Biggest obstacle: fear! Without fear we are all great speakers!
Worst story: at one of my keynotes I addressed the audience – a telco company – with the competitors name (as I was thinking ‘how awkward would it be if I address them wronly – and I did)
More on my blog: wordpress.com/peggyrichie
June 2, 2012 at 2:44 pm
Terrific advice, Peggy. And what a wonderful story! Thank you.
June 3, 2012 at 8:44 am
My strongest piece of advice: Wear something in which you feel powerful and confident.
My biggest obstacle: My stuttering. I overcame it by relaxation techniques before public speaking, and speaking only on topics with which I’m comfortable.
Worst public speaking disaster story: To be honest, I don’t even remember. I only remember the good times, and those are what drive me to move forward. Like what David said above, it always sounds worse to the speaker than to the audience. Those mistakes and errors you made? You’re the only one who noticed those.
Public speaking is never as bad as others lead you to believe. I try to think of it as speaking to my peers, and not to an audience.
June 3, 2012 at 9:42 am
This is terrific, Michael! I appreciate it (and it’s great to hear from you!).
June 4, 2012 at 3:44 pm
Hiya… for overcoming fear – it’s all about preparing and practicing. There is no easy button. Best advice: organize, organize, organize – use three main points so your audience can follow you.
For you – for speaking to a high school audience, dress down a little (no suits), use a lot of stories and metaphors and examples from their world, not yours (i.e. music likes? favorite tv shows? etc.). Give them a LOT of previews so they know where you are going and how much is left. Toss out chocolate if they answer your questions and bring a bunch of $5.00 iTunes cards/certificates to get them motivated to interact with you and answer your questions or ask you questions.
If you want to use any of my tips, feel free – http://www.SpeechAdvice.com.
June 4, 2012 at 3:59 pm
Thank you, Faith! Very cool advice — I’m sure I will use it (and explore your website).
Tim