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Right or wrong, people form a perception about how competent you are by how
you present yourself when you stand and speak. They also form perceptions
about the company you represent based on your performance. In fact, public
speaking is an easy way to set yourself apart from your competition, because
when you stand up and say what you want to say, they way that you want to
say it, you are doing what 95% of the people in the audience wish they could
do. A person who is confident in front of a group gives off an air of
competence, whereas a person who fumbles might leave a negative impression.
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hen I was in college, I had an internship with a major oil company, and
at the end of the summer, I had to present a summary of my internship to a
group of department managers and vice-presidents. I was the youngest person
in the room, just 20. Many of the other interns were graduate students who
were much more comfortable in front of a group. When I spoke, I could feel
the sweat beads on my forehead, and I could see my hands shaking. The
butterflies in my stomach were uncontrollable. After the presentation, I
asked myself, “If I were the decision-maker in that room, and I only had
one permanent position to offer, would I choose me?” I had to answer “no.”
Over the next few years, I trained with some of the most successful public
speaking coaches in the country. Since then, I have spoken before thousands
of people, and coached hundreds of managers, executives, and other leaders
on how to present more effectively to groups.
Below are some of the key public speaking tips that I have found that
really work.
1) Realize 90%
of nervousness doesn’t even show.
The audience usually can’t see the butterflies, or shaky hands, or sweaty
palms. The problem occurs when we start thinking about these symptoms rather
than focusing on the audience and our topic. By human nature, most people
are focused on themselves not on you. Focus on them and two things will
happen: 1) they will like you more, and 2) much of the nervousness that you
feel will go away.
2) Add some
enthusiasm to your talk.
Your audience will never be more excited about your talk than you are, so
give them some energy, and they will give it back to you. Walk about a half
step faster. Smile. Let your gestures and voice emphasis come naturally. Don’t
over do it, but give more energy than what you normally would.
3) Limit your
talk to a few key points.
Narrow down your topic to either one key point for a short talk, or thee key
point for a longer talk (a talk longer than 30-minutes.) Ask yourself, “If
my audience only remembered one thing from my talk, what would be most
important thing for them to remember?” The reason this is so important is
that the human mind likes to think of only one thing at a time. For
instance, think of the Statue of Liberty. What do you see? You probably see
a picture in your mind of the statue. Now think of a pink elephant. Again,
you probably see a picture in your mind, but the important question is…where
did the statue go? Your mind can only truly focus on one thing at a time. As
you add additional points, each previous point will become diluted. The more
points your presentation has, the less focus the audience will have on each
individual point.
4) Tell
stories. Don’t tell
little white lies, but do tell anecdotes and personal experiences. Stories
build rapport with your audience, and they give you more credibility. Your
audience will remember your stories a lot longer than they will remember
your talking points. I heard Les Brown, a famous motivational speaker, years
ago, and he told a story about how a man in his hometown went around the
town square holding two baby dolls and squawking like a chicken. Kids in
town made fun of him, but Les found out that this man’s house had caught
on fire, and his two baby girls died in the blaze. The man attempted to go
in and save them many times, but the heat was too great. When his
brother-in-law showed up, he verbally assaulted the man calling him a
chicken for not going in to save his girls. Ever since then, the man has not
spoken a word -- instead he just clucks like a chicken. I heard this story
years ago, and I can’t remember the specific point Les Brown was making on
stage. I do remember the “chicken-man,” though, and I frequently think
about how I should get all the facts before passing judgment on people. Les
Brown’s stories have longevity, and your stories will have that type of
impact as well.
5) When in
doubt, speak from the heart.
Let your audience see the real you, and you will have a great speaking
performance.
--
Doug Staneart is President of
The Leader’s Institute,
http://www.fearlessandpersuasivespeaking.com ,
leadership and public speaking training. He can be reached by e-mail at doug@fearlessandpersuasivespeaking.com
or toll-free at 1-800-872-7830 x-100.
April 29, 2003
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