Learn to speak in public and put your brand in motion!
If you are in business then you are in the business of speaking. You speak to your team. You speak to your customers and you speak to your boss. If you want to raise your profile or personalise your brand you need to be able to speak. Full stop! How else are you going to win customers and influence potential ones? You may have the finest website in the cloud, and a social media foot print second to none, but it is when you open your mouth to speak that your true brand shows through.
Aren’t you feed up with meeting, seminars, trainings and conferences where speaker after speaker read what they have to say from PowerPoint slides? Ahhh!
If that wasn’t enough here are a few more mistakes speakers make.
Not engaging the audience.
Not having a structure.
Not knowing how to handle questions.
Not managing their time slot.
Turning their back to the audience to read slides.
Reading the slides verbatim.
Not preparing.
Not showing any personality.
Not giving any eye contact or giving all of it to one person.
Being scared out of their wits.
They are not in any order. I hate them all!
Don’t you think it’s about time that you got your act together as far as speaking in public is concerned? You have spent years studying your craft. You know your job. You are a professional. But how are you going to tell the world what you do if every time you get up to speak your brain sits down?
Let me tell you that mediocrity is overcrowded in the public speaking arena.
The first thing you have to do is change the mind-set that you have around public speaking and replace it with one that works for you.
Most people are afraid of talking in public. If you were say to Tom, Dick or Mina “Next week I would like you to give a talk on the blah blah”. I guarantee that the first thing that happens is: Tom goes unconscious; Dick sees his life flash before his eyes and Mina is already planning her ‘sickie’ in advance.
The mind-set that I want you to consider is that speaking in public is an opportunity to sell yourself and what you do. It is an amazing platform. Pound for pound if Nike had the exposure that you have with your audiences for the time you have…They would kill. It is a gift, treat it as such.
Next time you are asked to give a talk, see it as an advert for you and your brand.
More reasons why you need to be able to speak up
Being able to speak well in public makes you memorable and sets you apart from the crowd.
It is an excellent way of networking because after a brilliant talk people will come to you.
Speaking well can boost your career beyond your wildest dreams. You can use social media to the full by posting your talks on YouTube and Ted Talks… for starter.
The main reason why people are so afraid of giving a good talk is because of what happens to them when they do it.
For most people it is like having an out of body experience. You feel like someone has taken over your body and you lose the proper use of your arms and legs. Something is sticking your tongue to the roof of your mouth. You want to go to the toilet. Your voice is coming to you from a tunnel. Everyone is looking at you. Blank; that’s you and them both!
What I have just described is the fight, flight and freeze survival mechanism that everyone alive has and has experienced.
When we lived in caves, back in the day and we saw the odd sabre tooth tiger wondering too close to camp, we had three responses. Run like hell, fight like hell, or freeze and play died. The later was less effective as some animals actually like it when their prey plays dead. The main two are fight and flight and since they have been very useful in our survival to date we tend to use them a lot. Even when it is obvious there is no tiger, we use it! There are many sharks in business even a few snakes, but no tigers.
The problems we face today are psychological not physical and yet our body responds in the same way as if they were. This is a little inconvenient sometimes.
The way to override this problem- as paradoxical as it may sound- is to get so good at talking, that your body no longer see it as a threat. It’s what I call the Bear Grylls approach. You probably know Bear Grylls as the intrepid explorer who goes to places where only fools dare to tread. If you follow him on his adventures you know that he knows his stuff, inside out. There is no getting around it; know your stuff! Get good at talking about your stuff. Pick one aspect and become the ‘go to’ person on it. Become intrepid.
There is only one way to know your stuff and that is to prepare, practice, and prepare practice. When I am training my version of Speaking in Public Skill, I say to my students that as a rule of thumb, the prep time is one hour preparation for every five minutes that you speak. I’ll say it before you do. Who has time to prepare for hours on end for a talk? Well let me refer you to the first part of this post. It’s your brand not mine! The thing about it is that you do not have to prepare in one hit. Prepare a little at a time. Practice in the bath. On the train. Look for great quotes. I like to go for a walk and pretend that I am talking on the mobile and go through my talk with the trees.
So now I’m going to take you through how to give a basic talk, O.K let’s go….
It was Vidal Sassoon who said the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. Many people think that they can get up and do an impromptu speak. I don’t know who told them that. Make a note to self: impromptu talks are dreadful. To give and to listen too!
What you need to understand is that it’s more than the topic that you need to prepare for; preparing means taking into account things that may not go according to plan.
Preparing means preparing for the unexpected.
What happens if you turn up and there is no PowerPoint? I have seen grown men cry over that one! What happens if the audience do not ‘buy’ into what you have to say? What happens if you are expecting twenty five people and one hundred people show up? All of the above has happened to me. It not just the talk people want to hear. People want to know who you are and what you are made off. If you have no back-up plan for when the bulb goes in the projector what makes you think that anyone in the audience will trust you with their project or cash.
Actually how you handle things when things go wrong, can be more telling then when things go well. This is why you prepare. You prepare to be able to handle anything, anytime, anywhere and with any crowd. This knowledge gives you confidence and the delivery the boost you need.
When next you have to give a talk, before the panic or doing anything much; write down the object of your talk in places where you can see it. Put the topic on post-its’ on the fridge door, on bathroom mirror, in the car and on your computer. This means that where ever you are without really thinking about it, the ideas are coming, streaming and being triggered. Do this for as long as you have time.
Next, start to gather everything to do with the talk. Snippets, sayings, quotes, data and facts. The more long time you have the better. Once you have all your info now it’s time to arrange it into some sort of order.
This takes us to the structure. To have a structure is one of the most important elements of speaking in public. It’s like a guide so the audience knows where they are. And you do too.
First things first you have to introduce yourself and the topic. They say that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. So your intro has to be good. I recommend that you learn this bit off by heart.
Once I was on my way to a conference and I got caught in traffic. There was no way I was going to get there in time. I could visualise the organiser panicking and people shuffling in their seats. I phoned ahead to let it be known there would be a slight change of plan. I walked in to the hall and started talking from the back. I’ve got a loud voice. I introduced myself and the purpose of the day. By the time I made it to the stage we were back on track; more or less.
Your introduction should include the following and be 10% 0f your talk:
Name.
Tell them a little about yourself but not too much. If you are impressive; then your talk will be impressive too.
Topic.
Tell then your approach to the topic. Keep it to three key points if you can and weave them together like an artist.
Tell the audience what’s in it for them.
Tell them when to ask questions…during your talk or at the end.
The next stage is where you move on to the main theme of your talk. This is when you roll out your store. Let them see what’s in it. Remember it is a store and a pretty exclusive one. Show them one item at a time, describe it logically, systematically and then put it away. Do not be like a market stall where everything is all over the place.
The main theme should be about 60% of the talk.
Now moving on to the conclusion this takes the remainder of your allotted time. 30% I hear you say “What am I going to do for all this time?”
Well this is the time when you repeat what you have said and ask the audience if there are any questions. In fact do not ask them if “there are any questions” because that is a closed question. Closed questions tend to get closed answers. Better to ask them an open question like: “What question do you have right now?”
If there are no questions you may take a decision that it’s all good; say “Thank you” and stand down. If you have some time, have some fun. If the audience has no questions…then ask them a question or two. Always stay within your allotted time slot. No matter what time you start you need to finish on time. People have lives to attend to, trains to catch and children to pick up. If you are going to save the world just do it in your allotted time.
Next…
In the words of X Factor’s Simon Cowell “Make the talk your own” it’s important because it is part of your branding. What do you want to be known or remembered for? Spicing up a talk is a good idea. Well, you can tell a story. Stories are a brilliant way to get people to listen to you. Bring something for them to see. Give them something to do or figure out. The biggest spice in your talk is you. Let them see your passion.
Did you know that body language accounts for 55% of face to face communication? This means that you need to make sure your body language is telling the same story as you are. The amount of times I have witnessed people giving a talk about how great their projects are. But their body language is crying “I want my mummy”
I am not bothered if you move or not. All I can say is if you are a mover make sure you move. This is not the time to practice your two step.
Your voice accounts for 38% of face to face communication, so make sure you practice off line to get your vocals warmed up. Everyone does it from Madonna to me. When talking, talk from the bottom of your lungs not from your throat, it will get tired and dry out. Open your mouth and enunciate.
Now on to visual aids. The visual aids that are available to you are many. This doesn’t mean that you have to use them. The audience have come to hear you and they want you. Not a slide deck. Lawd save me from the Power Point slide deck! Steve Jobs used minimum visual aids. Barack Obama, Martin Luther King and JFK used none. You get my drift?
The rule of thumb is; the more formal the talk the more prepared slides you need. Keep them to a minimum though. Use them to illustrate stuff like models and diagrams. Do not put too many words on a slide…the words are your job.
Flipcharts can be used if you are giving an informal talk or training. The flipchart is a great friend, so learn how to use one. Make sure your writing is legible and use two colours for effect.
Let’s turn our attention to the audience. How many talks have you witnessed where the speaker barely made eye contact with the audience? An insult I’d say! Why should I listen to you when you haven’t got enough guts to look me in the eye?
You have to learn to look at the audience. If you feel uncomfortable look at the top of their heads until you feel more comfortable. Eyes are the window to the soul and the exposed part of the brain. Remember that!
It’s a good idea to arrive early for your talk so that you can get some insider information from the audience. If you can’t get there in good time to do this; then talk to people in the coffee breaks, seek their opinions and make reference to them in your talk.
Treat your audience as if they are guest in your home. You are the host.
Your audience want you to be great. No one attends a talk hoping that they are going to be bored out of their mind. Speaking in public is not only about you so you need to get over yourself and give the audience what they came for.
Just occasionally you may get an audience member who is having a bad day. They may try to put you off your stride. Don’t let them!
Dealing with a challenging audience
If there is an expert in the audience, incorporate them in your talk but always summarise what they have said when they have finished, so that you take back the control.
If there is someone that wants to talk about their pet subject, tell them that they can talk with you after your talk. Chances are they won’t want to do that as they will have a train to catch or something!
If there is someone who insists on talking about their hobbyhorse then ask the audience to decide whose talk they want to hear. They will choose yours don’t worry because you are the reason they are there.
If someone attacks you, never retaliate. Even if they say your talk is a pile of crap all you need to say is “Thank you for sharing” and move on. If they disagree with you then you can say “Everyone is entitled to their opinion and this is mine” and move on.
Oh and finally when you get to the end of your talk do not just finish abruptly or leave people up in the air. Tell them that you are “leaving it there” or that “you’ve said what you came to say on the subject” thank them for listening and step down.
All in all speaking in public is a sure fired why of getting your brand out there. It is part of the process of you raising your profile and taking your career to where you want to it to be. If you can speak well in public you are demonstrating to all that you believe in yourself, and you take the opportunities that come your way seriously. Ultimately if you can speak well in public you are setting your brand in motion.
I am a motivation speaker, trainer and author.
I am happy to answer whatever questions/issues you may have around speaking in public. Go to my website Bev Baker Seminars to see what else I have for you.
