“In this world nothing can be said to be certain but death and taxes,” Benjamin Franklin wrote to a friend in 1789. If I may be so bold, I’d like to add an extra certainty to this list, one that, as one of the most quoted people in history, I’m surprised old Ben didn’t think of himself… and that’s public speaking. Yes, dear reader, it’s something we all have to do more often that we wish and, according to surveys, it frightens us way more than death or taxes!
The real problem You might be surprised to hear that even celebrities, politicians and other people with the gift of the gab are petrified by the thought of standing up in front of a crowd. Barbra Streisand, for example, refused to sing in front of a live audience for 27 years in case she forgot the lyrics. Sir Laurence Olivier had to literally be pushed onto the stage every night. So why do our palms sweat and our knees shake? It actually appears to have nothing to do with public speaking at all… rather, it’s the worry that we’ll look silly in front of an awful lot of people — basically, we’re frightened of making a mistake. Let me emphasise the word “worry,” including the fact that 85% of what we worry about never comes true! Essentially, I’m saying two things here: first, fear of public speaking is normal, even if you’re a pro, and second, chances are, all those embarrassing things you worry might happen when you’re delivering a speech… simply won’t! How does this apply to you? I may agree that public speaking is tough, but I’m certainly not giving you any excuses to get out of it. In fact, for a small business owner, it’s one of the best, not to mention free, publicity strategies available. A commitment to embracing, instead of avoiding, public speaking can be your key to getting your business “out there,” to building an image as an expert in your field, meeting potential customers and developing beneficial professional relationships. A new definition of public speaking Let me guess, the phrase “public speaking” makes you think of lecterns, wads of notes or boring PowerPoint slides, and a bunch of people you don’t know wearing black suits? It doesn’t have to be that way. Here are some far more appealing options:
- Judge a competition
- Teach an Adult Community Education course
- Conduct a workshop for an industry association
- Chair a meeting or emcee an event
- Do a product or service demonstration.
To find opportunities, simply let contacts know you’re available or go through your local community directory to identify groups you’d like to approach. And to build your confidence, join Toastmasters or a debating society, or do a public speaking night class. How to be an inspiring speaker You’ve counted the bricks in the wall, your legs are numb and you’re cursing whoever designs those hard plastic auditorium chairs — public speaking can be a killer … and that’s just for the audience! Here’s how to engage your listeners and build your own confidence at the same time:
- Plan and practice your speech — Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple and Pixar, practises for days before a big announcement, so he doesn’t need notes and sounds natural.
- Speak slowly and clearly, modulate your voice, make eye contact and move around the presentation space.
- The average attention span is now apparently only five minutes, which means lecturing is definitely a “no-no.” So be creative to keep people tuned in: be entertaining, tell stories and use images and physical objects to demonstrate important points.
- Use visual aids: white boards, PowerPoint, pictures, DVDs, websites, demonstrations… the list is endless.
- Small group activities, quizzes, hand-outs with blanks to fill in, brainstorming on butcher’s paper… get your audience participating. A tip: buy a couple of bags of mini chocolate bars and reward anyone who answers a question or volunteers for a task… you’ll have trouble keeping your audience quiet!
- Public speaking may be a great promotion tool, but forget the hard sell. Instead, aim to entertain or educate… this kind of “giving” is the best way to make you and your business memorable.
Back to those nerves At the start of this article, I said being nervous about public speaking is normal… but that doesn’t make it nice. Try these calming ideas:
- Physically relax by wriggling your toes, dropping your shoulders and breathing deep below your belly button.
- Accept the nerves… complete calm isn’t the key ingredient for a top performance; in fact, it’s probably a sign of complacence!
- Silence your inner critic. As above, perfection doesn’t necessarily equal success.
And finally, anytime it all seems like too much, think of Winston Church, who overcame a stutter, retained a lisp, used erratic pauses and spoke in a jowly monotone… and yet is celebrated as one of the greatest orators of all time!
