Hi All,
I am scheduled to give a business presentation to a group of about 30 next week. I am not a “comfortable” public speaker, so I’ve been doing some practicing, but would love to get some advice from those that either are more experienced than I or actually enjoy it (something I find hard to believe, but apparently there are some out there!) Any tips/words of wisdom/hints? Thanks so much! I’m starting to realize why there is that statistic that people are more fearful of public speaking than death… 
If you’re prone to fidgeting, you can try clenching your toes while you speak? Apparently it works off some of your nervous energy and reminds you not to move around too much. And nobody can see it, so that’s a plus.
How long is the speech? Is there specific content you need to convey (a product proposal or something) or, alternatively, an event where there are speakers but where you are not tasked with communicating specific content?
nottelling - I am the only speaker and I guess I would say that it is an informational speech with Q&A .
I realize that I “uhm” too much; I’m trying to learn to take a pause instead.
Practice your speech and videotape your entire speech, then watch it and take a mental note of things you wish to change. Repeat. Presenting to a camera creates as much stress as speaking to a group of people, so this will be a good drill.
Good luck!
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You are on the right track with doing a lot of practicing, because the more comfortable you become with your material the more relaxed you will probably feel.
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No matter how well prepared you are you may still feel nervous - and that’s okay. Don’t let some anxiety bother you, many speakers have it and they still do a wonderful job.
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Would you be nervous speaking to any of those 30 people individually? If not, having them in a group doesn’t change the fact that they are just individuals you are having a conversation with, albeit simultaneously. If you know some of the group members already, pick out a few who you can focus on while you are talking.
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Keep in mind that your audience wants you to do well. They are looking forward to hearing you, they are not there to judge you. If you stumble - it’s okay!
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Make sure you eat something ahead of time, not too heavy.
Do not tell a joke under any circumstances.
Public speaking is pretty interesting as a thing to observe. One thing that I’ve seen is that some people are superb at the speaking, but not quite as accomplished in the Q&A. In other cases, I’ve seen people who were a little “halting” in the presentation part, but who were masterful in responding to questions.
If you discover that there is a difference in the way you feel comfortable, maybe you can vary the format of the presentation a little bit to play to your strengths.
In any case, just keep in mind that the audience isn’t really interested in criticizing you. The fact that you’re practicing is an extremely good sign, and I’m sure you’ll be terrific.
– prepare, prepare, prepare.
– practice the speech out loud.
– practice walking to (an imaginary) podium while exuding confidence.
– do not apologize at the beginning of the speech no matter what.
–own yr material. Memorize the opening but you don’t have to memorize the rest. Commit to the opening; there should be nothing tentative or apologetic about this.
– for a 20-30 minute speech without powerpoint, I prefer to put all of my notes on a single manila folder. Just bullet points to keep your outline in front of you.
– powerpoint makes things much easier. Some people hate it but I think it is great for inexperienced speakers. However, you need to practice with it and you need to test and make absolutely sure it is working before the event. Also you need to be prepared to give speech without powerpoint because the technology may fail. Keep slides very simple.
– make direct eye contact with specific individual people in the audience, shifting gaze at natural points/ breaks to other specific individuals. If you actually have to persuade all the people in the room of something, try to make eye contact with all members of a small group. Otherwise, try to hit all areas of the audience with your gaze.
– don’t sway; be conscious of other nervous gestures and eradicate them.
– speak slowly and with varied inflections. And loudly. Much more slowly and loudly than you would think are required. Although they can be stagey and annoying, it can be helpful to watch Ted talks online to get an idea of inflections and rhythms that work.
– Practice in front of a small sympathetic audience.
– if you have time and resources, it is worth videotaping yourselves.
– most important tip, repeated: commit to your material. The worst speakers sound like they kind of think their material is irrelevant and boring. That automatically makes your material seem irrelevant and boring.
Good luck!
This is a truly excellent resource with specific tips that really work:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Credibility-Code-Confidence-Competence/dp/0985265604
Pretend you’re talking to just one person. Just one. Then speak as you would during a conversation, only louder.
I do this all the time. And I was the shyest kid in my high school.
The above tips are good, though I like to include some humorous anecdotes - they can be an ice breaker.
First, I would write out the introduction of your presentation. Then practice it until it’s stuck in your brain.
Second, I always feel some anxiousness before I get into the lecture theatre - it’s totally normal. I just clench my stomach muscles a bit.
Third, don’t overdue it with your presentation. Sometimes less is more. I personally have one message per powerpoint slide, and go with lots of images and relatively little text.
If it’s possible to tell a narrative with your presentation, this makes it easy for the audience to follow.
I am the one of the rare people who enjoy public speaking. I have been told I am good at it.
I do get nervous ahead of time, though. So I practice a lot.
One trick I use is to make eye contact with audience members while I am speaking. I will make one statement as if I am saying it to one person then slightly shift my gaze to someone else. It’s almost as if i am speaking personally to that person. I practice that, too.
Wow…thank you so much! This is exactly the kind of advice I was looking for. I am using Powerpoint (well, actually Prezi) and I think I did a good job at using it just to keep me on track and have a visual, while not using it to convey a large amount of information. I will videotape myself today and I have been turning off my car radio and using driving time to go through the speech aloud to myself. I am amazed how important practicing aloud is; I can do it flawlessly in my head, but saying it aloud is an entirely different issue!
Also, don’t over practice so that it feels canned and sterile. Be yourself. If someone is speaking to me for 30 minutes I’d rather see a person with personality than a robot.
And, if you’re having a Q and A session as part of it - you are the speaker so probably the “expert” in the room on the subject at hand - answer the best you can staying within the realm of the original question and if you don’t know an answer don’t be afraid to encourage participation from the audience to help get some answers.
I have done a lot of public speaking, and I think different people benefit from different styles. For me, I do best when I have the first few sentences written out, word for word, then bullett point notes after that. I never have to read my first sentences, but having them available gives me confidence. I was in an audience once when a speaker blanked out on her first sentence, and she was lost after that. As others have said, you need to be strong at the very beginning. After that, you can focus on sharing your material with the people who want to hear you.
The second point that should help you is to realize the audience is completely on your side. You know how you’re listening to someone who messes up somehow, and you cringe as much as they do? That’s because every single person out there wants you to do well and is on your side. Even people who don’t like a speaker tend to empathize completely with the person at the podium, so while you’re up there, the people sitting in front of you are friends.
thanks, abasket and hayden!
I like to arrive early and have time to chat with a couple of folks in the front. This gives me “friends” in the audience.
Ooooh…I like that one, @jasmom!
Some more specific tips, many from the Credibility Code (book I linked to upthread):
Posture:
– stand with weight evenly distributed on both feet with strong, straight spine (think mountain pose in yoga)
– no self-touching, other than hands lightly clasped at belly-button level while not gesturing.
– arms should be relaxed and away from the body; should not be glued to side of body. In practicing this, start with Wonder Woman pose and then soften with hands meeting near navel.
– chin should be level. In making eye contact with different individuals in audience, head/ neck should turn independent of body. Nose should point at person you are making eye contact with.
– no cocking of head, or dipping of chin.
– take up space; don’t make yourself small.
– postures that FEEL most relaxed don’t LOOK most relaxed. For example, standing with weight over one hip feels relaxed but look awkward.
Eye contact:
– see my previous post re making eye contact with specific individuals around the room. This is one of the most effective ways to instantly improve public speaking skills. Use post it notes on wall during practice to practice turning your gaze at different points in the room. Hold eye contact for 3 to 5 seconds.
Gestures:
– use fluid gestures in the “gesture box” – shoulders to hips, forearms width in front of you. Good gestures include the “reaching toward/ handing someone something gesture” and the emphasis/ chop gesture with closed fist.
Vocal quality:
– eliminate up-talk if that’s an issue
– don’t apologize or visibly wince if you misspeak; quickly correct and move on.
– talk slowly and loudly with varied inflections.
Eliminate distractors:
– practice pausing instead of using filler words
– do not engage in extraneous body movements, like bouncing, swaying, head bobbing. Ask someone for honest feedback.
Make judicious use of pauses
— if you make a complex point, pause for a moment to give it a chance to sink in.
– use pauses and repetition for emphasis.
Employ storytelling techniques to get your message across
– if appropriate for your topic, try to weave in personal narratives, either from your own life or from the lives of others. Again, Ted Talks provide good examples of how to do this.
Have a definite conclusion. Don’t ramble. Anticipate audience questions and practice answers. Be prepared to cut off inappropriate pontificating from audience members asking questions. Don’t be afraid to politely reframe off-topic questions to be on point. Maintain control of the Q & A period. (Different advice wld apply if questions are coming from authority figures rather than a general audience).