Bluebery Compass Personal Coaching

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THE FLOOR IS YOURS

Public speaking is something every executive must do. Nino Cirone and Stephanie Hartog outline some tips about how to make the experience more rewarding for both the speaker and the audience.

SOME PEOPLE ARE NATURALS; THEY ENJOY the spotlight, feed off the energy of the moment and captivate their audience. They make it all look so easy. Effortless. Most of us, however, aren’t so blessed.

For us it takes an effort to deliver an effective speech. We have had to learn how to give a speech through trial and error – sometimes painfully! We’ve had to learn how to present ourselves and manage our nerves. Perhaps the scariest thing about public speaking is that to get really good at it, you have to do it.

With over thirty years of experience giving presentations, speeches, pitches, and impromptu talks we have learned how to shave off the rough edges and have taught colleagues and clients how to deliver clear, confident and effective speeches – no matter how nervous they are even moments before stepping into the spotlight.

Here are some tips you may find helpful for the next time you have to stand and deliver.

Overcoming Your Fears Butterflies, nerves, the shakes, whatever you want to call them, they happen to pretty much everyone. No, correct that – they happen to everyone but the natural speakers have learned how to control them or, better still, how to channel that energy into their performance. It is a fundamental fact – you will probably always have nerves or butterflies before you start so you need to discover ways to harness that energy.

One method is to find ways to get over the opening moments; literally break the ice and get yourself into the body of your speech. Structuring your opening lines into short, simple sentences means you can skip over any nervousness you feel during those opening moments. Once speakers are in the main body of their speech many say their nerves settle and any internal tension lessens.

Another way to break the ice is to sidestep it – start your speech with a short content clip or promotional footage or even photos, anything that focuses attention away from you (so you don’t feel under pressure) and onto something you can control.

Both techniques point to a conclusion we both recognised early on: while nerves and fear will exist, we can structure and construct our speech to allow us to overcome them. In the end, the speech itself – used intelligently and with purpose – is the best way to remain in control of both the moment and our (sometimes) shaky nerves. Telling the Story A speech is not just a collection of sentences or facts strung together in a coherent fashion. When putting together presentations or talks, people know they need to give it direction and purpose. We go one step further and say that a speech needs a story. A story that captures not just the facts, but the over-arching message the speaker wishes to convey. People instinctively tell stories to friends and family, but for some reason people often lose sight of the story behind their facts when delivering a speech.

We worked in the television industry for thirty years. Storytelling is part of our DNA. No piece of content, no matter what, existed without a story that needed to be told. Even gameshows have a story – the journey of the contestant in the game.

Journey is the key word we want to stress. A good speech takes an audience on a journey. It follows the basic story structure of a beginning, middle and end, but it does more because a good story will guide an audience through the facts to the conclusion you, the speaker, wish them to see. Stories can also make the facts easier to absorb and more likely to be convincing. This is something you control. You can find the story in the facts that will give shape and form to your speech, as well as make it more accessible to your audience.

Entertainment is a Serious Business Speeches are performances. They will have many purposes, whether it be corporate, sales, charity, a welcome, or a celebration, but they are all always a performance. A speech is an execution of an action (speaking) for a purpose (to influence or persuade or simply communicate a message) for a pre-determined goal (often a sale). They are performed in an attention seeking manner; by standing in front of people and being the focus of their attention. This means you, the speaker, must entertain. Entertainment is not solely about amusing people or providing a fun, enjoyable distraction. It is more subtle. It is a marriage of message and delivery. It requires matching tone with substance. If your message is light and positive you must seek to amuse, charm, and delight your audience. If your message is serious

and tense, you must encourage contemplation, consideration and thought on the matter.

There are a number of ways to match your message to an appropriate style. Images, content and colour can all be very effective techniques. Music can be an outstanding way to set the mood. Here are a couple of other factors to consider.

Pace The pace of your narrative will tell your audience exactly what mood you are looking to set. A slow and steady tempo points to a serious topic, while quick and staccato shouts light and fun to them. Paying attention to your pace will set up a better atmosphere for communication.

Variety Having a mix of music, images, and content clips holds people’s attention. Varying your pace, including the occasional pause for effect, is another way to ensure smart-phones stay down and you remain the focus of attention.

Engaging Your Audience You may have thought everything we’ve said so far is all about engaging the audience. What we’re talking about here is you – your physical actions, gestures and movements that are all aimed at connecting with your audience. You might have a podium; however, some people prefer to move about on stage. They enjoy having the freedom to engage the audience.

The easiest approach is to hide behind the podium. You can clutch the sides and, peering over the top, safely deliver your speech. It works. However, this provides the bare minimum – a voice emerging from behind a rampart is not always engaging. The audience can barely see you and what happens if there is no podium? What if you have to do without? You then need some tricks to get you through. Even behind a podium simple hand gestures and body movements can help. They add emphasis, give visual punctuation and reinforce the narrative flow of your story.

One cautionary note: excessive movements can make a speaker look as if they are fighting off a swarm of bees – you don’t want that! Uncontrolled movement across a stage can also be dangerous. We witnessed one energetic speaker lose track of their place and with a turn and a step, fall and crash to the floor. Resembling a pile of laundry is not a good look for anyone! Speaking the Words Reading your speech is a sin most people know to avoid. Letting people see the top of your head is not a great way to introduce yourself. It sounds obvious, but speaking the words is often where speakers trip up. Nerves and tension can result in mumbled words, a low volume or the onslaught of “ah” / “uuuh” hesitations that reduce the effectiveness of both speech and speaker. An effective speaker delivers clear, crisp and clean communication. Here, again, you have control over your speech. Some tips to consider: 1. Use short sentences if you know you will be nervous. They are easy to say, and you can settle down into your speech; 2. Use words you normally use. Speech making is not the moment to start expanding your vocabulary; and 3. BREATHE. Yes, breathe! A pause to take a breath between sentences allows a natural break and stops a speaker from rushing.

Make sure you can be heard. If you don’t have a microphone you will need to project your voice. This is not just speaking loudly. It’s about speaking to the rear of the room so that all can hear. This also requires good breathing as you want your voice to be deep and clear.

Finally, make eye contact with different people in different sections of the audience and speak to them. This helps you focus to ensure communication, a connection, is being made.

Public speaking is a demanding experience, but it need not be a daunting one. With guidance and advice, it can also be rewarding, both personally and professionally.

Stephanie Hartog and Nino Cirone are the Directors of BLUEBERRY COMPASS. They have over 30 years of experience in television and new technology, and have adapted their expertise to bring coaching for Public Speaking and Pitching and workshops in Corporate Strategy and New Product / Service Development to a wider range of business sectors. For more information contact stephanie@blueberrycompass. com or nino@blueberrycompass.com

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