Interesting fact - some of the best public speakers would describe themselves as introverts in daily life.
Proof to the point - public speaking is a skill that can be taught and doesn't simply come to those outspoken, non-wallflowers!
Turns out being heard is the product of good old fashioned hard work.
Turn up the volume on your presentation and employ some of these tricks of the trade:
- Command the time and space of your listeners. Whether a stage in a conference centre or simply the head of the table, creating a strong presence engages your listener and allows them to trust you - what you are going to say is going to be worth it! Take your time, take a breath, get comfortable in your arena, then begin.
- Engage with the listener. Make eye contact - with everyone you can. No matter the size of your audience, one or one thousand, eye contact is the best way to engage your audience (while emulating confidence).
- Be a giver, not a taker. As a public speaker, your listeners have expectations. Don’t simply take up their precious time - give them something in return. Good public speakers deliver in a way that continues to engage, long after the presentation is over.
- Create pauses, take breaths and slow it down. Consciously and consistently be wary of your pace - think quality over quantity here. Ten minutes of well-thought out, provoking and interesting speaking is more valuable than five minutes of speed talking.
- Avoid Power Point at all costs! The rumours of its peril are true - Power Point kills audience engagement the minute they see the slide show boot up! Save yourself!
- Locate your positive supporters and feed off their energy. It’s not a debate - you don’t need to win anyone over. Focusing on positivity rather than negativity will help keep you excited and engaged.
- Call on your charisma - it's called stage presence simply because it means ‘to be present’. One way to prove your presence? Avoid filler words (um, like) at all costs. If you need to, a short pause is better than a filler word.
End all public speaking engagements by genuinely thanking your audience. Regardless of how it went, they gave you some of their most precious resource - time. Thank them for it!
