Cathy Liska Coaches often lead workshops or do motivational speaking as an opportunity forCoach and Speaker people to gain a sense of their experience. For clients, the ability to comfortably address a group, small or large, directly impacts many careers and individual reputations. While it would be nice to have a magic wand to instill the public speaking skill, it really boils down to learning and practicing.
Let’s start with your own outlook. If you believe you can do it, then you can do it. If you fake the confidence, you will make the confidence. It truly is that simple.
To further reinforce your own outlook, knowing you have taken the steps to succeed will build your confidence. Let’s look at the basics.
1. Preparation
* Qualify the audience
Learn about your audience. Ask about whether office politics, public agendas, or community issues are at play. Learn the age range, education level, and demographics of the participants. Qualifying your audience will influence your material preparation. Knowing about the people is key to anticipating their needs, interests, questions, and learning styles.
* Quantify the information
Note what information must be covered, what it is good to cover, and what is extra based on time. For many new speakers, you will find that twice what you think you can cover in the allotted time is appropriate. The key is to have more than you need and know what to cut if time runs short.
* Questions for room set-up
How your room is arranged directly impacts the audience. Think about first impressions, think about their level of participation, and think about their comfort. If you manage the space you use, then recognize the impact of décor on learning. If the space is controlled by others, visit it in advance of your presentation.
2. Practice
* Quantity – enough to be smooth, not rehearsed
Memorize the opening and the close. Know your key points. If the entire presentation is memorized, it might seem canned. Adjust to your audience and their responses.
* Quirk cautions – movements and filler words
Have you ever found yourself counting how many times a speaker said ‘and’ or ‘but’ or ‘umm’? Were you ever distracted by a quirk or tick of a presenter? Each of us uses movements or words repeatedly. Practice in front of a mirror and record yourself to identify your own.
In this first of two posts, the P’s and Q’s are before the actual speaking engagement. In the second post, the P’s and Q’s are during and after a presentation.
