Public Speaking - a quick guide

Even the biggest names in public life get butterflies before making a speech; It's perfectly natural. I'd even go so far as to say it's a requirement of a good speech.

Like any public performance be it acting, musical performance or olympic athletics speakers get that stomach flipping feeling before they go on stage.

Did you know that Johnny Carson, the veteran TV presenter, used to get severe stage fright every night before he presented Tonight? Or that Sir Laurence Olivier suffered in the same way before going on stage? I think you'll agree that they did ok for themselves! As someone once told me "it's not about never having butterflies, it's about getting them to fly in formation".

Let's look at some of the tricks of the trade you can use to get your own butterflies into the right formation.

Preparation

As the old saying goes "proper preparation prevents poor performance" (yes, I know there's a version with another "p" in it but let's keep the standards up here!). If you make sure in advance that you have covered all the bases then you have removed at a stroke one of the biggest worries of any presentation.

Ensure that you know how long you're expected to speak for and then practice giving your speech so you know it will fill that amount of time. Don't forget when we get nervous we all tend to speak much faster than we do in normal conditions. Remember also to allow time for any questions if you're going to open the floor.

Find out the names (and pronunciations) of all the major figures at the event or key locations you'll refer to in your speech. Not only is this common courtesy it stops you looking unprofessional.

Check well before the big day that you have all the support items you're going to need. Don't assume that there will be a flip chart, OHP or whatever at the venue. Enquire a few days beforehand it will ease your mind and leave you able to concentrate on your presentation. It's also a great idea to keep spares of things that could run out such as marker pens, wipes and the like. You can almost guarantee that they will give out at the most inconvenient moment if you're not suitably prepared.

Body Language

Ok, hands up if you've ever seen a public speaker who shuffles from foot to foot, plays with his or her glasses or jingles the loose change in his pocket?

Hmmm, thought so.

We'll cover some quick tips for calming nerves a little further down the lens but for now let's focus on getting those nervous gestures under control.

One of the biggest tell tale signs of nerves is not knowing what to do with your hands. They seem to take on a life of their own diving in and out of pockets, twirling glasses, straightening ties, clicking pens. The best thing to do is to rest them on the desk or podium if you can or to hold your notes lightly if not. No need to grip either your notes or desk as though you're scared they're going to escape just give your hands something to do.

While we're on the subject of hands please gentlemen do NOT put your hands in your pocket. At best you'll look slovenly and with loose change so readily available you'll look at worst as though... well let's not even go there!

Right let's move down to the feet. Shuffling from one foot to the other constantly is not only distracting for your audience but it screams "I'm nervous" to them which often translates into "I don't know my subject". It's far better, and much more relaxing for you, to balance your weight evenly on both feet.

Sticking with pairs of things we'll move on to the eyes. Try to find friendly faces in the audience and, without staring at them, keep making brief eye contact and smiling. No need to make a big thing about it but it will help to keep you focused on your speech because you know you're getting a good response and it shows the audience you're relating to them. Just remember to keep the contact brief.

Voice

It goes without saying that your voice is your biggest asset in public speaking so let's look at a couple of tips to using it effectively.

Warming it up before you start speaking will prevent you getting to the podium, opening your mouth and croaking like a frog. If you're nervous your voice will feel dry and tight so a few minutes hummimg or talking to get it working will pay dividends when you start your speech.

Speak slowly and enunciate clearly. It may seem to you that you're speaking at your normal speed but if you're nervous when you're speaking to an audience you'll almost certainly be going much faster than you think. Think of the great actors and presenters. They rarely sound as if they're rushing to gable out their words but instead they sound measured and calm. You can achieve the same by slowing down and speaking clearly. After all you don't want to sound like a racing commentator on the final straight do you?

Use the volume of your voice for emphasis. You can raise it to punch home a point but you can also speak softly to create dramatic effect. Don't forget that by using a wider vocal range you will avoid the squeakiness of someone who's nervous.

Pauses are another good way to reel in your audience and slow yourself down. Never underestimate the power of a pause.

If you want to hear some of the great orators using their voices to make a powerful speech even more effective so a search online.

Breathing

Using a simple technique of breathing in through your nose, holding the breath for a count of 4 and breathing out through your mouth you'll find that you can quickly calm yourself down. Do this shortly before you go on stage will put you in a much better frame of mind.

Visualize

Putting the power of your mind to a good use will stop it focusing on the negative thoughts. It's a fact that the mind can't hold more than one thought at a time nor can it tell the difference between a real and a vividly imagined scenario.

So put it to work for you instead of against you by visualizing your speech being a huge success. Start by imaging you arriving at the venue in plenty of time feeling calm and confident, being greeted by the organizers who's smiling and happy and carry on through to you being introduced on stage. See in your mind's eye the audience looking at you with smiling faces as you calmly begin your presentation, imagine how calm you will feel as they lap up every aspect of what you have to say and how they will applaude you at the end. Visualize how elated you will feel inside as you leave the stage knowing that you gave an outstanding presentation that was appreciated by everyone in the room.

Now run the visualization again in your mind and increase the brightness, the depth of the colors and the sound for added effect. Make it feel real and keep on repeating your visualization every day in the days leading up to the event.

No one would ever deny that the middle part of your speech contains the "meat" of your presentation but having a good start and a great finish can make the difference between okay and outstanding.

Having a good start is really setting the tone for your entire presentation and can raise expectations from your audience. Here are a few ways to get off on the right foot.

Start with a story. People love stories and more especially real, personal and relevant ones. It can be a great icebreaker to share some of your wealth of knowledge with your audience and it allows a window into your experience thereby granting you greater credibility.

Use surprising facts or statistics that relate to your audience. If you choose wisely you will immediately draw them in as you go on to explain it and how it's relevant to the body of your speech.

A good alternative to facts or stats is a quotation. It can be from within the area of your groups interest or from a famous person when it's relevant but either way it's a proven way to have a memorable beginning.

If you can find something in the current days news headlines that will fit with your speech then grab it gratefully. It will give the impression that you are not only knowledgable but able to react quickly to changing events, always the sign of a true professional.

If making a good start is important then even a so so speech can be lifted by having a great finish. After all it's what you're leaving them with and the most recent thing in their minds.

It may sound obvious but make your finish sound like a finish even telling them that you're wrapping up. Why? Because the human mind likes order and by guiding the minds of your audience you will help them to better understand what they heard.

Asking a question, especially a closed one that can only be answered "yes" or "no", is a very powerful way to have a great finish. It will draw your audience to the conclussion that you've been leading them to all the way through your presentation.

One thing that you should always do if you're making a speech where you want your listeners to take a particular course of action is to tell them what to do. At the end of say a political presentation tell your audience that you want them to "vote for me on May 29th".

Follow those guidelines and you'll lift your speeches dramatically.

Well we've looked at the ways you can overcome a fear of public speaking, improving your presentational skills, ways to overcome nerves and good starts and great finishes. So now you're a seasoned pro brimming with confidence what options are open to you?

Once you've got some experience of speaking in public and you've found that it gives you a great buzz you might want to look into the various ways that you could make an incredibly good living travelling the world as a professional speaker.

One guy who used to charge $75 per speech and run himself ragged doing 4 or 5 a day now makes a very good six figure income every year and travels the globe doing so. He currently charges clients $17,500 for a speaking engagement.

His name is Tom Antion and this is his story.

I used to make $75.00 per speech and kill myself doing 4 or 5 a day just to barely make a living. NOW, by using the techniques I've learned, I just raised my fee so I make $17,500.00 per speech / $20,500.00 per day, and travel the world accepting only the best gigs. Just think what it would mean to you and your family if you grabbed that same kind of success.

Real People / Real Money
You've probably been bombarded with offers for books, tapes, and seminars that promise giant earnings and no work. Not very believable right? Speaking and training are real business services that are used by corporations, associations, schools, churches and other organizations. There are many other people in the country who make a decent living this way. I happen to be one of them.

If you don't believe me about the money paid for speakers, type in the term "Speakers Bureau" in one of the major search engines. This will take you to websites where people go to hire speakers. Many of the websites have fee ranges listed. You'll be shocked to see the amounts of money corporations and associations pay speakers that you probably never heard of.

Read the rest of Tom's story here