So You Want To Be A Speaker
The following are three paramount points to consider before proposing a presentation. Don’t just review these points for yourself, do it for the organizer and, especially, the audience, who are exchanging their precious time and attention for what you promise to deliver.
We all have opinions and thoughts on specific topics, but does that mean we should stand in front of a room full of people to deliver a presentation? The answer is maybe and probably not.
Let’s work through this decision process together before you find yourself standing in front of an audience holding a microphone in one hand and a clicker in the other.
I’ll preface this by saying, obviously, not everyone is a professional keynote speaker or a trained performer. Your supportive audience understands this and will be keen to hear what you have to say, but they also bring along expectations you shouldn’t ignore.
It’s clear to an audience when you are unprepared or worse, ill-prepared.
We all become better presenters the more we present, but it’s clear to an audience when you are unprepared or worse, ill-prepared. The following three key points will help as a speaker, and if you feel they don’t resonate or you disagree, I highly recommend you reconsider out of respect for the people who will eagerly sit in front of you later.
THREE PUBLIC SPEAKING TIPS YOU MUST KNOW.
The following three key tips will help you enlighten, empower, and entertain the next lucky group facing you as you stand and deliver.
Are you an expert, or do you have lived experiences that make you a solid candidate to share your ideas with the group? If you aren’t, you are wasting the audience’s time and taking away an opportunity from someone else who the audience could benefit from. Consider the Dunning-Kruger Effect before you propose, discuss, or apply to speak on a topic you’re supposed to know well.
Have you done your homework? Do you know the event, the theme, and the audience? What are their hopes and dreams? What do they wish to gain from attending your session? Your presentation isn’t about you (even when it is), it’s about them. I always ask the meeting planner or conference director what would make their group exclaim, “That was the best speaker we’ve had!” Research, write, refine, rehearse, repeat.
Less is more. Will the visual presentation you have created support your ideas, or is it a crutch? If you are going to read each slide or rattle off a list of bullets, you should return to my first point. If the audience is reading your slide before you, they will be distracted from your message. Could they download your slides and read them without attending your speech? If so, return to #1.
A PUBLIC SPEAKING secret…
I’ll share a secret with you: audiences aren’t there to hate you, or heckle you, or boo you off the stage (if they are, you have bigger problems). They are there because they have chosen to participate and hear from you. Audience members seldom show up because they must; they attend because they are interested in what you have to say, but ignoring my three points above is a disservice to them and a discredit to you.
Are you an expert on the topic?
Have you done your homework?
Will your slides support or distract?
Do the above, and you’ll do great, even if you’re nervous. The applause you receive will tell you everything you need to know, and the feedback you receive will make your next presentation even better.
Break a leg. You’ll do great.
