10 Totally Awesome Public Speaking Tips for Beginners
This is one of those posts that haunted me all the way on my commuter train ride home.
Here are 10 totally awesome presentation tips for beginners, with explanation, rationale and reasoning at the end…
1. The microphone always on
This is truly Rule #1. Politicians, celebrities and business people have been caught on an open ‘hot mic’ saying things that they thought nobody would hear. Whenever you’re giving a presentation — or are appearing on video, on a podcast, on the radio, or in any media production that uses microphones — if you see a mic, consider it to be open, on and active.
Always.
As a former conference producer, I’ve heard a story about a speaker accidentally taking a wireless lav microphone into the bathroom after the presentation was over. I’ve also heard about another speaker wearing the same, only to bad mouth other speakers between sessions.
Imagine what all of that sounded like in the meeting room…
The mic is always on. Rule #1.
Follow this rule. It will serve you well.
2. Know the first thing you’re going to say, and the last
It doesn’t matter if you’re speaking for 60 seconds or 60 minutes. Script the very first and very last things you’re going to say. And practice saying those things out loud. They’ll give you a place to start, and answer the question “What do you want the audience to do after hearing you?” at the end.
Some presenters are so excited that when they’re handed the microphone, they forget what to say and end up in a long-winded monologue thanking everybody for attending, with no substance. Moreover, they don’t know when or how to stop in any meaningful way.
Audience, lost.
3. Stand up straight
Or, sit up straight when you’re seated.
Posture.
Stand up in front of an audience with confidence.
Shoulders back, chin up, head up. Allow your hands to drop to your sides.
If you’re seated, it’s a similar situation. If seated behind a table and a microphone, don’t lean on the table, or slump in the chair, and…
If standing and using a podium, don’t grab it or lean into it.
Stand up straight. Posture.
4. Have a 50/50 stance
Which means balance in your stance. 50/50 between your feet.
That goes for standing, or sitting. A 50/50 balance with your feet on the floor no matter what.
What you’re doing is physically readying yourself to give your talk.
5. Make eye contact
Yes, as uncomfortable as it may feel … before you speak your first thought, find a set of eyes in the audience and make eye contact. Hold that contact until you’ve finished delivering your thought. Once complete, stay quiet until you lock on to another set of eyes, deliver your next thought and repeat throughout the duration of your talk.
This isn’t easy. Not supposed to be.
In fact, it’s hard. Very hard. It will be. At first.
But it’s an effective communication technique.
6. Take your hands out of your pockets
So there are reasons for this post, at this time. One of those reasons has to do with the daily treat of seeing pictures of presentations on my social media feeds. For some reason, many really believe that it’s a good idea to share photos of presentations where speakers display poor body language — among other things.
One of the bad behaviors is when speakers stand to talk and put their hands in their pockets.
Bad body language, and it shows disinterest.
Some try to be hip and place four fingers in a pocket with the thumb outside.
Doesn’t work.
Take your hand out of your pockets when speaking.
Not cool.
7. Smile
If you’re not having a good time giving your presentation, at least pretend that your are.
If you’re not having a good time, nobody else will.
Yes, there are times to be serious, but that’s not the point.
It’s the image you project… case in point…you probably see many of the same trade show pictures that I see on social media. People smile standing in their exhibit hall booth. They smile during the cocktail reception. But how many do you see smile while giving a talk?
Not many.
Smile.
You’re supposed to have a good time. So’s your audience.
8. Breathe, and raise the volume of your voice
I’ve had enough of filler words: Um. Uhh. You know. Right? Ok.
They’re annoying. You know?
They persist in so many ways, across presentations, speakers and formats.
And it’s due to one thing: Laziness. No prep, no practice. But lots of filler words.
And the audience isn’t paying for filler words.
Wanna get rid of them? Breathe before you speak, raise the volume of your voice and bingo. No more filler words.
Takes practice.
Right?
9. Don’t UpTalk or UpSpeak at the End of Your Sentences
Gotta mention this one. Just heard it again last night. UpTalk, UpSpeak or whatever you want to call it.
It’s made it’s way into the speech patterns of business and general society in the last five years. Maybe more. And it’s annoying as hell.
It’s when somebody lifts their speech at the end of their sentences.
Again, it’s Pure Laziness.
The speaker must feel adding the uptalk at the end of sentences adds emphasis, and credibility. It doesn’t.
There are numerous examples of UpTalk on YouTube — just do a search and you’ll see (hear) what I mean.
10. Record Yourself
When you practice, record yourself. Audio and video.
When you give a presentation, record yourself. Audio and video.
98% of the time you know when you’re going to give a presentation. That’ll give you plenty of time to set recording equipment to capture your talk. So the next time you give any type of presentation, record yourself. Audio and video. (I don’t care if you’re ‘just doing a podcast’ — record both audio and video.) Then watch, review, get input from others and put in the work to be a better, more effective communicator next time around.
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I wrote that there are reasons for this post, at this time. Your daily photos of ineffective trade show and conference speakers are one reason. The second is that I’ve been making the rounds this year and have found very little value in the money I’ve spent to attend the educational portion of shows. Poor public speakers. Clearly no prep, practice or understanding that the audience has invested time, money, travel and the decision to spend working hours in sessions with little of no worth in return. This doesn’t apply to all, but most.
But where it does apply, it zeros in on one thing: Laziness.
I’ve also just attended a business networking event that involved a dozen companies. Each company was given the opportunity to send somebody to the front of the room to say a few words to the audience.
One presenter did a decent job of it.
One.
That’s 1/12.
The audience was treated to filler words, uptalk, inaudible speech, a hand in the pocket, poor posture, confusing messages and most everything that I’ve described this post — and then some. Enough to haunt me on the commuter train home.
But what else is new?
I’ve seen this traveling the country at trade shows and events, and have the daily pleasure of seeing photos taken of these very same speakers shared into my social media feeds.
As if it’s something to be proud of.
It isn’t.
So I had to write this post.
10 Totally Awesome Public Speaking Tips for Beginners.
Because public speaking experts are hard to find.
But I’ll settle for public speakers (and their companies) who at least give a damn.
At which trade show, conference or event will they be speaking?
Tony Compton holds two degrees from Loyola University Chicago: a 1987 B.A. in Communication and a 1995 MBA. He has held a number of marketing and business leadership positions over the past three decades.
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