All Up on Stage!

How to master public speaking

Public speaking is much more than an opportunity to get your “moment of glory” or add a line “speaker” to the resume. The great speakers changed the course of history. Legendary orators such as John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Steve Jobs influenced people around the world not only with the things they did but also with their words.

I think that the greatest speaker of our time is Tony Robbins, #1 life strategist, and my mentor. I always admire how at his seminars Tony changes people’s lives, relieves them of suffering, inspires and empowers them, just choosing the right words that go straight to the hearts. If you happen to be in Moscow on 1 September 2018 don’t miss Tony’s first seminar in Russia.

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Tony Robbins engages the audience. Photo: www.anthony-robbins-upw.ru

But do you know a secret? All good speakers used to be bad speakers. Moreover, a lot of them suffered from stage fright. It’s hard to believe, but even great actors, including Barbra Streisand and Mikhail Baryshnikov, admitted they experienced performance anxiety.

Evolutionary biologists claim that this is one of the oldest social fears. Getting in front of people sends a danger signal to the brain and launches the primitive “fight-or-flight” instinct making us want to run away or stay and deal with the stress.  Hence, we can experience rapid heartbeat and breathing, muscle tension, trembling, etc. Therefore, if you decide to learn to master public speaking, the first thing to pay attention to is overcoming stage fright. Here are some tips on how to do this.

1. Control your breath

Breathing exercises are useful not only for public speaking but for life in general. If you play sports, you know how important it is to breathe properly when exercising. It is even more important when you are stressed. The simplest thing you can do before getting up on stage is taking a few deep breaths that will help you calm down and reduce anxiety. Do not hesitate to also pause during the presentation, especially after delivering an important message. This will give the audience some time to comprehend what they heard, while you can catch your breath.

2. Ask yourself the right questions

In the article “Feel Welcome to Ask. How to Come up with Powerful Questions” I talked about what questions to ask other people. But it is equally important to ask yourself the right questions. Before the performance, the speaker often provokes stress him or herself, thinking: “What if I forget half of my speech?” “What if I get booed off the stage?”

Instead, ask yourself: “What if my performance gets a standing ovation?” Thus, you are preparing yourself for a positive experience and building confidence.

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Photo: www.depositphotos.com

3. Shift focus from yourself to the audience

The more you think about what impression you will make, the more you worry. Instead of worrying about how you will look, ask yourself what emotions you are trying to evoke in the listeners. Would you like them to feel inspired, motivated, happy, something else? What are the main ideas that the audience should take out of your speech? By shifting focus from yourself, you can finally think calmly and constructively.

4. Imagine that you are talking to a person one-on-one

At the thought of having to perform in front of 50 (100, 500, 1000 etc.) people one gets very scared. But try not to think about the number of viewers or the fact that they are waiting for a great performance. Imagine that there is only one person sitting in the room, your good friend, with whom you will have a friendly chat. Once you get yourself in such a state you will be able to give a successful speech.

5. Rehearse and get in front of the public as often as possible

Mark Twain said: “It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech. Exactly. A couple of rehearsals the day before the performance will not help much. Mastering public speaking in front of your family or your dog is good only for a start. If you really want to feel the audience, I recommend that you join the nearest public speaking club.

One of the greatest places is Toastmasters, which includes more than 15 000 clubs in 135 countries all over the world. Their mission is to improve the public speaking and leadership skills of the club members. And it’s exactly what you are looking for, isn’t it?

Of course, if you want to give a stunning performance it is not enough to overcome the stage fright. It takes a lot of other things and nuances. If we consider the most important ones, I would single out these three:

• The less multimedia, the better

Watch the most popular speeches on TED talks. Have you noticed that many speakers do without any PowerPoint presentation? The fact is the slides are more necessary for the speaker (like cue cards), but not for the audience.

If you are sure that you can not do without them, then please do not repeat what is written on the slides. Your audience, most likely, perfectly knows how to read.

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Photo: www.imgflip.com

And please don’t overload your presentation with rows of tiny text. One paragraph or even one sentence per slide is enough. Otherwise, the audience will start to take notes of the slides, instead of listening to you.

More interaction with the audience

Asking questions is an excellent tactic, but they should be interesting. Some speakers try to get the attention with requests like “Who loves their children, raise your hands.” The game element is great, but it’s better to avoid such platitudes. It’s more engaging when people answer from their seats or address questions to you. By the way, at my seminars, I always have a box of Tic Tac packs and I give away one for every good question. A small souvenir is a great way to increase involvement.

Say yes to storytelling

Real-life stories engage much better than official statistics or data from Google. True, not all speakers are ready to share personal stuff, but who said that it is a mandatory thing? You can tell a story about your acquaintance, even fictional. What’s important is to help the audience picture something specific, not abstract. For example, you need to make a report on the economic situation in remote regions of your country. Tell a story about the everyday life of one of its residents. In this case, your speech will get much more interest.

I am sure that the public speaking skills are indispensable for everyone, not just for those who want to become professional speakers. After all, it is often necessary to communicate with several or more people at the same time: at a job interview, at corporate events, conferences, etc. Even if you are building a personal brand on social networks, you sometimes make videos or give webinars, and this also implies public speaking. Use these tips for confident interaction with any audience:

1. Control your breath. Take a few deep breaths before getting up on stage and make pauses during your speech.
2. Ask yourself positive questions, anticipating a positive experience of your performance.
3. Shift focus from yourself to your audience. Think about what value and emotions your speech will bring to them.
4. Imagine that you are talking to a person one-on-one, not paying attention to the number of people in the room.
5. Rehearse and get in front of the public as often as possible. Join the nearest public speaking club for regular practice.
6. Try to speak without any PowerPoint slides or other “technical support”.
7. Interact with the audience: ask questions, use the game element.
8. Use storytelling: real-life stories instead of bare facts and boring data from the Internet.

I wish you to give eloquent and memorable speeches!

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