You are standing in front of 100 people. Your PowerPoint slides are ready. You’ve planned this for ages. But a minute into your presentation, you realise nobody’s listening properly. They’re checking phones, whispering to colleagues, and only semi-interested. This will be a long hour and you wonder how much impact you’ll have.
So many of us sit through talks or presentations we almost default to the view that it will be average or something to sit through. There’s a difference between delivering a presentation and engaging people in a presentation.
Connection is so important. If you can connect with them then you’re halfway there to mastering a skill that many desperately want. And in London’s busy business landscape, achieving that will reap rewards.
What Makes a Good Speaker? And what makes a great one…
Here are just a few of my top five tips that I hope helps for the next time you are doing some public speaking.
1) Think of public speaking as “speaking to people” as that is a far less daunting way of thinking about it. Practice as much as possible including in the venue where you will be doing it. This familiarity will really help. Including what equipment you’ll need to bring and what is provided and try to have a rehearsal in advance. And practice in front of a friend or someone you don’t know well as they will be a better judge of too much information, or speaking too fast, or areas that can be improved.
2) Start with a really strong statistic or fact that captures their imagination that they won’t have heard before. It will instantly grab your audience’s attention. Think of it like an introduction to a story on the News at Ten. It is beautifully scripted and designed to get your attention but also wanting more and making you watch what is next.
3) Decide what you need notes for (if anything), and what you don’t. It’s much easier to “ad lib” over sections of a presentation rather than read from a piece of paper which isn’t nearly as engaging. The dictionary defines “ad lib: as: to speak in public without having planned what to say. Of course we will have planned and rehearsed exactly what to say but many elements you can talk about without reading from pre-prepared notes. An example of this is a design of a new studio. You can talk about what’s on screen and highlight certain parts because you’re familiar with the content.
4) Signposting is a really good way to keep someone interested. For example, I will often say ‘this is the last couple of slides…’ so people know we’re close to finishing. If you watch a Netflix film you often want to know how long is left, or how long you’ve been watching. This will help avoid the viewer or listener wondering how long is left. And also phrases like “as you can see on the bottom left…” help others to follow along. I also like to reference other people’s work. “As John will know from covering the last project, communicating early with marketing can really elevate our work.” As soon as you mention someone their attention levels jump and stay elevated from a few minutes because for a moment you made it about them.
5) Leave the jargon at home and be as inclusive as possible. Remember not everyone will have English as their first language. And some people will think the ECB is the European Central Bank while others will think it’s the England and Wales Cricket Board. Find ways to include others in your speaking. Whether that is audience participation, or asking for a show of hands, or giving a minute for audience members to interact with someone next to them. That gives you a chance to pause, breathe and reflect, and gives you confidence by seeing people respond to your instructions.
Book a free 30-minute chat to discuss what works best for you.
As an occasional Asian Wedding Toastmaster in London I need to be confident when introducing the happy couple, speaking to large audiences with a microphone, and keeping control during ceremonies. This keeps my public speaking skills sharp and I learn new things every time. Whether that is how to keep a crowd quiet, how to keep them interested, or finding a unique way of starting a speech.
If you can be a great public speaker it will open doors for you at work and beyond. You will have a better chance of progressing in your career and becoming a leader. And it’s a skill that lasts and you can develop for the rest of your life.