There are millions of professionals who are currently obsessing over their next public presentation. I have coached hundreds of leaders who “prepare” to speak in public in all the wrong ways. One of the biggest mistakes people make is to convince themselves they must write out their presentation and read it verbatim when the time comes to stand and deliver. They write and rewrite and go through the painstaking process of trying to read their presentation and fake eye contact with their audience. They use index cards and cram lots of information on each one, or they write or type out their speech on individual sheets of paper.
Yet, it is the rare public speaker that can deliver an effective presentation from a prepared text. When speakers see a presentation as nothing more than simply an opportunity to transfer information, rarely does anything good happen. Whether it is a commencement speech, a CEO’s presentation at an annual shareholders meeting, or a principal talking with parents, the communication bar must be raised. Therefore, consider the following tips and tools the next time you are asked to speak in public:
–Make a human, personal connection. As soon as you agree to speak in front of others, your goal should be to view this interaction as a “conversation” with your audience, rather than a “presentation.” To make a personal connection, you can’t do that when your eyes are down on a piece of paper or focused on keeping your index cards in order. You would never engage in a one-on-one conversation while looking down at your notes, so don’t do that while presenting to an audience.
–Be helpful. The great presenters reframe their thinking as they prepare their remarks. The key is to consider your audience and narrow down your main message based on what would be most helpful to them. Don’t worry about sharing every fact or statistic about a particular topic, but instead, what will be most useful and practical to the audience. Also, when you go into “help mode” you naturally lose a lot of the nerves that come from viewing your remarks as some sort of “formal” presentation where you are dumping a lot of information.
–Prepare. Letting go of your prepared text doesn’t mean speaking extemporaneously. If you take your script and create a bullet-point outline with key words, phrases, names or numbers, (in BOLD type with lots of white space) you will be amazed at how helpful this approach can be. If you have that in front of you while you are presenting, you can casually glance down if you lose focus, but then quickly move your eye contact back to the audience.
–Be agile. Don’t get consumed with the fear of leaving things out if you aren’t reading verbatim. Remember, your audience has no idea what is supposed to be in your speech. People don’t judge you based on how much information you give them. Rather, they are just looking to get some relevant information. Further, they need to believe that you believe in what you are saying. They are a lot more likely to do that when your goal is more about sharing information as opposed to simply getting through your presentation.
–Breathe. Whether you are in a conversation with a few people in a board room or presenting to an audience of hundreds, never underestimate the power of breathing. Before you say your first remarks, ground yourself with a deep breath, pause, and then begin. Then, as you move from one item to another throughout your presentation, remember to pause and take a breath. Breathing will help to calm your nerves, and it will also allow you to take a moment to collect your thoughts and prepare for what you are going to say next.
On this “Discovery and Innovation in NJ” edition of “Steve Adubato’s Lessons in Leadership,” Steve Adubato and Mary Gamba are joined by Karen J. Nolan, PhD, Associate Director, Center for Mobility and Rehabilitation Engineering, Kessler Foundation, who talks about advancing the care for patients through innovation. Then, Steve and Mary talk with Seth Wainer, Program Director Innovation, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey about how the PANYNJ is embracing technology and artificial intelligence to meet the needs of the public.
