Career Insights: Nailing that presentation
Would you be surprised to learn that the most nerve wracking thing for me when it comes to public speaking is not the actual speaking part? It’s in the preparation and making sure what I get up there and say is something the audience wants and needs to hear. There are those people who seem like they were born on stage as natural, amazing public speakers - and then there’s the rest of us who have to work at it. But I have to call bullsh#t on that one. The truth is even the best, most inspirational speakers put in a huge amount of work before you see them on stage. Here are some of my biggest lessons.
Start with the audience. Too often I sit with an executive who immediately focuses on what he wants to say, without a real consideration of the people sitting and listening. Before you craft your message, start with the who. Who is sitting in the room? What do they need? What do they care about? What do you want them to think, feel and do as a result of hearing your talk? Think of people you know who remind you of the audience you’re speaking to and visualize them when creating and delivering your talk. When I had to do a roadshow to speak to offices across the country, I literally crafted the message with my mother-in-law in mind (who used to work in offices like the ones I was visiting). She is very similar to the people I was speaking to, and I know her well. My presentation was extremely well received (people even noted how caring I came across when presenting) and this is in no small part because I had her in mind not only when preparing, but when presenting!
Anchor your talk. Command the room with an opening line that grabs and wows. Have major ideas which frame your talk. Then take it home with a compelling call to action. Some people want to spend time on endless slides of 10 point font bullets. Not my style. Instead, I think about the big idea I want to grab them with, the 2-3 “chapters” in my talk, and then the recap and ultimate ask or call to action. Other tips on structure. Avoid filler. Don’t start with welcoming people and any other throw away forgettable lines. Does the audience need to hear about how happy you are to be here? They’d be way happier that you got to your point. Plant yourself in your power spot, and deliver an intriguing opening. “My grandmother once gave me this advice which changed my life...” is way more interesting than “thank you so much for inviting me here!”
Find your voice. I am best when I present as Jennie Glazer. I am generally a high energy person, I’ve got a goofy sense of humor, and I like to tell stories—long winding ones where I take us on a journey and then land it with a flourish (I hope.) I am not myself when presenting in a formal style. I am not confident if I’m meant to be short and crisp. It doesn’t mean I can’t deliver in the time allotted, it just means I have to be ruthless about editing in my own voice. I once nailed a response to a question “how do you come up with your ideas” (broad, no?) in exactly 90 seconds. I made sure I followed the structure in my own style—with jokes even. Think very hard about your authentic style and voice and be sure to embrace and use it. Your audience will appreciate and trust you when you are real and you.
Practice. The best presenters have a process to prepare. They don’t wing it. They put in a lot of work. I know one executive who records himself giving his talk in a voice memo, and then replays his talk while he runs. Another executive I worked with would do actual dry runs in front of her team to get feedback and suggestions. I write my full speech out, then practice it until I am able to run through it with one word anchors to help make sure I’m hitting the notes I want. I throw away my talk and then just give it in my own way, making sure to hit my anchors. Sometimes I record and time my talk to try to pare it down for the essentials. Another point of preparation is situational. Make sure you have a sense of the space and technology set up and prepare for that as well. If someone offers a dress rehearsal don’t skip it.
Make a plan to get feedback. So you prepared for your talk. You go and give it. Now what? Time to reflect and think about improvements. Have a person in the audience on notice to give you feedback. If possible ask them to record you speaking, or better yet get a copy of your talk on video. Then watch it with your colleague and pick apart what was effective and what could be better. Ask the conference organizers for any audience feedback from surveys. The idea is to watch and evaluate not just the structure and delivery of your talk, but whether you connected with the audience. Which leads me to my....
Final thought: keep learning. There is a ton of content out there to help us improve our public speaking skills. Find those podcasts, seminars and articles and keep pushing yourself. If I get invited to participate in a (low or no cost) training session on public speaking, I always try to say yes and thank you. I watch other great speakers I admire and try to learn from them. Is there a local Toastmasters you can join? The idea is I am never done improving either my understanding of the audience, my message, or the mechanics.
What are some of your tips? Drop me a line and let me know!
