The Statue!

As in business, speaking has extremes. For example, the opposite of randomly walking around the stage without any purpose, you will find what I call the statue speaker.

This is the speaker that stays in one spot throughout the entire presentation whether it is a 10 minute speech or a two hour presentation. They look as if they are glued to one spot whether they are behind a lectern or standing in the middle of the stage.

The benefit to moving throughout your speech, it forces your audience to use their eyes. As a result, you make your audience watch your actions. Your moving on stage stimulates your audience and allows them to concentrate on you.

Also as you move from one point to another point in your speech, you have the opportunity to stop and pause. This pause you to collect your thoughts and your audience to review what you just said. Being silent is a powerful tool in speaking.

Lastly, your movement on stage lets you release some of your pent-up energy or nervousness. Most speakers have excess energy and by moving you can direct it to different parts of your speech.

Don’t be a statue in speaking, let your movements serve a purpose.

Huh…it’s my fault?

 

There are 3 possible audience reactions to any speech, whether you speaking to 1000 people or just one person. On one end of the speaking spectrum, your audience craves more of you speaking. The other end of the spectrum, people feel that their time was wasted. Between these two ends of the spectrum is the middle ground where everyone considers your speech just average and ordinary.

The hard fact of life is that you are responsible. If your speech is successful or less than successful, it is your fault. This is a difficult concept for many speakers to deal with.

However, once you have accepted this premise, it makes being a better speaker easier. You begin to search out the tools to make you better. You might decide that recording all your speeches is the best way to learn. Seeking mentors or mastermind groups to evaluate you maybe another tool that is used. However if you enlist a mentor and that person suggests changes that you are not comfortable with or you feel is not the best, remember, ultimately your audience’s reaction is on your shoulders.

Remember, concentrate on being the best, not who to blame.

 

Always…Always be prepared!

 

The Boy Scout’s motto is; Be Prepared. As a speaker this should also be your motto.

A month ago, I attended a presentation by a local speaker at a Historical Society’s monthly meeting. The speaker was told they did not having to bring anything because the Historical Society had whatever the speaker needed.

As the speaker began to speak and advance the PowerPoint presentation, the remote control stop working. It was determined that the remote needed new batteries. For the next 20 minutes while the speaker manually advanced the Power Point presentation on his computer by hand, someone was rummaging through several file cabinets looking for new batteries. This was a total distraction to the audience and for the speaker. A simple solution would have been for the speaker to have brought a small case for emergency needs.

You as a speaker must always be prepared. Spare batteries are one item to have to save embarrassment for you. You may also have a spare universal remote control. An extra flash Drive with your presentation on it is also helpful.

Spend time thinking on what you should bring for your ‘emergency bag’. This may save you from extra stress!