Helping Create Success
Public Speaking 101: Use Notes
D
o you believe that a speaker working without notes is therefore ‘better’ than one who does use notes? I ask because a lot of people ask me the same question. If you’re giving a presentation you have to decide for yourself, should you:
And that’s all it takes! Follow one or all of these and you’ll be giving it less than your best, and putting yourself through hell, and abusing the audience as well. Or, you can do the opposite and give yourself a fighting chance. More on that, anon.
- Try to memorize your notes / script.
- Read your notes.
- familiarize yourself, using notes.
Memorizing takes a lot of bandwidth, trust me. Unless you’re naturally good at it, or have very little to say, I advise not even worrying about it. You should do what supports you best when you’re on, and not concern yourself with how ‘notes/no notes’ looks to an audience. Are they engaged, is what you want to concern yourself with.
Reading your remarks is OK, but only if you’re really good at it. Most people don’t have the training to bring words on the page to life, which is an art. Professional narrators know how to employ the technique, so you can study up on them. One thing you should never read are PowerPoint slides.
This is my advice for the average speaker who wants to do the best possible job. The more you review your content and practice it, the better you’ll be able to fully own it during your actual delivery. Use notes that help keep you focused on your message, but also allow you to tune in to your audience. Make sure the font is larger than usual. Use color or images in the margins, for emotional cues.
People with little experience in public speaking in general tend to underestimate what goes into “extemporaneous” talking- unscripted and improvised. It might look easy but that’s the beauty of excellent communication- it all seems so simple.
How To Screw Up Your Presentation
H
ow to screw up your presentation:
- Procrastinate. Wait until the last possible minute to think about your message, your intention and your knowledge.
- Once you’re good and nervous because you’ve waited so long, sit down in front of the computer to write your speech.
- Start typing whatever comes to mind. Spill it all out onto the page.
- Print it out in a size 10 or 12 font.
- Don’t rehearse. Don’t get to know it, or to own it. Just read through it to yourself.
- Drink lots of coffee on the day you present.
- Grab whatever clothes you want and same with shoes.
- Manage your stage fright by imagining your audience in their underwear.
- Start by telling everyone how nervous you are.
- Speak as quickly as possible, to get it over with.
And that’s all it takes! Follow one or all of these and you’ll be giving it less than your best, and putting yourself through hell, and abusing the audience as well. Or, you can do the opposite and give yourself a fighting chance. More on that, anon.
Dressing for Public Speaking Success.
If you’re planning on giving a presentation or some other form of public speaking, you have to understand that before you can say a single word, what you’re wearing has already spoken for you. Whatever words you speak after are all heard within the framework of that first impression you made.
Do you know what your appearance is saying, or have you not given it much thought?
Too often, people tend to completely overlook this fact, and as a result they fail to take advantage of this competitive edge.
Here’s what I mean: If I’m presenting to a group of senior women in finance, then it behooves me to style myself as one of them. I’ll select wardrobe pieces that are well-made, and flatter my figure as well as my coloring. My hair will be styled, not just pulled back in a scrunchy. My shoes will be in good repair and make me feel both supported and empowered. And even if I showed up in the most expensive jeans, sneakers and a sweat shirt, it wouldn’t matter and they would not be inclined to take me seriously.
- Always check your outfit the day/night before you present, so you’ll have time to fix problems.
- Avoid the head-to-toe black look; it makes you blend in with everyone else (in NYC) at a time when you want to stand out. Try deep ruby, orange, canary yellow, soft pink, bright red etc. touches instead…a scarf, blouse, tie, belt, suspenders.
- Try not to get wrinkled…stand on the subway instead of sitting, take your jacket off and carry it, carry your blouse in a bag and change when you get to your venue.
When you’re presenting, think of it as “Show time” and not just another day at the office. Ideally, you’re going to entertain your audience as well as educate them, and that’s where you get maximum engagement.
And if it’s at all possible, get your cat to test it out.
Stage Fright.
“You manage your emotions or your emotions will manage you.” Basketball coach John Wooden
“You manage your stage fright or your stage fright will manage you.” Public Speaking coach Katie Karlovitz
There’s nothing worse than the terror of being in front of an audience and feeling helpless and out of control. Stress tests have clinically shown that the fear of going on stage equals the fear of going into battle, which explains the “fight or flight” response that so often kicks in before giving a speech. It’s time to confront this head on, because too many good people are being silent when they should be speaking up.
The first thing to understand is that this fear is a type of energy…nothing more or less. Einstein said “All is energy” and he was right. Unfortunately, many people are obsessing over the very thing they wish to avoid, which is a holy terror at being under the spotlight. But the law of attraction dictates that public speaking hell is exactly where they’re heading because that’s where their thoughts lead them.
So the challenge lies in handling the strong physical, mental, and emotional components that are acting on us; by harnessing the energy of fear we can re-direct it and point it squarely at what we want to happen, in this case, giving a confident delivery. Here are the antidotes to the toxic forces in play:
- Physical- the first, best defense is to get your breath under control. Once you do that, the rest of the body has no choice but to follow along. When we’re scared, our breathing becomes shallow, short and gulping for air. By slowing it down, we are able to manage it. Drop down into deep breaths from the diaphragm, inhaling on a slow count of five, holding that breath for five, and then releasing on a slow, controlled count of five. Repeat until you feel grounded and calm.
- Limit your caffeine on days that you’ll be presenting-you don’t need it on top of the adrenaline you’ll be releasing into your bloodstream. Same with sugar…you don’t want anything to be spiking your levels.
- Your mental game needs to be strong-this isn’t the time to allow stray thoughts in, because they can too easily be negative or judgmental and this will only get in your way. Stay firmly focused on your message, whatever it is that you believe is imperative to tell your audience. You can’t tell them everything you know, so make every point matter, stay in the moment and don’t get ahead of yourself.
- Emotional support is another key to handling yourself. Create a mantra that perfectly captures the results you’re aiming for. “I am cool, collected and confident.” “My message and my integrity are clear.” Try assuming an avatar that embodies the qualities you admire…it’s role play and can be effective and fun, too.
Coach Wooden got such spectacular results from his players because he knew how to focus their energies. He never emphasized game results, rather just playing to the best of each person’s ability. He made sure they were well-prepared, so they wouldn’t have to over-think things once on the basketball court.
This is the strategy I use when coaching people, and it works. Place your energy on your preparation, and the nerves will be put in their proper perspective and almost take care of themselves.
How I Handle My Hecklers.
Heckling-
1) transitive verb 2) to harass & try to disconcert with questions, challenges, or jibes: badger
Last year, I was giving a presentation to a room full of entrepreneurs. My slides were in order, the handouts were pre-set and I was prepared, fortunately, for what happened.
Maybe 3-4 minutes in, and a woman interrupts me with a question while I’m in the middle of making a point about…audiences, of all things. I pause, answer her question, and move on. She interrupts me again. This time I expand on my first answer and get back to my talk. She waits about 5 seconds before suddenly veering into dangerous territory, the Nazis and being Jewish in New York City…completely out of the blue as I’m talking about how to give a speech.
This woman was also my invited guest (I’d met her at a networking event) as well as cognitively impaired. My guess is that she’s used to interrupting and getting away with it, and I could also see that she was craving the attention. Do I take it easy on her? Let her enjoy a few minutes of the limelight?
Absolutely not. I stopped her, kept my gaze intently on her, and interrupted her every time she opened her mouth. It finally boiled down to a staring contest, with the rest of the room ping-ponging their heads between the two of us. Then I picked up my speech again, and that was the end of it.
Earlier in my speaking career, I might have gone along with being interrupted, but I’ve learned that there can only be one presenter. If some else tries to steal the focus from you, stand firm no matter what. You’re doing the audience a favor, as well as yourself.