By the time we graduate from college, we’ve already seen more boring lectures, more killjoy presentations, and more life-sucking, five-hour speeches than any one person should EVER see. So why, when it’s time to give their first talk, do so many people engage in the same drool-inducing behavior?
I’ll tell you why. Because most people think of public speaking as imparting information, when really it’s a big show. The best speakers are entertainers, hilarious, engaging, and larger than life. They better be – why else would anyone give up their precious time to sit in a freakishly cold room with a bunch of strangers drinking the same bad coffee?
The best compliment I ever received came from a student at Columbia University. After my speech he came up to me and asked me if I was an actor. (Take that, Drama Club geeks!) The student was entertained by my presentation performance, and because of that I’ll bet he still remembers at least some of it. I would even go so far as to say his life was altered by the experience. That’s right. I said it.
Here are my Top Five Public Speaking Tips:
1. Speak to the Wall Huggers – If you do nothing else, I beg you to speak to the back of the room. Even if the only person at the back of the room is a homeless person who wandered in for the free cookies, make sure you’re loud enough for him to get the message.
Most people think they’re louder than they actually are. Combine that with the early “inside voice” training we all learn in kindergarten and it’s easy to understand why so many public speakers seem to be muttering under their breath. I say, go big or go home.
2. Ditch the Words – If you’re going with PowerPoint slides or some other visual aid, limit it to pictures or diagrams and speak your words instead. No one wants to read your speech on the wall – they want to see and hear your presentation performance. They want to connect with you, not an overhead projector.
Less is more when it comes to any visual aids. You are the main attraction, so let the focus be on you and your message. And they better be interesting, highly informative, or pee-in-your-pants funny. Otherwise you’re diverting the attention of your audience for no reason, which is a waste of their time.
3. Better Yet, Ditch the Slides – Think about the best speech, seminar, or lecture you ever saw. What do you remember from the PowerPoint presentation? Nothing, right? That’s because there wasn’t one! The best public speakers go solo. They don’t need anything but a mike and a room full of wide-eyed drones just waiting to be entertained.
Again, people want to see YOU. Just type up the key points of your speech and give it away as a handout. This will free you up from having to hit every point and allow you to spontaneously engage with your audience.
4. Entertain, Entertain, Entertain – People love anecdotes, the personal stories that relate to the topic of your presentation performance. Every speech should have several well-placed, relevant stories that will entertain your audience and reinforce your message.
If you can tell a great joke, by all means tell many. If you can’t tell a joke, study those who can. Sitting through a dry, humorless speech is like having your brain cells removed one by one. You better be able to get at least a few chuckles from the crowd. Make ‘em laugh and they’re yours forever.
5. Switch It Up – Humans are very good at recognizing patterns, and your audience will be able to predict your next move within the first ten minutes of your speech. Keep your audience on their toes by varying the pace of your presentation performance, changing the length of your pauses, and even the pitch of your voice.
Switching things up helps keep things interesting for you, too. Make regular tweaks to your presentation performance, testing the audience reaction. Take risks, try a new approach, anything to ensure you and your audience are having a great time.
And if you come up with a great gimmick like Jud Laipply’s Evolution of Dance, make sure one of your buds is rocking the video camera. Designed to both entertain his audience and get his point across, Laipply’s six-minute dance-a-thon ended up making him a household name. Which, I might add, is never bad for business.
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