Observe – Practice – Speak!

Observe

There are many options to observe speakers, on and off-line. Regularly, take advantage of as many of them as possible.

If you’re in the audience of a live presentation you are given a better perspective than just watching video or listening to a speech. It’s tough to beat a live performance and the reactions of others in attendance gives additional interpretations of the performance!

Look with a critical eye and listen with a critical ear to the content and delivery.

• What do you like and want to incorporate in your own speeches?
  • Prioritize those things, looking at ease of emulating, and the impact they will have on your audience.
• What do you find distracting, irrelevant to the message, or annoying?
  • Are you doing any of those things?

Practice

Practicing your presentation is not optional.

• Practice with an audio recorder.
  • Note enunciation and pronunciation, cadence, inflection, projection, and pauses.
  • Are you using any “filler” words that distract from your talk?
    • “Ah” “Um” “Like” “So” “You know” and others should be replaced with a: P-a-u-s-e.
• Practice with friends and family.
  • Ask specifically:
    • “What one part of the presentation did you like and why?”
      
    • “Please give me two suggestions for improving my content and delivery.”
• Practice in your “mind’s eye.”
  • “See” yourself comfortable and confidently presenting.
  • “See” the audience “leaning in,” and GETTING IT!
• Video your presentation.
  • The First Time you use that video, turn off the sound – just watch.
    • Nonverbal communication trumps verbal. We believe what we see.
    • What messages are you receiving from your gestures, facial expressions, posture, and body movements?
  • The Second Time you use it, don’t watch –  just listen.
    • You will hear things that you would’ve heard if you were watching.
      • Maybe some “ahs,” “errs,” “smack, smack, smack.” Things like that.
      • Perhaps you use filler words that are distractions.
  • Third Time –  watch and listen!
    • You will see and hear what the audience sees and hears.
  • There’s a Fourth Thing to do. Get someone to watch and listen with you.
    • We all have blind spots. We can’t see and hear everything the audience will see and hear. Get their advice.
  • Then, repeat. Take that great advice – do the video, again.
    • Practice – Practice – Practice. Video it.
    • Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Speak!

The Learning is in the Doing!

• If you want to be a great swimmer – Swim!
• If you want to be a superb chef – Cook!
• If you want to be a excellent speaker – Speak! 

You can watch videos, observe other speakers, read about presentations, and practice – practice – practice. That’s all good, but . . .

The Learning is in the Doing!

Take and Make as many “Speaking Opportunities!” as you can.

• Speak where you work.
• Speak where you worship.
• Speak at associations and clubs you belong to.
• Speak at Meetups, Chambers of Commerce, and other networking events.

Find those “Speaking Opportunities!” and Grab them! Then develop, practice, and deliver a presentation using all the components, parts, and elements of “NO SWEAT Public Speaking!”

Do that and I guarantee – your next presentation will be absolutely, positively – NO SWEAT!

Photo Credit: aronalison Flickr via Compfight cc

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