Whether it's getting up in front of an audience of 1,000 guests or ten overworked employees, public speaking can be unnerving. Michael Weitz and Abigail Tenembaum, founders of Virtuozo, coach everyone from TED speakers to CEOs to express their message effectively.
"It's like a musical instrument, everybody can learn with enough practice," says Tenembaum. This is their advice for getting your point across.
How to speak confidently in public
"One thing that is critical is knowing your key message," says Tenembaum. "It sounds simple but often articulating the idea in a concise way is the hardest thing." Once you understand your point, it will be easier to express it. Also understand who your audience is: a common mistake is to put yourself as the audience. Instead, think about who they are at that exact moment. "Even the same audience is different at 9am on a Monday than it is after a long day of presentations at 5pm."
Look at them, don't stare, but speak directly to them and check they are staying engaged. "A lot of people launch into their message and don't check back in with the audience until they're done," says Weitz, when instead your attention should be on them the entire time. "It's more than eye contact," he adds. "Make sure they're engaged, and if they aren't, adjust." That might mean throwing aside the PowerPoint, or adding in a personal anecdote if your message can go off-script.
Don't think about your words. "If you ask attendees of TED talks what drives them crazy, it's when speakers talk like they're reciting a memorised text," says Weitz. "They want the speaker to be speaking directly to them." Don't get bogged down trying to recall your talk word for word. "Remember, people don't know what you've prepared," says Tenembaum, explaining that people are impressed by passion, emotion and data. "They don't care about the words, they care about the meaning."
Words should not get in the way of your message. Don't use jargon: your audience will not relate to obscure language. "As an audience, we tend to notice written language as opposed to spoken language," says Tenembaum, so using words more at home in a textbook will isolate you. Speak slowly and assertively. "If you speak fast in a low voice, your impact will not be what it could have been." And practice; just reciting the beginning and the end will improve your presentation.
If you have a sudden memory lapse, don't panic. "Most people will put their foot on the accelerator," says Weitz. "But do the opposite, put your foot on the brake. Take a moment, take a breath. The audience will think you are making a dramatic point." As long as your eyes stay on the audience, and not the ceiling or the floor, they will be none the wiser. "You're in a different time zone from the audience," says Weitz, so 30 seconds might seem like minutes to you, but will breeze by for the audience.
When you pace up and down the stage it's distracting to the audience. "You need to give a nice clear signal that the audience can tune into," says Weitz. "And pacing around or meandering can take away from that strong signal." Instead, think about the key points you are going to make and move to emphasise them. "Turn to somebody else in the room after a key point to make it more dramatic," suggests Weitz, "or walk to a different part of the stage if you want a change of energy."
"Michael says that hands are the analogue version of PowerPoint," says Tenembaum. But you shouldn't plan your movements like you would your slides. "When we are explaining things our body will naturally make gestures that can enhance our communication abilities," says Weitz, "and that can enhance the way people understand things." Try not to focus too much on it; it's like breathing - when you think about it, it becomes irregular, but when you don't, it happens naturally.
"Everything sends a message," says Tenembaum. "Not just the words you're saying." So be aware of your body language as it can put a barrier between you and the audience. And if what you're saying conflicts with your body language, the audience will notice something is out of sync. "When we receive a message, we tend to lean more towards the body language," says Tenembaum. "If a manager tells his team he trusts them with his arms crossed, it's likely his message won't get through."
Make sure that your tone reiterates the point you are making. "Tone gives meaning," says Tenembaum. If you give a statistic - for example, sales went up by 35 per cent - the tone will reveal whether that is positive or negative. It can also switch up the tempo. "Our brain is an efficient machine that will try to save energy," says Tenembaum, "so it will go into power-save mode if it can." Bring variety to your tone, pace and the content to keep away from being monotone.
This article was originally published in WIRED magazine in August 2015.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
