Chris Brogan is a smart guy – no doubt about it. He’s also a very accomplished speaker and recently published a blog post titled “Professional Speaking Tips – Get Started.”
It’s an interesting read and you’ll probably think to yourself, “Wow, that’s a lot of money,” when you read the part where he says his speaking fee for next year will be $25,000.
One may imagine that a very small percentage of people will hit the “big time” and score major speaking roles, like Chris.
On the other hand, it is very likely that you will routinely have to give small presentations in front of your peers, or clients. You know, the presentations that make your palms sweat and heart beat at a rapid rate.
Prior to your next presentation keep these five tips in mind:
- Topic – Try your best to present on things you are familiar with, or can become familiar with. Doing so will settle your nerves. If you aren’t comfortable with the material not only will you know, so will the audience.
- Slides – If you use slides try to make them minimalistic if possible. Slides with tons of copy are not only boring, but they make you feel like you have to memorize everything listed and that messes with your nerves.
- The Room – Getting in the room (assuming you are inside) your presentation will be held ahead of time is important. This little step will help you get comfortable with the surroundings and minimize setup pitfalls.
- Practice – I’ll be the first to say that I dislike practicing presentations, but you’ll probably find this to be helpful in the long run. If you’re presenting with a group it’s good to practice (in the actual room if possible) so you can at least get used to transitions and interaction with each other.
- Notes – Short notes on an index card aren’t a crime, but keep them short. Really short. Long winded notes on large sheets of paper will: make you look unprepared (unless it’s a long winded speech) and create anxiety (see #2) around the need to recite everything you’ve written down.
This list could have gone on and on… but you appreciate short blog posts right?
Bottom line: public speaking takes a lot of practice and anything you can do to be more prepared and less apprehensive will help your performance.
