Be Yourself When You Give a Speech
(How to Be Authentic)
The trick to being a good communicator,
whether you’re speaking to a small gathering or to a
packed auditorium, is to be yourself. Which isn’t as easy
as it sounds.
I was working with a team from an
engineering company. They were preparing for an oral
proposal, trying to win a government contract.
The team leader was lively and engaging
every time he spoke to me. He was excited about his project,
and he let it show. He spoke to me simply without making me
feel like an idiot. And he had a warm voice.
But during rehearsals, he became a
completely different person.
He talked the way he thought a speaker
should – in a low, solemn monotone. He clasped his hands
in front of him in a fig-leaf pose. He used big words. And
he was boring.
I convinced him to go back to speaking
the way he naturally did – only a little louder and
bigger. (The team won the contract.)
To be as natural giving a speech as you
are most of rest of the time, do this:
- Hold a Conversation
Don’t give a speech. Talk to your audience the
way you’d talk to one or two other people you care
about. (You will, probably, need to raise your volume and
energy level, and you’ll want to plan out what you say.)
- Say "You" and "I" and
"We"
Speak the way you naturally do.
- Avoid Big Words
Don’t try to impress people by sounding smart.
Make them feel smart by explaining yourself simply and
clearly. If you must use jargon, explain it immediately.
- Speak to One Person at a Time
Even if you’re addressing hundreds of people,
choose one person, look him or her in the eyes, and speak
for 8 to 10 seconds. Then look at someone else somewhere
else in the audience and do it again.
- Listen
Your audience members are constantly giving
you feedback – by their posture, body language, and eye contact. So pay
attention to the signals they’re giving and respond.
The Witt Communications Newsletter contains advice for
improving your ability to present yourself and your ideas in
a way that wins people's cooperation. It comes out once a
month. Subscribe here.
Also see "How to
Give a Speech".
For information about how Chris Witt can help you become a more
powerful speaker, contact
us.
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