CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – JANUARY 24, 2021
Presentation tip 1: Let go of perfection
If you’d like to be good at something, the first thing to go out the window is the notion of perfection. Every time is I get up to the front of the room, I know I will make mistakes.
I so agree. I get so annoyed by courses, books and articles that claim to help you deliver the perfect presentation. Not only is there no such thing, that type of thinking will sabotage your efforts to deliver a competent, effective and engaging presentation.
Presentation tip 2: It’s normal to be nervous
For years I was in denial about my public speaking fears. After seeing me speak, when people asked whether I get nervous, I always did the stupid machismo thing. I’d smirk, as if to say, “Who me? Only mere mortals get nervous”. At some level, I’d always known my answer was bullshit.
Scott goes onto cite 17 politicians, performers and other famous people who suffer or suffered from stage fright (the past tense is not because they got over it, but because they’re dead).
I love it that a professional speaker admits to fear of public speaking. One of the steps to overcoming the fear of public speaking, is to realise that it’s a normal and near-universal human reaction. Scott quotes Mark Twain:
“There are two types of speakers: those that are nervous and those that are liars.”
Presentation tip 3: Practice, practice, practice… as much as you need to
I stand up at my desk, imagine an audience around me, and present exactly as it were the real thing. If I plan to do something in the presentation, I practice it…I repeat this process until I can get through the entire talk without making major mistakes.
If a professional speaker with hours of speaking experience under his belt, practices, so should you. Note however that Scott doesn’t practice a predetermined number of times – he practices until he can do the talk without major mistakes. That’s a sensible guideline. I was listening to an interview with Alan Weiss about professional speaking. He cited a well-known speaker (though he didn’t name him) who had been giving approximately the same speech for 40 years and claimed to rehearse for 2 hours before every engagement. Alan quipped: “That’s not rehearsal, that’s a learning disability!”
Make It A Champion Day!