Written by: Jan Bailey, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
We’ve all read the top ten lists of the most common fears and we’ve all laughed at the comedian who suggests most people would rather be in the coffin than deliver the eulogy, and we’ve all sagely nodded in agreement when we read that more people are afraid of public speaking than they are of snakes. I get it, speaking in front of others can trigger fears you never knew you had and one of the biggies is ‘what if I forget what I was going to say?’
As you now know, having read my article on 3 strategies to get your presentation back on track (Bridging a Brain Fart; 3 Strategies to Get your Presentation Back on Track), when you forget what you planned to say, panic is not necessary, because there are techniques you can use to regroup and refocus. What you might not yet know are the Top 5 things that you must not forget before you step in front of any audience. Spoiler alert – they aren’t the 5 you might think.
I’m a communication coach and trainer and work with professionals from sales teams to C-suites, helping them shift their perspective, build their skill and develop their confidence to speak clearly, confidently and concisely in front of any audience. Just like you, these highly skilled, highly intelligent and highly motivated people often feel out of their element when they are asked to present to a group of any size. They certainly do the work to prepare, but…
What you must not forget comes after:
You’ve done the research
You’ve organized your ideas
You’ve prepared a clean and simple slide deck
You’ve rehearsed your talk aloud.
What more work could there possibly be, you ask? There is work to be done to shift your perspective.
The Top 5 Things you must not forget when you’re in front of any room…
1. Never forget – they invited me to speak
Whether you’ve been voluntold by your boss, or you’ve been asked directly by the executive team to come and speak, what’s clear is that you possess some knowledge, expertise or experience that they are interested in. What does that mean? It means that you are the guest of honour. You are the expert in the room and your talk is the gateway to that knowledge the executive team seeks. Okay – so I realize that made it sound a bit like you’re the wizard in a fantasy novel who holds the key to a portal to another dimension; but that’s kind of what it’s like. You have something locked in your brain that’s valuable to the rest of the team or the organization, and you’re not only welcome in the room, you’re integral and you’re encouraged to speak up and share your knowledge. That is something you must not forget.
2. Never forget – this is my specialty
We’ve already established that one of the recurring themes in the fear category is that you’ll be standing in front of your interested audience who has invited you to speak, and you won’t have anything to say. Let’s break it down and dispel that fear. This is what you do, every day; you’re a subject matter expert. You likely have an educational foundation in this subject. You may have many years of experience. You might even belong to an association of like-minded professionals. You actively work in this field a minimum of 5 out of 7 days every week. I am absolutely certain that there’s not a question that could be asked where you wouldn’t be able to answer with an opinion, insight or previous experience, at the very least. You are the specialist, the professional on the ground, the insider… whatever expression you want to use, you have a familiarity and comfort with your specialty that someone has invited you to share. This is something you MUST NOT forget.
3. Never forget – they can’t read my mind
Yes – you’re nervous. That’s okay. As a matter of fact, nervous is better than okay; it demonstrates you’re invested in the outcome and you have some energy to work with so your presentation won’t be dull! Outwardly, however, it’s important for you and for your audience to demonstrate confidence. Though that might sound impossible as you imagine yourself at the head of the boardroom table, exterior calm is not that hard to display. You read my December article (The Twelve Layers of Confidence) and you know that demonstrating confidence is best achieved through a layering approach. Stand up straight, smile, big breath, big voice – and begin. (There are more tips in the article to refresh your memory). As you begin from a confident position, your audience will respond to that tone and you will feel more confident; it’s really a great reinforcing wheel. As you speak and present more, the mental noise will diminish, but for now what goes on in your head is yours and yours alone. That is something you must not forget.
4. Never forget – the audience wants me to do well
People are fascinating and complex, and when we come together in groups, we are even more interesting. Granted, this is not an article on brain science and empathy, – but it kind of is. Both of these things come into play for any audience and it’s helpful to understand how so you – the speaker – can benefit. If we use a computer analogy, empathy is a program that comes loaded when you bring your technology home from the store. It’s, therefore, a hard wired response to ‘feel’ or ‘relate’ to emotional circumstances other people find themselves in. The degree to which you feel, is your own, but empathy is standard human programming. Before we get all squishy and congratulatory, you need to know we are also highly self-centred. Said another way, we like to feel comfortable, have things go our way and as much as possible, be happy. So how does that translate to the audience cheering for you during your presentation?
If empathy for others is natural and happens automatically and you’re standing in front of the room feeling awkward, shaken or completely unnerved… Guess what the audience is feeling? Yup. They feel your discomfort on some level and to some degree and it’s not a great feeling, is it? So, empathetic as your audience is, they want to feel good when they go to a talk, invite a subject matter expert in, or simply ask for an update in a meeting. They want you to succeed because they don’t want to feel ‘cringey’ along with you during your talk.
It’s a circuitous kind of logic, but it absolutely means your audience wants you to do well. This is something you must not forget.
5. Never forget – They want to smile back
Isn’t it amazing that you could walk down the street in a city where you know no one, randomly smile at a stranger and they’ll smile back? It might be fleeting, you’re walking by after all, but it will happen. A smile to a human is a bit like a flag – we smile to signal, I’m friendly or I’m approachable, and the natural (again hard wired) response, from every other human, is to smile back. Now take that information and imagine you’re in front of an audience and you’re feeling some discomfort. Smile. Breathe. Begin. They will smile back and your presentation just got better.
This is something you must not forget.
As a communication trainer specializing in public speaking and presenting, I work with people at all levels of business to improve their confidence in all speaking and presenting scenarios. For more simple strategies and easy to apply tips, follow me on Instagram @ovationspeakers, connect with me, Jan Bailey on LinkedIn or reach out via my website. I’d be delighted to help you give yourself or your team the gift of clear, confident communication; every time you speak.
Jan Bailey, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jan Bailey is a seasoned communication and public speaking trainer specializing in leadership presence, clear communication and confident presenting. Fascinated by the reluctance most people have around speaking up, speaking out and speaking in front of others, Jan set out to change the way people think about public speaking and presenting. More laughter and less lecture, more personality and less powerpoint and a whole lot more confidence means professionals at all levels are more effective communicators. A dynamic speaker, an engaging facilitator and an insightful coach, Jan genuinely believes in the power of effective communication to change lives; personally and professionally.
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