presentation coach

Common courtesy...

Over the years of coaching and conducting clinics on presentation skills, I’ve tried to calm some of my clients’ worst fears about public speaking by reassuring them their audiences are dependably tolerant and polite souls.

Don’t worry, I say, your audience won’t walk out on you.

I’m beginning to think I’ve been giving the wrong advice.

Could it be bad presentations are perpetuated because we audiences are so polite?

Is our genteel practice of sitting through to the bitter end ultimately giving permission to those who would fritter away our time with content that is pointless, PowerPoint slides that are spectacularly meaningless, stagecraft that is graceless?

What if we, as the audience, did indeed walk out?

Not in a huff, mind you. Just quietly rose from our seats and stepped through the door.

What if we started to make clear that we no longer would tolerate speakers who were blatantly unprepared, unrehearsed or unable to make a point?

I’m not talking about the performance of the painfully shy junior staffer who must deliver a report at the monthly managers’ meeting, or the reticent parent who’s been dragooned to summarize the committee’s work on the neighborhood school festival. For them at these frightful moments, we can only reply with tender mercy.

I’m talking about the folks who ought to know better, who ought to do better, when stepping in front of an audience.

The experts, the elected officials, and business leaders who, by virtue of their position, know they are going to be asked to speak before a meeting of Rotarians or Kiwanians or Soroptomists, or to colleagues at a conference or citizens attending a town hall.

The speakers who ask to be invited to make their case to a group, then consider their work done once the invitation arrives.

The speakers who blow off suggestions of help by declaring “I know this stuff; I talk about it all the time. Put up a few Excel graphs and bullet lists, and it’s a done deal.”

The speakers who seemingly work harder positioning their reputations than preparing their presentations.

So, what would the world be like if audiences gave themselves permission to slip away when threatened by a dreadful presentation?

Well, maybe, just maybe, some folks would begin to invest a little more time and thought into crafting a good presentation, rather than waiting until the last moment and then winging it.

Perhaps speakers would work smarter to prepare themselves (like learning how to use their digital projector, for instance), rather than prey on the gracious indulgence of the audience.

Perhaps speakers would make the effort to read through their remarks (at least once) in advance, solicit the honest critique of a colleague, even seek out a coach to polish some basic delivery skills… do something to protect the interests of the audience.

Perhaps we, as the audience, would get better value for the time we invest attending the presentation.

So, okay, rather than offering gentle reassurances, maybe I should start saying this instead to folks concerned about speaking in public:

“Your audience won’t walk out on you IF you’ve done your best to prepare and can demonstrate your readiness to present…

“IF you’ve structured a cohesive, rational narrative of your points and conclusions…

“IF you use only those graphics that help you clarify your point rather than lard it down with extraneous visual clutter and slideware whizbangs…

“IF you put your audience’s needs first over your own…

“IF you are authentic in the delivery of your message rather than detached and passionless…

“And IF your message is clear, succinct, memorable and not vague, meandering or weak.

“This isn’t about the audience agreeing with what you say. That’s a function of your persuasiveness in the case you make. It is about the audience sticking around long enough to hear you say it, and that’s a privilege you must earn by respecting their investment of time and attention.

“Otherwise, people will — and should — walk out.

“It’s up to you.”

So, what do you think? Would it make a difference?

Managing fear...

What distinguishes seasoned public speakers from the relatively inexperienced?

The veterans know the fear never goes away. They’ve also learned the first step to coping with — perhaps even conquering — fear is understanding what really motivates it.

Consider this question: What is the worst thing you believe will happen to you when you speak to an audience?

Think. The worst thing.

I pose this question to folks in my presentation skills clinics who tell me (and others) how much they dread public speaking. I ask them to probe their respective terrors.

Does anyone admit a fear of being shot or pelted with rocks or driven from the stage by sharp sticks?

No.

It seems their fears are much more prosaic.

They fear their minds will go blank and they’ll forget what they were going to say next.

They fear not being able to think on their feet and respond intelligently if asked a difficult question.

They fear not making a good impression.

They fear they will fail. Nothing specific, mind you, just fail in some general sense.

These are real, tangible concerns among many people, certainly.

And each of them can be managed.

For instance, are you afraid of your mind going blank in the middle of your presentation? Here’s what you can do:

Learn to use notes. Not a script (pleeeze), but brief memory joggers, bullets, keywords. Write them on an index card that can be held discretely in the palm of your hand as you speak (no lectern required). There’s no shame in using a “cheater.” In fact, audiences will appreciate you for making the effort to stay on track and thus give them better value for their time.

Afraid of a tough question?

Preparation is the best antidote here. Make and take the time to anticipate and talk through the most difficult questions that could be asked about your topic.

This is a tool I often use in my media clinics to prep spokespersons for an interview. After all, it’s not the easy questions you worry about. It’s the hard ones. So spend your prep time there, systematically reviewing your ideas, your positions, your responses. Be your own worst tormentor and interrogate yourself brutally. Give yourself no quarter.

As you formulate your potential replies, rehearse them aloud. Get comfortable with your choice of words. Find a mirror and become aware of your physical mannerisms (defensively crossed arms or timidly hunched shoulders, perhaps?) as you deliver your response.

Do this and when tough questions do come up, you may just avoid that horribly surprised and frightened look on your face and proceed to speak with calm and persuasive confidence.

(By the way, never be afraid to say “I don’t know” when you don’t know. Your candor will mean more to your audience than you trying to fake it with obfuscation and doublespeak. The first answer says you lack the answers. The second says you don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s a difference.)

As for leaving a good impression, ultimately that’s not as much up to you as it is up to your audience. They decide how well you’ve done. What you can do to influence the outcome, however, is be ready to speak, be dressed appropriately, deliver your message with clarity and confidence, and above all, respect your audience’s needs and time. Certainly that’s not beyond your reach.

Remember your purpose in speaking is not about you, it’s about your audience and what they hope to learn from you.

Being afraid is not in itself a bad thing … unless you fail to be honest and specific about it with yourself. Confront your fears by identifying exactly what you’re afraid of. Put a face to the beast so you can look it in the eye. That single act alone may just be enough to drain away much of your anxiety as you prepare to manage your fear and give your audience the presentation they expect and deserve.