10 Steps to Better Speaking

from Able Leader, June 2009

by Steve Kaye

Your presentations reveal a lot about your leadership ability.

That’s why some people deserve to be afraid of public speaking.

It’s not that they’re incompetent. It’s because they know that they are about to do something awful that will make them appear incompetent.

Here are ten things that will help you speak with the confidence of an effective leader.

1) Be focused. Focus begins with understanding the goal for your presentation. Recognize that this may be complex. That is, the audience, the client (person who asked you to speak), and you (the speaker) may have different goals. Your success depends upon a) determining these goals and b) blending them into a coherent achievement for your presentation.

2) Be prepared. This step is so obvious, you may wonder why I included it. And yet, many people attempt to invent a presentation on the spot. Preparation includes writing an outline of key points, drafting a script, and then rehearsing until you know the presentation. Note that this does not mean memorizing a script because attempting to recite from memory causes more problems than it avoids.

Important: If you are too busy to complete these first two steps, you are too busy to deal with the problems that will follow an unfocused, unprepared presentation. In that case, I recommend rescheduling your presentation.

3) Be ready. Arrive early. Use this time to connect equipment, test the sound system, and prepare the room. Bring an assistant, if possible, who can help remove distractions (such as charts from the previous meeting), move furniture, and distribute notes. Realize that when you speak, you own the room. Thus, make sure that the venue reflects your values.

4) Be consistent. Everything that you do must support your message. This includes your clothes, your manner, your credentials, your words, your materials, . . . , everything. For example, if you are speaking about health, you must appear healthy. If you are speaking about a project’s status, you must look like a project leader. And so on.

5) Be compassionate. Present your ideas from the viewpoint of how your audience would find them most useful. That is, talk about them instead about yourself. Involve their minds in the flow of your ideas. Put them in your stories. Acknowledge their reactions to key points in your presentation.

6) Be clear. Plan a logical flow of information. Avoid jargon, trendy terms, and obscure words. Recognize that complex ideas require simple sentences. Use slides that everyone can read. Thus, put as few words as possible on the slides. Minimize (or avoid) gimmicks (e.g., bouncing text, fancy fonts, and wild colors) because these hinder comprehension.

7) Be original. Create your own cartoons and humor. Tell your own stories. Use your own learning activities. "Borrowing" from others is unethical, illegal, and just plain wrong. Speakers have been sued by authors (or cartoonists) for using their copyrighted materials. In addition, speakers risk being second when they use other people’s material. Then the audience groans.

8) Be courageous. People are more receptive when they feel safe. Thus, create a comfortable environment that allows people to open their minds. Answer all questions and respond to all comments with respect. Never insult, ridicule, or attack anyone, even if this person seems to be disrupting your presentation.

9) Be authentic. That is, be yourself without pretense, without gimmicks, and without theatrics. People want authenticity. Then they respond with trust and agreement. On the other hand, when people discover a fake, they demonstrate their resentment with hostile comments and questions.

10) Be gracious. Leave the audience feeling impressed with themselves. If appropriate, create opportunities for people to be funny, clever, or correct. Give the audience set up lines that lead them into being the stars in your program. Ask questions that let them show what they know.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300