OK you're giving a live, important presentation to a large audience. For the sake of argument this is not something you do on a regular basis, or something you relish.
You might be a little nervous about your presentation, so you turn to friends or the internet for some public speaking advice. As you do, you'll undoubtedly hear or read this strange bit of folkloric wisdom:
You might be a little nervous about your presentation, so you turn to friends or the internet for some public speaking advice. As you do, you'll undoubtedly hear or read this strange bit of folkloric wisdom:
Just Be Yourself! Act Natural!
The problem with this advice is that you'll find yourself in a completely unnatural environment – Hey you are alone in front of a large group of people, lights shining in your face, a mike wire dangling from your lapel, a huge visual displays behind you. THIS IS NOT NORMAL So how do you go about being "natural" in what is an unnatural environment?
Now what if your "natural, normal" self is shy, nervous, or introverted? How does that help?
Telling a nervous speaker to "act naturally" on stage, just sets them up for a fall. Rather than trying to "act naturally", or be normal whatever that is. Why not try one of these three more specific courses of action?
1. You can make the environment seem more natural.
Now what if your "natural, normal" self is shy, nervous, or introverted? How does that help?
Telling a nervous speaker to "act naturally" on stage, just sets them up for a fall. Rather than trying to "act naturally", or be normal whatever that is. Why not try one of these three more specific courses of action?
1. You can make the environment seem more natural.
Nothing takes the nerves out of a presentation like a real, live, full dress rehearsal. Get lots of practice! Physically walk on the stage. Feel the lights on your face, the audio pack on your belt, the video remote in your hand.
Once you've experienced your surroundings, the stage environment is going to seem more natural. What you are doing is preparing your brain for the real thing. Once it has seen a situation it’s at ease and less of an opportunity to feel nervous.
2. If you're going to be yourself, be your best.
2. If you're going to be yourself, be your best.
There's really no point in being yourself if you're naturally shy and retiring. Getting up on stage without professional help mat do you more harm than good. Find a professional speech writer, and speaking coach to help you and deliver of your best. The other benefit is they will help you overcome your natural fears, the ones we all have when we start out. Some of the most famous speakers started out being frightened of speaking in public.
As Red Adair said “If you thing hiring a professional is expensive, wait till you try an amateur!”
3. You can be someone else.
OK, that’s not feasible is it? But you can funnel the spirit and passion of someone you admire into your presentation. Think about projecting their personality when you speak. This actually takes your speech out of the realm of "presentation" and into the arena of a "performance." You may know it by another name, acting! No doubt you may have heard that audiences find a good performance highly entertaining and an enriching experience.
Once you know who you are and are comfortable with the stage, you may do this naturally. You might do even better to act appropriately for the audience and the situation.
Anyway, what exactly does it mean to "be yourself?"
Once you know who you are and are comfortable with the stage, you may do this naturally. You might do even better to act appropriately for the audience and the situation.
Anyway, what exactly does it mean to "be yourself?"
Catch up with you again soon!
Paul Johnstone is the founder of
The Paradigm Shakers
Providers of Thought Provoking Training
Delivered by Subject Matter Experts
http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/
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