Public speaking is not confined to presenting to large audiences in auditoriums. It’s how we convey our messages in team meetings, client proposals and to everyone we communicate with.
The concept of public speaking and presentations have been completely transformed in the wake of the pandemic. The business world had to quickly adapt to a virtual space; speakers who were previously comfortable presenting in front of a live audience began to feel less confident in an online speaking environment without the body language and the energy of a room that would normally fuel their presentation style. Equally there are those who would have shied away from in-person presenting, who felt more confident and at ease in a virtual room.
With 97% of UK businesses saying they were continuing with hybrid working, presenters need to develop skill sets that enable them to engage their audience wherever the ‘room’ is.
Lights, camera, action
If your meeting is online, ensure that your tech is working and ask that participants put their cameras on too, so you can build an inter-personal connection. If it’s an internal meeting, ask the manager to set the expectation that this is now how meetings run. If it’s an external call, politely set the expectation in the meeting invite, that if possible it would be great if everyone had their cameras on, to build relationships and ensure understanding.
Earn the right to talk on your subject
No one is suggesting you begin a speech by summing up your bio or CV but if you are seeking to establish yourself as the authority on a subject, the audience will need to know that you have earned the right to talk about your topic. The right comes from having experienced an event or by working in a specific industry for several years. This means you can’t just learn words and deliver them.
People pick up on authenticity, sincerity, and emotion in someone’s voice. This is how they measure whether an individual has really connected with the subject matter. It is extremely difficult, for example, for a man to stand in a room and give a talk on the struggles of being a woman. This is an obvious example where the right has not been earned but the point stands; audiences are making an assessment as you speak and deciding whether you have credibility or have earned the right to talk.
Whilst many of us maybe passionate about our subject matter, we are often battling nerves and there are some useful tips and strategies in our piece on How to make an audience listen that can give you a structure and basic principles to get you started.
The basics still matter
In our free guidebook on public speaking, we discuss 8 principles that apply whether you are speaking in public or online:
- Make brief notes of the interesting things you want to mention
- Don’t write out your talks
- Never, never, never memorise a talk word for word
- Fill your talk with illustrations and examples
- Know far more about your subject than you can use
- Instead of worrying about your delivery, find ways of improving it
- Rehearse your talk by conversing with friends
- Don’t imitate others; be yourself
Become a Storyteller
We are human beings; we love to hear stories. A story is “an invitation into a relationship” and that is why they work so well in linking a speaker to their audience. We understand the format in the respect that there is an introduction, a middle part, and then ending or conclusion. That commonly understood structure helps an audience feel connected and included in the narrative. It allows them to give someone permission to make sense of what has been delivered. For this reason, the ability to tell stories should be a key skill in any leader’s arsenal. The connection is strengthened when the speaker allows a chance for Q&A – this format is effective whether you are physically in a room with people or online. An audience doesn’t always want to be talked at, they want to know there is an opportunity for their voices to be part of that story, to show how they connect to what has been said on a human level.
There are some great quick tips in the free learning guide, The Art of Storytelling and in How to Handle a Q and A
Speaking in an Online Space vs Speaking On Stage
In an article entitled The new rules of public speaking, Fortune magazine contends that the pandemic brought a great reset to the public speaking space. The positive aspect of speaking online is that the audience reach is massive, and location becomes irrelevant. The use of infographics and interactive tech means that it can help novices and the more experienced create more compelling content. However, it is really difficult to feel the energy or emotion that is or isn’t being created.
But some would argue that there’s nothing like being in a room when someone inspirational is speaking. The stillness it creates is something palpable, a tangible feeling that shows the speaker and the audience that everyone is engaged. It allows the speaker to modify their pace and pick up on the vibe in the room. It’s an intimate connection allowing the speaker and participants to feed off the energy of the audience. But, the online success of TEDTalks shows that great presentation skills transcend any room and engage an audience whether they are in the room or hundreds of miles away.
Wherever technology leads us, one thing is for certain, the art of communication and presenting is a skill that will never go out of fashion.
