by Cam Barber
Does it even follow that you’ll be able to engage your audience more effectively by removing all rough edges from your speech? No. The promise you make to your audience in a business presentation is different to the promise you make if you put on a Broadway play. A Broadway play makes the promise that professional actors will learn a script perfectly and never make a mistake. This is just not the world of business presentations. Your promise to your audience is that the information will be relevant, useful, clear and show them the value of your idea. So what if you stumble on your words a couple of times.
Sure, it makes sense to reduce distractions like excessive use of ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’ - because they could reduce the impact of your explanations. (Although, if your talk is dull or hard to follow, the audience, in their boredom, might start to focus on distractions – like how often you touch your nose or say ‘um’. However, if your ideas are compelling they won’t notice or care about your fidgeting).
The impact of your ‘rough edges’ fits on a sliding scale. For example, if there are more ‘ums’ than words, your talk will be harder to follow. In the end you need to work out the right balance for your style. Real people often have idiosyncratic (even distracting) mannerisms, but these will be forgiven if you engage your audience.
So, damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead with clarity of message and natural style, rough edges and all. Being clear and genuine is far more compelling than being perfect.
Myth 5: You need a particular kind of voice
Some people worry they can never be a successful speaker because their voice isn’t ‘right’ for it. It’s not true. Nor is the converse; having a beautiful ‘radio voice’ doesn’t make you a good speaker.
When I coached a senior public servant with political aspirations she told me that five years previously, she was advised by a speaking expert that as a woman she needed to have a low timbre in her voice to demonstrate gravitas. And what did she get from this advice? Five years of second guessing every word she uttered and increasing public speaking anxiety as a result.
Even if this myth were true what should you do? Never speak again? And what are the consequences of trying to change your voice? Huge amounts of wasted effort and increasing paranoia.
Any voice can be compelling and credible if it is used with certainty.
Many radio announcers, with classic rich voices, have become business managers, but their voices don’t give them any advantage over their ‘off air’ counterparts when it comes to seeking funding for their strategies or Board support for their projects. What wins support is a relevant message, not a pretty voice.
We’ve been exposed to historical speeches where the likes of Churchill and John F. Kennedy use stirring, theatrical voices. Martin Luther King Jr used dramatic tremors in his voice to build excitement in his ‘I have a dream’ speech. But isn’t the context a little different for your next business presentation? Do you think you’ll have more impact with dramatic tremors in your voice trumpeting “I.. have.. a.. spreadsheet..!”
A Barry White voice might sound wonderful on a fur rug in front of a fire, but it won’t give you an advantage at the yearly conference.
Myth 6: You need acting skills
We’ve talked about this. Yet so many presentation skills trainers are actors.
I recently coached the CEO of a company that hosts some of the world’s best speakers. She was due to open for Jim Collins in front of 2,500 people and was nervous. She had put off dealing with her public speaking anxiety for years, but this was an important event and she wanted to shine.
Before we spoke, she had attended a 2-day course at NIDA, the National Institute of Dramatic Arts. The course was run by actors, as so many presentation skills courses are. She learnt some great breathing techniques, however the acting model added so much drama (pardon the pun) to public speaking, she was overwhelmed and uncertain by day 2.
Later, we had a coaching session that debunked the myths, removed the burden of competing with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and refocused her attention on what mattered - structuring her ideas, testing them out loud, and talking naturally. A few days later she opened the Jim Collins event with charm and humour!
Of course, that’s just one person’s experience. You might learn some useful stuff in an acting course: breathing, pausing, timing, stage presence and more. But ask yourself: what’s the impression you’re left with when actors run presentation courses? Does the comparison with professional actors send a message that public speaking is effortless? That you can be yourself when speaking? That you don’t need to change who you are?
Or, is the implication that you need to be as good as someone who puts on a play at the Opera House? The acting skills requirement leaves many participants with rounded shoulders from the pressure, believing there is so much to learn to be good.
My suggestion is to focus on the easy way first (The Vivid Method in the 2nd half of this book) and then decide if you need to spend the time to add acting skills as cream on the cake.
The acting myth feeds a belief that delivering a presentation is more about performance than substance. Ironically, we’ve found that reducing the focus on performance improves delivery skills more quickly and with less effort.
Why?
Because you’re not spending so much energy worried about ‘performing’, you get out of your own way and just explain your ideas. And amateur acting can look wooden or robotic, hindering your ability to connect with an audience.
The challenge of creating better business presentations won’t be solved by better acting. It’ll be solved with compelling messages and great explanations.
Myth 7: You must rehearse for hours
Practice! Practice! Practice! This is often touted as the secret to successful public speaking.
Of course practice is helpful. Testing your ideas out loud and refining your presentation increases clarity and builds certainty. However, we’ve found (from working with over 15,000 people) that a short rehearsal is usually better than a long rehearsal. You can build certainty with very little rehearsal time. (I’ll show you the 1-minute rehearsal later in the book.)
Over-rehearsing can be a problem, an obstacle to being in the moment. On the day, the voice inside our head compares what we are saying to our best rehearsal, rather than focusing on explaining our points now. Our attention is directed away, trying to remember the words we practiced, rather than being present and flowing in our explanations.
Also, there is a huge difference between directed practice and misdirected practice. For example, practicing with the intent to remember every word can waste a lot of time and energy. And this kind of practice can be tinged with the anxiety that accompanies the need for perfection. It’s exhausting! Whereas directed practice can be almost effortless.
Most of my clients have decided that the best way to rehearse is NOT to remember it word-for-word. They practice the start, the end and key points. They get completely clear on the structure, the messages and where the explanations fit in the structure. Then they trust that they will be able to form engaging sentences on the day. Some clients like to do a run-through of the whole presentation or speech, particularly on a new subject, but never attempt to remember every word.
For many, the 1-minute rehearsal works best. Here are some of it’s benefits over a full rehearsal:
It takes less time.
You can do it a few times with minimal effort.
Your presentation is mentally lighter and easier to remember.
The focus on key points and structure gives you more flexibility.
It reduces mental steps, so you avoid overwhelm.1
The 3 parts of the Vivid Method…
In today’s world, there are few roles that allow you to completely avoid public speaking or presentations. If you shy away from public speaking, you miss opportunities to demonstrate your competence, your wisdom, your value.
Given that fear of public speaking is regularly ranked as people’s number 1 fear
, mastering it can expand your self-image and extend your range.
The Vivid Method simplifies public speaking and shows you how to dissolve the associated anxiety. You might also find that the tools to control anxiety can be applied in other areas of life.
The method has been designed to guide you step-by-step. It has 3 parts:
1. The 5 Principles to control nerves and think clearly.
2. The Speech Outline process to clarify and structure your ideas.
3. Options to give Great Explanations and engage your audience.
1 ‘Overwhelm’ is now a noun! I’ll use the word ‘Overwhelm’ as a noun. I’m told it’s a verb but if Shakespeare can invent new words, surely I can repurpose one that addresses the biggest issue many of us face this information overload age.
VIVID METHOD PART ONE: THE CLARITYFIRST PRINCIPLES
Ok, we’ve cleared away the myths. Now let’s look at the principles that will help you think clearly and control nerves:
Principle 1: All anxiety is caused by uncertainty.
Principle 2: Message transfer is your measure of success.
Principle 3: We all have the closeness problem.
Principle 4: Your natural style is the right style.
Principle 5: You can control anxiety by understanding it.
PRINCIPLE 1: ALL ANXIETY IS CAUSED BY UNCERTAINTY
When I get phone calls from people who want coaching help for their big presentation, it often becomes clear that they are unsure what they will cover, unsure about what’s expected of them at the event and/or unsure about their ability to do it well. In other words, they are full of uncertainty. The conversation might go something like this:
Cam: “So, what’s your speaking event?”
Caller: “I just know it’s a big industry thing and I need to impress. My PA has a brochure with the details.”
Cam: “What will you be speaking about?”
Caller: “I haven’t decided yet. There are many things I could cover.”
Cam: “What are others at the event speaking about?”
Caller: “Good question. They might be listed in that brochure…”
You can see that there are multiple elements of uncertainty in the mind of the speaker – and each one generates anxiety. While some level of anxiety is normal and healthy, out-of-control anxiety is not normal or healthy and will reduce the impact of your presentation. And make it much less fun!
The first ClarityFirst principle is that ‘All anxiety is the result of feelings of uncertainty’. In other words, the more uncertainty you have about an upcoming presentation, the more nervous you’re likely to feel.
The opposite is also true: the more you feel prepared, and the clearer you are about your subject, the venue and what your audience expects, the less nervous you will be.
Do you get nervous about being nervous?
It is hard to overstate the impact of uncertainty.
Research demonstrates that uncertainty can impact our physical strength, confidence in our proven abilities and even weaken our immune system.
One example of this is the work of psychologist Stanley Schachter. He set up an experiment in which participants were given a drug similar to adrenaline. The participants were then divided into two groups: one group was told to expect good feelings and given regular feedback that they were having the time of their lives during the experiment; the other group was told that the drug might bring on some bad feelings, and given feedback that the experience might be negative.
Despite the input (the drug) being identical for each group, those who expected good feelings and were given feedback that made them feel certain about what was happening, reported enjoying the rush of adrenaline. While the group that was filled with uncertainty and told they might have a bad experience reported feelings of negative anxiety.
Uncertainty weakens your mind and body
Another example is a simple muscle test. Imagine your name is Joe Smith. You hold one arm horizontally in front of you and say out loud, ‘I am Joe Smith’. If I were to push down on your arm, your resistance (strength) would be high. If, on the other hand, you did the same thing but you said, ‘My name is Angelina Jolie and I am an astronaut’, I would feel much lower resistance when I pushed down on your arm. While uncertainty seems like a mental issue, it has a significant physical impact.
The challenge when preparing for a speech is that our mind can start posing questions that can’t be easily answered. For example;
• How will I be judged?
• What if I forget something?
• What if I embarrass myself?
• Have I prepared well enough?
• What if I can’t answer the questions?
If you don’t resolve the uncertainty these questions generate they will magnify anxiety and the resulting physical symptoms: a pounding heart, shaking hands, feeling sick, a shaking voice, a dry mouth – the list goes on. Your mind and body can be overwhelmed.
Conversely, resolving questions like these ahead of time can boost your energy and give you an enormous sense of direction as you head into your presentation.
Of course, we can’t have complete certainty about everything – and nor would we want it. 100% certainty in life would be pretty boring! We also need to be able to adapt to our audience’s needs – their questions will vary from meeting to meeting, for instance. And we need to be able to adapt to something going wrong, such as the technology not working (more on that later).
Four ways to get more certainty
This principle is powerful because it’s simple, it’s universally true in life, and it kick-starts your brain to think about your speech more consciously. Say Principle 1 out loud now; “All anxiety is caused by uncertainty”. A practical thought might pop into your head now; ‘Mmm, what are the areas of uncertainty for me, for this particular presentation… and what can I do to get more certainty about them.’
Here are 4 areas to start with to increase the level of certainty going into a speech or presentation:
1. Know your speaking environment
What will the room be like? Will there be a stage? A lectern? What data projection equipment will be available? How will the chairs (and tables) be laid out? Will someone introduce you? Who speaks before and after you?
If you know the venue, great. If not, these questions can be answered by a visit to the venue before your talk or, a phone call to someone who can paint a clear picture for you. And don’t be afraid to send your preferences to the organisers ahead of time; rather than just accepting the environment you are given; you can have some control over it.
A good example is microphones; some people are happy to stand behind a lectern and use the fixed microphones provided, while others (including me) are most comfortable with a wireless lapel or head microphone and the freedom to move around this provides.
What about the remote ‘clicker’ used to advance slides? Have you ever arrived at a venue and been handed something that looks like a television remote control, with 20 or 30 buttons? I’ve seen presenters take on a dazed expression as they try to work out the correct button to accomplish the simple task of moving to the next slide. This adds uncertainty when there is a simple solution. Bring your own clicker. They are widely available, inexpensive and you’ll always have certainty about how it works.
So, get more certainty about your speaking environment by asking questions. Get to the venue early to check out the room to test your technology and get a feel for the layout.
2. Get clear on key message and structure
We’ll cover ‘getting clear on message and structure’ in Part 2 of the Method, so there’s no need to go into it now. Suffice to say, plenty of delicious certainty is created when we’re clear on message and structure.
3. Anticipate potential questions
This is an area that often throws highly prepared speakers. They put so much work into their positive argument, they don’t consider the opposing view - and are not prepared to coun
ter it when it comes up. Their presentation goes beautifully … until they are put off balance by a difficult question. There’s nothing worse than a speaker visibly surprised at a question, it appears they haven’t thought their argument through.
Of course, some questions will be difficult to answer, but we never want to look shell-shocked or be at a loss for words. And we never have to be, because it only takes a few minutes to prepare for difficult questions.
The best way is to imagine a hostile person at the back of the room shouting out the hardest possible questions you can think of. Write the questions down. Write them in the most aggressive language you can imagine. There are generally no more than 2 to 5 big questions.
Now, next to the difficult questions, write your response. Some will be easily addressed and others harder to satisfy. It doesn’t matter. At least you’ll have a response, so you’ll have greater certainty throughout a presentation and seem more confident and prepared. (I’ll show you how to turn difficult questions into a positive later in the book under the heading ‘You may be thinking …’)
Don’t hide from the possible difficult questions in the hope that they won’t come – that’s one way to ensure that they do get asked!
4. Understand your physical state
Your physical state means an awareness and understanding of the physical symptoms of anxiety you feel. Understanding how your body reacts to stress and anxiety is another way of getting more certainty. Rather than expecting to eliminate nerves completely, learn to recognise the symptoms of your nervousness, observe them objectively and come to terms with them. You can control your nerves by understanding them. We’ll explore this fully in Principle 5.