Public Speaking : Lay Down the Law

The last thing you want in your public speaking presentation is to really get into the program only to have to answer a question from the audience, which will most definitely result in more that one. That or someone to talk for ten minutes when you are trying to get your content across. Stop that before it starts!

In the very beginning of your public speaking event, give the audience a clear view of what to expect from the presentation and how you handle questions. If you want them to raise their hand whenever, tell them so. If you want them to participate, tell them so. If you want them to jump up and flap their arms like a chicken every time you say the words public speaking, tell them so!

The best way to go into a public speaking program is with everyone understanding their roles. Without addressing this in the beginning of your event, you’re inviting what you don’t want. So tell them you want flapping chickens!

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Public Speaking : Gimme Three Steps

In martial arts, each step you take is purposeful and distinctive. While you won’t be kicking anyone in your public speaking event, this mindset is good to remember. Every word you utter has a purpose, similarly so should every movement.

Depending on where you move will emphasize or deemphasize your public speaking content. Maximize your presentations by practicing these techniques:

** Move toward the audience whenever you make a major point
** Step away from the audience (upstage) to the left or right when addressing the weaker points of your public speaking engagement
** Don’t stay center upstage, as this disengages the audience members because you are farther from them
** Get crazy and hop on into the public speaking crowd…maybe to practice some sidekicks…they’ll never expect it and it’ll add an element of fun to your event. Just don’t hang out there too long because not everyone will be able to see you, especially in larger crowds.

Public Speaking : Dynamic Range

Public speaking audiences are like Jolly Ranchers; you have to try all of them to see which you prefer, but in the end you’ll always have a favorite. Mine’s cherry…Jolly Ranchers that is.

When you are first getting started in public speaking, you want to take on as much work and varying audiences as possible, solely for the experience. After you find your niche and become a big time, like yours truly, you’ll be able to stay with the cherries and throw away the nasty grapes and oranges.

I coined the term Dynamic Range to define the best audience that suites a public speaker. Believe it or not, all audiences are not created equal and it’s your job to find out which ones work best for you. These are the different kinds:

** Serious or Outrageous Content
** Slow or Fast Speed of Delivery
** Slurred or Articulate Diction
** Stationary or Animated Movement
** Audience Needs.

Test yourself in each of these different public speaking parameters. Call in a professional to help you create an unbiased analysis to figure out which flavor works for you. So go ahead and try the grape…I swear it won’t kill you.

Public Speaking : Be Careful

Little did you know, public speaking can be a physical sport! Granted, it’s not intended this way but sometimes things happen. During a show I did, a plastic glow star used its superstar powers and flew out of my assistant’s hands and into the eye of an audience member. Here, the star waged war with the man’s cornea, until there was a possible high-threat injury.

While highly unlikely, these things can happen at a public speaking event. I know first hand! Now, there isn’t any training for injuries during engagements and most likely you’d never think of this incident in your event strategizing. A million different things can happen during a public speaking engagement. While you can’t plan for all of them, try to take as many precautions as you can. For example, before the start of the show, I should have had a meeting with those high-strung glow stars and told them to mellow out!

Public Speaking : Add Magic to Your Presentations

Are you famous? Houdini is. The difference is he possessed the ability to do something out of the ordinary. While public speaking may be thrilling and exciting, you’re not levitating or cutting a woman in half. But you’ll be one step closer to stardom when you incorporate a slight-of-the-hand or card trick or whatever!

What’s the best part about this? You are a professional in public speaking not magic. This means less pressure for you and bigger rewards. If Houdini pulled card tricks all day, his audience would get bored. But your audience doesn’t expect such a thing out of the ordinary. You’ll have more leeway and receive more appreciation

Impress your other public speaking friends by getting your certified magician diploma at your local bookstore or Tom Ogden videos from Royal Publishing and Walters Speakers Services (626) 335-8069. To me, videos are the best way to go, as I’m able to watch the trick and see what mistakes I’m making.

Not only will you go on to being famous, but you’ll also win over your public speaking audience by adding this fun and interesting section to your event. And hey, if public speaking turns out not to be your thing, you have a trade to fall back on!

Public Speaking : Timing

If you ask any public speaking professional, he or she will inform you that timing is a crucial element in the event. Really, it’s a make or break deal. Where you position certain material and humor and how you pause will determine the audience’s reaction.

Knowing when and how long to pause is especially important in public speaking engagements. When you are telling a joke or imparting key points, provide a significant pause before and after the content. This will act as a clue to the audience that something is coming up that they need to pay attention to and provide time for them to soak it all in after the fact. However, you don’t want to pause for an obnoxious amount of time, say half an hour in a 45 minute public speaking event. Granted, that’s somewhat of an exaggeration, but some pauses may feel like 45 minutes to the audience. Practice different pause placements and durations throughout your presentation before taking it to the stage.

Public Speaking : Time of Day Matters

Just as ladies should know not to bother their men when watching sports, public speaking professionals should know how the time of day affects an event. Most people aren’t early morning risers, so don’t expect to get a big laugh from this crowd. You may get a grunt, but that’s probably going to be it. Tuck that humorous content away in your back pocket for later

Brunch and lunch time are considered ideal for an energetic public speaking audience. The early risers still have energy and the snoozers have had a chance to get acclimated to real time. You’ll do well during this time to give a presentation that is content driven.

After lunch, people start mellowing out and getting tired. They’ll be less likely to focus on your public speaking material if it’s a lot of facts and hard information. This would be the best time to dump your back pocket contents on stage and hit the humor spot.

As the day wears on, so do the public speaking audience members. Keep this in mind and tailor your presentation to them. Use brevity and get straight to the point. If you use detailed explanations, you’ll lose control of the event.

Public Speaking : They Don't Know Where You are Going

In your public speaking presentation last night you forgot to mention one specific fact and it’s been keeping you awake and stressing you out since. Don’t let it. Mistakes are always going to happen and in this profession you have to roll and be flexible with any situation. As long as you don’t make it known, the public speaking audience will never know if you substitute one word for another or completely skip a paragraph. Just keep on going and don’t sweat the small stuff!

Public Speaking : The WOW! Factor

Want to get them dropping your name over the public speaking water cooler? Be original and include something unexpected in your presentations. A coworker of mine went to the Eminem concert and noted that he had a Ferris wheel on stage and started out his show in one of the cars. Maybe you don’t have a Ferris wheel on hand, which I find odd, but there are many other things you can do to separate yourself from the pack. Use puppets, ride in on a tiger, lay on the floor the whole show, blow bubbles, dump green J-ello over your head…anything to get your public speaking audience to say, “WOW!”

Public Speaking : Start Low

DON’T START YOUR PUBLIC SPEAKING PRESENATION OFF WITH A LOUD VOICE! That leaves you no where to go but Quietville and that’s not the best place to be! During the exciting moments, when you really want to impact the audience, you’ll have already used the volume of your voice as an effect, undermining the technique. Instead, start off your public speaking event with a low voice inflection. Quieter tones will allow to you exercise a range of volumes throughout the program. WHAT’S A CRESCENDO WITHOUT THE FULL IMPACT?!?! (See how this is not as affective since the caps have already been used?)

Public Speaking : Stand Still

Now, I know that during your public speaking presentation, you’re going to have lots of energy and want to move around. This may seem like a great way to get rid of possible anxiety that has been building before the event. Trust me, it’s not. The only thing moving around stage will do is distract your audience.

The only time you should really move around during a public speaking engagement is to add emphasis to your content, such as a punch line. The most you should move around stage, as I’ve mentioned before, is about three steps. Otherwise try to keep this to a minimum.

A great way to practice movement for a public speaking event is to videotape yourself. When you do this, keep your arm and leg movements to as much of a minimum as possible. This will teach you to use your face to convey more emotions. Once you master this, you can add small movements but nothing much.

Public Speaking : Serious Q & A Sessions

Don’t leave your public speaking audience with a flat exit after the question and answer portion of the program. Many speakers don’t come prepared for a closer after the Q&A section, and the audience leaves without that added sense of umph to really make you stand out. Anticipate a Q&A session and come prepared with a second closer. This will tie the program together instead of leaving the audience wanting more.