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Speaking of Speaking

(From 2011)

I’ve spent most of my life–almost literally since I could talk–speaking before large groups.

As a kid, my performances at family gatherings lead to school activities, plays, debates, and student government. As a small-town newspaper editor I occasionally gave the Kiwanis club luncheon my version of ham on wry. That led to a couple of ill-fated runs for political office, then community theatre (!) and some time behind the mic as a radio talk show host. Heck, I even showed my “face for radio” on public TV. Lately, I’ve been a master of ceremonies for a charity event and presented to a few book clubs about my novel.

Through it all, I’ve had a steady stream of requests to speak about or provide training on my profession: public relations. Those are the most fun, as I get to spread the PR gospel as I think it should be heard. I enjoy the questions, sharp challenges to my assertions and even the inevitable cups of hotel coffee.

The last two or three years, however, I haven’t actively pursued public speaking engagements. I just had too much going on, so I went into a bit of hibernation. But…sometimes the world has other plans. Case in point this October. In the pumpkin month, I’ve almost managed a hat trick: I’ve been asked to speak at two events with another the first week of November. One national conference panel, one regional conference seminar and one local half-day workshop. I’m thinking if these go well I may just set a goal for at least one speech or workshop a month.

I recommend you do it, too. I guarantee it will keep you sharp and make you pay attention to what’s going on in your field of expertise. It may also open up a whole new client base.

Not a good speaker? Well, not everyone is–but the only way you’ll get any better is practice. So start small–see if you can speak at the office brown bag in-service or on a professional association panel. You may learn you’re pretty good at it–or you may decide right away that it’s not your thing, but you should give it a shot at least once or twice.

So…here are my top three tips for a good speaking engagement:

  • Be prepared. Don’t wing it. People are paying good money or at least giving up their time to hear you speak. Give ’em their money’s worth.
  • If you’re going to use Powerpoint or Keynote, use it well. See this post for more on that. (And for Pete’s sake, don’t have slide after slide of text that you read to your audience. Ugh.)
  • Have fun–even at your own expense. If you’re bored with your own topic, nervous or off-kilter, your audience won’t hear a word you say–they’ll just notice you were bored, nervous or off-kilter. Have fun–inject some humor where you can. Poking fun at yourself almost never fails.

Do you enjoy public speaking? Any tips? The comments section is open…speak!

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