Getting the Most from a Speaker

Giving a Speech for the Non-Professional:
Tips to Improve Your Presentation

By Andrea Gold
Copyright © 2008 by Andrea Gold. All Rights Protected.

Most people are either nervous or scared about speaking in front of an audience. If this describes you, we have some suggestions that may help. Being in the business of providing speakers, we know that there are some who are petrified about speaking. In fact, giving a speech has been ranked as the greatest fear for a large majority of the population. Even some professional speakers and entertainers carry that fear up to the microphone with them.

What makes people afraid of giving a speech? Most seem to agree that it is the fear of looking foolish, especially in front of an important or influential audience. What if they say something that is offensive or wrong? What if they forget what they were going to say and find themselves frozen on the stage? What if the audience doesn’t like what they are saying? What if their boss or co-workers are in the audience and they stumble over their words or get confused over the points they were trying to cover? Well, there are a few ideas you can use to help relieve youself of your fears and improve your speech.

Do not worry about any nervousness. The people in the audience will see the nervousness and then translate that into your caring about what you are going to say. They realize that you are concerned about making your speech as perfect as possible for them. That will make them want to pull for you. Besides, nervous energy is simply energy and it boosts your presentation.
Get to know your audience. Many professional speakers will arrive early to check out the audiovisual equipment. Then, they will wait for the attendees to arrive. They will greet as many as they can, say a few words, perhaps thanking them for coming. When you do this, you will no longer be talking to strangers—instead, you will be talking to friends. Stop thinking of the audience as a great white shark, waiting for you to stumble and eat you alive.
Know your material. You should only give a speech about something you know very well. You should generally know at least three or four times more than the speech you give. This is especially critical if you are asked a question, either on the platform or off.
Take-home message. Know the bottom-line message you wish to convey to your audience. This is the message your speech should be built around. All your stories, examples, statistics should keep bringing out and supporting your intended message.
Simple is almost always better. Do not try to educate your audience with a speech. Education is best left in a classroom setting or an all-day seminar. Have only a few points you wish to make and center these points around your take-home message. Professional speakers will often ask a meeting planner, “What do you want your audience to take home with them after my speech?” They then tailor their presentation to meet the meeting planner's expectation.
Practice your speech. Regardless of how many times you have given the same speech, practice it out loud. If possible, have a video taken of yourself. I remember an interview with Arsenio Hall when he hosted an evening talk show. He stated that after each show, he would spend hours going over each show with his staff, taking suggestions on how he could have done things better.
Your opening. The first 3-5 minutes of your speech is critical. It is best if this is memorized. That way, you will start off running. Now, the first few minutes will also set the tone of the speech. If you start with a joke, the audience will expect that this will be a humorous presentation. If you start with powerful statistics, they will expect to be educated. If you use something in the news, they will then expect you to center your talk around that news item.
Never apologize. No matter what you do or don’t do, do not apologize. Never open a speech by apologizing for not being a professional speaker. Do not apologize if you make a mistake—simply correct the error and go on. Most of the time, the audience will not even realize that you made a mistake. If it is a large mistake, make a joke of it, such as, "I was just testing to see if you were paying attention."
Use a little humor. No, you are not going to do a stand-up comedy routine. But if you can find anything humorous to use, the audience will love it. If you use your humorous line and no one laughs, use a saver line, such as, “that would have gone over big in Hoboken!” Then go on.
Pauses are important. Stop talking for a moment after making an important point. Also pause after telling a humorous line or story. It may seem like an agonizingly long time, but the audience needs a moment to get the humor. If they don’t, just go on or use a saver line.
Do not read your speech. You are not giving a testimony before a Congressional committee. You are simply trying to communicate your ideas in an interesting way. You could have an outline of what you wish to say. Additionally, most professional speakers will not stand behind a lecture. They feel that it separates them from the audience. If you wish to remain behind the lecture, please do not clutch it like a crutch.
Use your body. It is reported that much of our communication is transmitted through body language. How you stand, your hand movements, how you walk across the platform, your facial expressions, and eye contact are talking to your audience. When you practice your speech, stand in front of the mirror and watch how your body moves. If you are videotaping yourself, watch your body language. Turn off the sound and see what your body is saying to you. That will be what your body will be saying to your audience.
Focus your speech. Do not try to talk to the whole audience and move your gaze back and forth across the audience. I call this the machine gun aiming of a speech. Instead, pick a few people in different parts of the room who seem to be enjoying your speech. Now talk to them. Look at each one for about 10 seconds before moving on to the next. Everyone in that general area will swear that you were speaking to them personally.
Get personal. You are sharing your point of view and this is best given with your personal experiences and ideas. Points are best made through stories. Professional speakers have commented that years after their speech, they may meet a former attendee will repeat their story and then explain how it had affected their lives. Great stories are rarely forgotten. A powerful speech entertains while it gives ideas to improve people’s lives.
Visualize your success. Professional athletes do it before competing. They imagine themselves performing perfectly, winning at the finish line. You can do the same with a speech. Imagine you are in front of your audience. Mentally go over your speech. See the audience really enjoying what you are saying. See them absorbing your information, loving your command of the platform, and laughing at your humor. When you finally get on the platform, you will feel as if you had been there many times before. It will calm you and help you to deliver your message.

I know that this is a lot of information. However, even if you only use a few of these ideas, your speech will improve.

If you would like to see how some of our professionals deliver their speeches, please feel free to look at their videos on this website. Naturally, most of these demo video clips are edited, showing the best our speakers have to deliver. However, you will enjoy their mastery of the art of speaking. Enjoy!

Click here to see a few speakers' demo videos. Speakers are listed alphabetically, by their last name.