SPEAKING WITH IMPACT
Each week, speech coach and leadership mentor James Rosebush will answer a question on how to improve your public speaking.

Jeff Haydon, CEO of Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, asks: “How can a speaker most effectively use production elements in a speech, such as lighting, music and visuals?

Dear Jeff,

What an exciting and stimulating question. Recently we attended an inspiring and impressive presentation that helps answer your question. It was given by the author, William McKeever, who published Emperors of the Deep, in June this year — a fascinating book about shrinking shark populations. 

William is a genial man, who took the stage after a very inadequate introduction from his host. He quickly gave the audience comfort that he knew his subject. After this, we were in for a treat. He began with a short introduction to the subject of his book and how he came to be enamored with sharks. Then, the lights dimmed, and he showed us a ten-minute video — a sort of companion to his book. The video, shot underwater, was high quality, beautiful and dramatic. It gave a sparkle to the evening. When it ended, the audience couldn’t wait to hear more from this intrepid explorer. Clearly, sharks are made for film, and this film made the talk more exciting and urgent.

On my recent book tour talks, I occasionally include a discussion of President Reagan’s love of church hymns. I cite his favorite hymn and then ask the audience if they would like to sing it — to which I always receive an enthusiastic response. On more than one occasion, when there was a piano available near the podium, I have accompanied the audience. All I can say is that it turns a speech into a memorable evening by adding a big dose of emotion. It’s also an excellent way to bring home your message. I always spot many in the audience with tears in their eyes as they sing.

Although I’m adamant about not using PowerPoint presentations, I do encourage speakers with a visual or musical angle to use it! If you’re discussing art, architecture, music, construction — even public policy — having graphic illustrations can significantly enhance your presentation. 

One of my favorite speakers, who I’ve now heard speak three times, uses a large and dramatic drawing of the world as a backdrop. He educates the audience on all the current world wars and future hot spots where war may break out. He also shows on this map the China Belt and Road Strategy, which can only really be understood on a map. 

I have another friend who has spoken alongside the well-known architect Addison Mizner, on his relationship to contemporary culture, art, and fashion. He uses illustrations very effectively, to rave reviews by his audience.

My only caution to this approach is to remember that technology is not perfect. Make sure you rehearse with your visual support tools and have a dedicated technician on hand if the link from your laptop to the projector fails. That is not only an embarrassment, but can become a real downer for your entire time on stage.

If you want to try something unique, test it first on family or friends. By all means, include some dramatic and supportive elements to your message. Yes! I can hear the music playing already.
 

SPEAKING WITH IMPACT
Each week, speech coach and leadership mentor James Rosebush will answer a question on how to improve your public speaking.

David Forster, CEO of Leron Inc. asks: “When people used to ask, ‘who is your competition’ I used to answer ‘other linen companies.’ Now my main obstacle is a customer who is distracted by the things I say. When speaking before a public audience, how do I capture and hold their attention?“

Dear David,

What a great question and something we all have to deal with in a multi-channel society running at warp speed. The real challenge is getting an audience to focus, and remain focused, long enough to drive your message down the fairway and into the hole. I get it. When I speak, I sometimes get the feeling that members of the audience are thinking, “I could have been doing something else… now that I’ve decided to sit here and listen, I want the speaker to prove that I made the right choice to be here.”

It can sometimes be a harsh climate for an audience and speakers have to up their game.
 
I suggest that your audience needs to feel that they are going to receive critical knowledge that is of value to them if they remain in their seats and listen. Everything today is about impact. Will your speech affect the listener? Will it provide them with something they could monetize? 
 
I suggest you begin something like this: “I’m going to share something with you today that is unique, and when I discovered it, it changed my view and opened my mind to a whole new industry. Here it is, in four points.”

Now you may think this is fine for a sales pitch but not for a serious academic lecture. Not so. It doesn’t matter what the subject is; it’s incumbent on the speaker to ask themselves, “What is the most valuable information I can impart, and is this what the audience is looking for?” Once you get the audience hooked and you start telling stories about your product or thesis, you will make them think they’ve made the right choice by coming to hear you.

SPEAKING WITH IMPACT
Each week, speech coach and leadership mentor James Rosebush will answer a question on how to improve your public speaking.

Lisa Vioni, CEO of Hedge Connection asks: “When I step on stage to make a speech, I’m never sure of the best way to start! What should I do first?”

Dear Lisa,

I understand this scenario perfectly. It’s a question almost every speaker encounters. The way to begin, if you have not yet been introduced to your audience, is to state your name distinctly and clearly, your professional or personal association, where you are from and where you’re based. The audience wants to identify. They will quickly think “Oh I lived near there once, or have relatives there, or I own a company near there.” It’s an excellent and easy way to make a connection.

Next, you’ll want to thank your host by name. After that, you’ll want to say how happy you are to be there! Then make a comment about how nice the hall is or how impressive the local community is. Make a statement about people and place.

Now you’re probably thinking: “These things are all intuitive and any speaker will know how to do these things.” Not so! Most speakers don’t know how to do these things. These few introductory things are essential bridge builders. Once you’ve done these basic and critically important things, launch right into repeating the topic of your speech and then plunge quickly into your opening story.

Grab the audience quickly, before they drift away and start thinking about what they need to do the following day. Then you are on your way — telling your whole story and at the end, key points to remember.

That is the best way to begin — It’s a perfect formula.

Let’s hear from our readers on this topic. Tell me what has worked for you in the comments below.

Have a question you’ve always wanted to ask about public speaking? Email James at JSRosebush@impactspeakercoach.com and your answer may feature here.

SPEAKING WITH IMPACT
Each week, speech coach and leadership mentor James Rosebush will answer a question on how to improve your public speaking

I have a fear of public speaking and try to avoid it at all costs. I feel that most people who know me personally would think that I would be a very good public speaker, which actually compounds the fear I have of public speaking. I’ve noticed that I’m most sensitive to it, when I’m unexpectedly asked to stand up in front of people and talk about myself or a subject that is being discussed. I would love to hear any ways to deal with this in the future,” asks Randy Lefaivre, CEO of Metrologo Inc.

Dear Randy,

You just perfectly summarized how a majority of us feel! You are not alone! Our fear and anxiety usually stem from our perfectionist tendencies. We don’t want to fail, especially in front of people we care about. It may be small comfort, but when you look out at your audience, you are staring at people who feel for you and are not really judging you. 

In fact, they may be quietly praising you for even standing up in the heat of battle or the spur of the moment. I see a lot of people who write out their speeches, including their own names, titles and names of their companies. I always say, “Now, you know your name, where you work and what you do.  You don’t need to look at a piece of paper to read that.” 

Look out at your audience and see just one person, who has a kind face or a smile and talk to just them — say your name and what you do. It’s easier that way. Just talk to one person. Then think about the kindest person you know and what they would like to know about you. Tell them something about your family, maybe about how much you love them and how much fun you have with your kids or grandchildren. 

Then a good rule is to read a newspaper or news feed every day and think back to something non-confrontational you’ve read and share that news and how it made you feel — it might be a sports score, a discovery or new scientific device — something you’ve read or heard about.  This is impersonal and amounts to sharing something of mutual interest. Then, you can move into talking about your career and company once you’ve warmed up on these topics.

Randy, this is a big question you have asked — let’s invite some readers to chime in here, in the comments below, with suggestions and examples of how they have conquered this challenge.

Have a question you’ve always wanted to ask about public speaking? Email James at JSRosebush@impactspeakercoach.com and your answer may feature here.

SPEAKING WITH IMPACT
Each week, speech coach and leadership mentor James Rosebush will answer a question on how to improve your public speaking

Claire Harvey, CEO, Claire Harvey Photography asks: “Maybe others have this problem too, but I always have trouble getting started with my speech. Where do I start?” 

Dear Claire,

Have you ever just sat in front of your screen wondering where to start? I know I have, and it’s a good topic for us to discuss. Here’s one way: Imagine you’re drowning and have to pass one last, very important tip to those on shore. What would you be screaming to them? Ok, that’s the starting point. Now, tell a story about yourself or someone you know that is related to that outburst; tell it to your audience. 

Next, build an outline for your speech around what questions you think the audience might ask about that message and story. Why did it happen? Did it really happen? What is the likelihood it might happen to me? Then, state your answers in numbered points. In other words, use three points to reinforce your main thesis and story. Then, ask yourself: “Will my audience be able to repeat my three points and my story to their spouse, partner or roommate when they get home tonight?”  If not, then back to the drawing board. 

This dramatic way of kick-starting a speech can work wonders and will guarantee some value and a little drama, too. Every speech is a performance, so be memorable!  You’re on stage after all — like any actor in a film. See yourself that way and the audience will, too.

SPEAKING WITH IMPACT
Each week, speech coach and leadership mentor James Rosebush will answer a question on how to improve your public speaking

Lauren Hilyard, Founder and CEO of Hilyard Art Advisory asks: “Do you have any tips on how to breathe before, and during, a speech? I always feel a little out of breath.”

Dear Lauren,

What a practical question, that many can relate to! Thanks for asking. Shortness of breath is a symptom of fear, of course, so we defeat the fear by talking ourselves out of it. Fear is mostly illogical. It’s anxiety about something we think could happen in the future — despite no evidence of it being present.

It’s always better to address fear well before arriving at your speech venue or mounting the stage. If you get to your speaking spot, take the podium and still have a shortness of breath, accept it and ride the tide of the rhythm, don’t buck it or try and arrest it.

I have a practice of stopping at the doorway to each room toward the stage, to take a momentary breath and gather myself before starting my speech and being introduced by the host. Then, I observe my surroundings and listen within for a new idea to come to mind, maybe something new I’d like to share with my audience when I begin my speech.

Every speech is a performance, and a great performer realizes that the show must go on. As a result, you need to take on this responsibility in an impersonal way. This is a good strategy for making yourself impervious to criticism — which is typically what fear of speaking is all about — Glossophobia.

You have a job to do, and you need to separate yourself from the personality (you) who might be harboring fear or reservations. You have a job to do — so do it.

I recall the words of one American first lady as she descended the grand staircase at the White House for the first time: “As I walked down those stairs to a waiting crowd I realized it was I, but not I — it was the first lady of the United States. That made all the difference.”

You may not be a president or first lady, but you can adopt this impersonal view of yourself for the sake of performing a job or role, without feeling personal vulnerability or fear. I hope that helps!

SPEAKING WITH IMPACT

Each week, speech coach and leadership mentor James Rosebush will answer a question on how to improve your public speaking.

Last week we had a great response to a reader’s question about what to do if you are on the platform and people in the audience start using their cellphones.  This must be a common occurrence because we had several funny and fearsome responses. 

One leader said that he stopped cellphone use by telling the audience they were free to use their phones as long as they were taking notes on what he said. This comment kind of shamed them. Another said not to worry because most people can double or triple task today, and that it was something of a badge of honor to have phones come out. Another suggested that a speaker should always asks the audience to silence their phones.

One comment was really funny. The executive said that showing a provocative and shocking slide or photo at the beginning of a speech always kept the audience on their toes, imagining what might come next. They never turned to their phones out of fear they would miss something.

I still think the best strategy is to start off like a racehorse at Churchill Downs and never let up the pace in your discourse. Tell your audience to hold on to their seats because they are about to become owners of some new critical information and insights that they cannot fail to learn from. Then launch right into a fascinating story of some kind.

Also, use the point system — tell the audience you have five things to say to them. They will tend to keep track and will not want to miss one of them, because there will be a conversation afterward about the five points. Oh, and don’t tell the audience to silence their phones. You’ll sound like a Nanny. If this is absolutely necessary, ask your introducer to take care of the housekeeping for you.

What do you think? Have you had any funny things happen to you regarding cellphone usage in the audience? Let me know at the contact email below!

Have a question you’ve always wanted to ask about public speaking? Email James at JSRosebush@impactspeakercoach.com and your answer may feature here.

SPEAKING WITH IMPACT
Each week, speech coach and leadership mentor James Rosebush will answer a question on how to improve your public speaking.

Benjamin Marasco, CEO of Waystride.com asks: In today’s connected age, several people in my audiences get distracted with their phones. Do you have any tricks to reengage those lost in social media?

Dear Ben,

I wish I could say I have an easy answer. This problem perplexes me as well, and it frankly makes me insecure when I see cellphones come out while I am diving into a subject on stage, hoping my audience will follow my remarks and even hear what I am sharing. Let’s invite the other readers of this column to share tactics they have used to defeat this major distraction! All ideas welcome in the comments section below!

Now to attempt an answer that may be helpful to you, I can say that in your preparation for a speech you should forewarn yourself that the phone addiction will invariably appear during your talk. Telling yourself that this will happen and that it has little to do with you or your speech is the first step in steadying your personal confidence and readiness. This will ensure you are not caught by surprise and so distracted and unnerved that you lose your place.

Next, I have found that starting my talk with a bold prediction related to my subject and then launching into a story to illustrate or support this prediction is the best way to keep hands and eyes off cellphones. If you begin your talk in a powerful and compelling way, you have a higher chance that the phones will not come out.

Wake up your audience in your first two sentences and make them follow you on a journey through your talk. Tell them right away that you have something vital to share with them, and you even may include a secret they may be able to use. You may also have to fictionalize your presentation — not by telling untruths, but telling truths with fictional illustrations.

You might also tell your audience that you have hidden three keys to some valuable resources in your talk and that at the end, you will ask volunteers from the audience to guess what they are. Short of giving an exam at the end, which will rarely happen, you simply have to step up your game and energy levels and make your speech more compelling in content, and more lively and bold in presentation. Lace your speech with storytelling and build that most crucial bridge to your audience that I am always talking about — engagement.

If the audience knows you have significant and valuable information to impart to them, they will probably recognize the value, and as you keep up a good pace in speaking, you may just keep those mesmeric tech devices in the pockets of your listeners.

Have a question you’ve always wanted to ask about public speaking? Email James at JSRosebush@impactspeakercoach.com and your answer may feature here.