Effective Public Speaking in Business Presentations

Right or wrong, people form a perception of how competent you are from how you present when you stand and talk. They also form perceptions about the company are based on its performance. In fact, public speaking is an easy way to set yourself apart from the competition, because when you stand up and say what you mean, the way you want to say, you are doing what that 95% of people in audience wish they could do. A person who is confident in front of a group gives off an air of competence, whereas a person who fumbles might leave a negative impression.

When I was in college, I had an internship at a major oil company, and late summer, I had to present a summary of my internship at a group of department managers and vice presidents. I was the youngest person in the room, only 20. Many of the other interns were graduate students who were much more comfortable in front of a group. When I spoke, I could feel the beads of sweat on my forehead, and I could see my hands trembling. The butterflies in my stomach were uncontrollable. After the presentation, I asked myself: "If I were the decision maker in that room, and I only had a steady job to offer, I would choose me?" I had to answer "no". Over the next few years, I trained with some of the most successful public speaking coaches in the country. Since then, I spoke before thousands of people, and trained hundreds of managers, executives and other leaders on how to more effectively to groups. Here are some of the key recommendations of public speaking I've found that actually work.

1) Achieve 90% of nervousness does not even show. The public usually can not see the butterflies, or shaky hands, or sweaty hands. The problem occurs when you start to think about these symptoms rather than focusing on the audience and our topic. For human nature, many people focus on themselves, not on you. Focus on them and two things happen: 1) you like best, and 2) much of the nervousness that you feel will go away.

2) Add some 'enthusiasm for his speech. Your audience will never be more excited about your talk about you, so give them some energy, and give it to you. Walking on a half-step faster. Smile. Let your gestures and voice emphasis come naturally. No more not to, but give more energy than you normally would.

3) Limit your remarks to a few key points. Refine your argument is a key point for a short speech, or you key point for a longer conversation (a speech longer than 30 minutes.) Ask yourself: "If my audience only remembered one thing from my speech, what would most important thing for them to remember? "The reason this is so important is that the human mind likes to think one thing at a time. For example, think of the Statue of Liberty. What do you see? Probably see the picture in your mind of the statue. Now think of a pink elephant. Again, you probably see a picture in your mind, but the important question is ... from where the statue go? Your mind can really only focus on one thing at a time. When you add other points, each point above will be diluted. The more points you are presenting, the audience will not focus on every single point.

4) Tell stories. Do not tell little white lies, but do not tell anecdotes and personal experiences. Stories build rapport with the audience, and give you more credibility. The audience will remember your stories a lot longer than they will remember your speech. I heard Les Brown, a famous motivational speaker, years ago, and told a story about how a man in his hometown, walked around the square holding two dolls for children and clucking like a chicken. Children in the city around him, but Les found that this man's house had caught fire, and her two children died in the blaze. The man attempted to enter and save many times, but the heat was too great. When his brother-in-law showed up, he verbally assaulted the man calling him a chicken for not going to save her girls. Since then, the man did not say a word - instead he just clucking like a chicken. I heard this story years ago, and I can not remember the specific point Les Brown was doing on stage. I remember the "chicken-man", though, and I often think how I had to have all the facts before passing judgment on people. Les Brown's stories have longevity, and your stories will have that kind of impact as well.

5) In case of doubt, speaks from the heart. Let your audience see the real you, and you have a great performance that speaks .......