Improve your presentation skills

Do you have glossophobia? Are you familiar with the term? Glossophobia is the anxiety of public speaking and approximately 75% of people have this fear. 

I’ve read that public speaking is feared more than death itself. However, I prefer Jerry Seinfeld’s take on it. “According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.”

Improving your presentation skills

All jokes aside though, leaders of fast-growing companies should master public speaking. You need to give presentations to your teams, clients, board members, investors, and at conferences.  

I’ve spent much of my career standing on stages delivering workshops, breakouts, and keynote presentations - the feedback seems good. I have also made great friends in the industry who are also professional speakers, so I reached out to ask them for their recommendations to help you get better at public speaking. 

It’s about the feelings

To make your presentations amazing, you need to research the topics and practice frequently, even rehearse in front of your friends and colleagues before taking it to the board of directors. Keynote speaker, Bryan Eisenberg from Buyer Legends says, “Identify how you want your management to feel and what you want them to do before you even think about presenting.” 

Stay cool

Tamsen Webster, Executive Director of TEDx Cambridge reminds us to stay cool.

 “Admit your nerves, but don't apologize for them. Admitting them relieves the pressure from you — you don't have to add the stress of trying not to be nervous to the stress of being nervous," Webster said. "It also puts the audience in the role of encouragement and support.” 

From novice to experienced speakers, you want to create a stellar presentation

Thom Singer from NYP Speakers shares his advice: “Have a clear opening and close. Think about how you will start and how you will end. Then make the middle match.” This will make for an enjoyable presentation that your audience will happily follow along with. 

Take it to the next level

If you get a taste for speaking and want to do it more, it’s time to take it to the next level. Join your local Rotary Club or National Speaking Association Chapter to practice and improve your art. I learned a lot from Michael and Amy Port with Heroic Public Speaking.

Start local

Judson Laipply, President of Evolution of Dance recommends, “Start locally, seek out every local group that has weekly or monthly meetings and offer to speak. Actually speaking is the best way to get more opportunities.”

The more you speak, the more you speak!

Rob Cottingham from Social Signal suggests, “Look for worthy causes and events whose mandate dovetails with the subjects you speak about, and volunteer. And don't just think keynotes: in fact, at first, don't think about keynotes at all. Instead, look for panels, breakout sessions and conference tracks. Find the smaller venues where you can over-deliver on your audience's expectations.” This is truly powerful advice that will help you advance your speaking talent.

I will leave you with one of my favorite tips from Attention Expert, Neen James, “Remember it’s a conversation, not a presentation — it's not about you, it's about standing in service of your audience.” 

Are you still not sure about public speaking? There is a remedy for glossophobia — speak more. The more you practice the better you become. 

My goals as a speaker are to leave my audiences enlightened, empowered, and entertained. Here is how I do it.