Public speaking & how to nail it under pressure
When I was a Director I would frequently appear in meetings alongside other Directors, VPs, and CEOs to deliver announcements and presentations to the entire company.
Despite sharing the stage with top execs at the company, I consistently received feedback to the tune of “You’re basically the only person my team actually wants to listen to. You CRUSHED it.”
Why were other leaders falling flat in this format?
Nobody cared what they had to say.
Why? Many presenters didn’t put enough effort into framing and contextualizing their content for their audience. Even in a short form announcement, framing and storytelling is essential.
Why should they care? Answer this question by telling the story of your content. Without this, your audience will be tuned out and glazed over in no-time.
They fumbled through it.
If you’re charming in person but struggle with the public speaking format, you’re not alone. Whether you’re dealing with nerves, a lack of practice, or a lack of preparation, it’s super easy to flub up under pressure. While it’s not the end of the world to get tripped up, consistently doing so can erode your impact as a leader.
So what was my secret sauce?
Well one thing is for sure. I definitely wasn’t winging it.
Here’s what I did to prepare:
I wrote out what I wanted to say
I wrote it the way I would say it casually and refined it for:
Clarity - I made sure that you didn’t need to be doing my work, on my team, or even paying much attention to understand what I was trying to say.
Substance - When possible I framed my storytelling around real people, relevant problems, and celebrated the wins.
Entertainment - I used tone, creative analogies, and clever word play to add personality to dry topics.
Alignment - I kept my content focused and aligned with the goal of the meeting or of the specific announcement.
I practiced
I took videos of myself presenting the announcement
During this process I audited:
My flow - If I consistently got hung up on a word choice, I changed it to whatever felt more natural to say when I wasn’t reading my notes.
My energy - Everything from perceived eye-contact, to pacing, to tone. These nuances require intentionality in a remote environment because you’re not engaging with/reacting naturally to someone in real time.
My time - Did I prepare the appropriate amount of content for the time slot? It’s hard to say until you’ve recorded yourself delivering it.
I made an effort to practice enough times that I didn’t have to read my notes verbatim while delivering the information so that I could focus on my energy and my delivery.