We’ve all seen the surveys showing that many people fear
public speaking even more than dying. Well, maybe.
Public speaking is difficult and doing it well requires
knowledge and skills. Successful speakers know their subject, know the audience,
and know the best practices for oral communication. Engineers usually know their subject well and
readers of my earlier “So What?” blog have been exposed to how to know their
audience.
Best practices are the subject of multiple books and courses
and I strongly recommend using those resources to learn them. I also recommend
searching for public speaking mentors. Your mentors don’t have to know they are
helping you. All you have to do is to regularly watch and hear them speak. Note
their best and worst aspects – slides, timing and pacing of remarks, level of detail
in explanations, asides, even their jokes. Bad examples work almost as well as
good ones. I had a co-worker whose mind was so quick that he anticipated people’s
questions from their very first words and began his answer before they finished.
A terrible practice, since he sometimes anticipated incorrectly and answered
the wrong question and always annoyed the questioner because they didn’t get to
have their say. Good examples? One of my mentors, Jim Sale, walked among his
audience, engaging them by eye contact and noting their reactions. After
answering a difficult question, he focused on the questioner and asked, “Does
that address your concern adequately?” I learned so much from him.
Beyond the standard best practices, remember how to get to
Carnegie Hall – “prepare, prepare, prepare” and “practice, practice, practice.”
Practice giving speeches and solicit feedback. Toastmasters Clubs provide a wonderful service
to everyone wanting to improve their speaking skills. I wish there had been a
local club when I was learning. It would have saved me many embarrassing episodes.
Next up: Prove it!
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