Now for a simple, dozen pointers on how to become proficient:
1) Know your topic, whatever it is. Remember, never work for perfection as perfection does not exist. Instead, strive for excellence. One more thing, you’ll never know a topic until you teach it well.
2) Know your audience. I missed this one once (in recent time) with 340 CPA's. My topic... Creativity, well that was painful to say the least. I pulled in my arms and hit the flush lever. Woosh!
3) Have a written (short) introduction and make sure whoever introduces you agrees to use it. Second, have an open. Comedy is one most people use. It is also the toughest open to do - and telling a joke, or someone else's story, is NOT a good idea.
4) Timing - not only how long but when - nothing like teaching Marketing to an Association of Independent Carpet Cleaners - after dinner and with an open bar. OUCH!
I've spent 30 years learning about timing. I teach timing to other instructors. I've written on timing, I mentor other speakers on timing, I practice it each time I go out, and, yet, I have volumes to learn. Some of the best: Johnny Carson, Jack Benny, Ellen DeGeneres, Charlie Rose, Craig Ferguson, and David Letterman.
5) Use your third eye – on this subject alone, I could, and will, write a book. Yes, it’s that important, that broad, and deep a subject. Oh, and don’t mistake the ‘third eye’ for something mystical.
The third eye is used to monitor yourself and others from outside of yourself. What? Well, right now you can see yourself from outside yourself, correct? With 90 Billion neurons operating at 8,100 bits per nanosecond (that’s a billionth of a second), the mind/body (yes they are one) is a yet to be celebrated computer. That is, we are just beginning to understand the power of the human mind.
And, using it to watch self from outside of self is a simple task. Some use it only to watch self. A little egotistic don’t you think? Then there are some who only use the third eye to watch others. It’s easy to spot these as they have no idea what they are doing. The goal is to watch self and others. You will then get all the clues you need to go forward or back up.
6) Breathe - breathing and breath control demonstrates confidence and smoothness. It creates a calming acceptance from the audience.
7) Dance - stationary speakers who just stand behind a podium are for funerals (not mine please). Besides a moving target is harder to hit with a tomato.
8) Speak to the Room - not just those in the front row. As you dance, give everyone in the room (randomly) eye contact. Speak to both sides of the room and from both sides of the stage. Stage - anything at the front of the room before two or more people. Next time you are in an audience, watch for speakers who only talk to, or from, one side.
9) Have, and use, VISUALS! Words on a screen are not visuals. Rubber Duck is not a visual, a picture of a Yellow Duck Bath Toy is. As I state in Secret #3 from my best selling marketing book, Dog Eat Dog & Vice Versa: 9 Secrets To Put The Bite Into Your Marketing, A Picture is Worth $1,000 Bucks. There are hundreds of other lessons on Visual Presentations - most apply the term, "Less is More".
10) NEVER turn your back to the audience and read the screen! Once in Hawaii in a packed room of over 700 people, the AV people set my computer at the back of the room, stage left. I could barely see it, let alone pick up clues as to what it said. I elected to leave it as to change would delay the already time-filled program. I, therefore, had to turn my back to the audience to see which slide was up. BAD FORM (but good critiques).
At NAR’s National Convention when I had the same unacceptable setup, I said, "STOP IT!" and made AV change the setup. Well, after a lot of grumbling, they did, but the two screens were fuzzy and glitchy! Critiques were generally good and it was the number one selling CD. However, there were many poor comments on the visuals – even though the audience was aware that the situation was beyond my control.
Lesson, when you have the choice of turning your back to the audience or a glitchy screen, choose turning your back.
11) Repeat the Question! This accomplishes three things: One, it gives the person asking the question the ability to correct it if you heard it wrong or they said it wrong. Two, it gives you time to formulate an answer. Three, and most importantly, it lets the audience hear what was asked!
12) Have FUN! Nervous speakers, who show lack of knowhow or preparedness, filling the air with “uh – ahh – and – and eh’s” are contagious. Soon, you and your audience are not having fun. Bottom line, if you don't have fun, they won't!
