The Art of Public Speaking

Although the television show Seinfeld was huge in Australia where I grew up, it wasn’t as mainstream here in the UK, so bear with me as I quote the show’s eponymous star, Jerry Seinfeld, as it always stuck in my mind… 

 

“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.” 

Funny, but in my career, I have seen it ring true: people hate public speaking. Often, when dealing with a nervous client, I ask them, “What’s the worst that could happen? It’s not like you’re flying a plane and have hundreds of lives at stake, or performing a quadruple bypass… You’re just talking to people.” This usually elicits a smile, and they calm down. People need to realise that it is just talking to people, and that the audience wants you to succeed. Knowing the audience is on your side, is often a massive step towards relaxing and being able to deliver the story your audience wants to hear. 

 

Working out the story your audience wants to hear, however, is half the battle. You need to craft your message carefully. Words are your weapons and have the power to ignite strong emotions and inspire your audience to action. The language of your speech needs to be your own idiosyncratic vernacular. Use words with which you’re comfortable and words that do justice to your cause. Sometimes this is the hardest part; when working with clients on writing their content, I see that many have hidden their personality, and are trying to sound like someone else.

If you’ve refined your story, the delivery is make or break. Over my career I have worked with a wide range of people, from Prime Ministers and CEOs to those who have found themselves unwillingly thrust into the spotlight. Every speaker is unique, and my approach is all about stripping away the habits and elements which aren’t helpful, and polishing what is naturally good about their delivery.

I focus a lot on helping people to look and feel comfortable on stage, and that often starts with breathing. The breath is so important, not only to power your voice, but it can calm us and centre us before any words have been spoken. Vocal production is also key in public speaking. I work with people to unlock as much of their natural resonance as possible, as resonance is the thing which makes voices sound pleasant – it is the richness and the comfort. Bringing the right emotional expression to your delivery is also something that all great public speakers do; we’ve all been subjected to those speakers who drone on monotonously and we switch off instantly.

Not to over-simplify the art of public speaking, but all the best speakers just tell a worthy story in an engaging way. That’s it. And it’s my job to make sure as few things as possible get in the way.

Presentation Consultant, Catherine Shepherd, is part of a specialist presentation team at DRPG, delivering a full-service offering from speechwriting and content design, through to speaker coaching and post-event analysis.