PUBLIC SPEAKING TIPS

On 17th March at 9pm, like many other Irish families we sat, with more than a touch of trepidation as we waited for a speech from our Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar.
As the Taoiseach himself noted, this was a St Patrick’s Day we would all remember, with no parties and no parades. However, his speech was also a part of this St Patrick’s Day that we shall always remember.
So, what made this speech so memorable?

1.  Opening and immediately connecting
Being St Patrick’s Day – it was appropriate to open with a greeting in Irish to wish everyone a Happy St Patrick’s Day –  Lá Fhéile Pádraig shona daoibh.
However, he immediately connected by moving swiftly on to what was on all of our minds. Namely, it is St Patrick’s Day, and here we were sitting in front of the TV watching him, as opposed to either partying ourselves, or watching highlights of the parades and other people partying.
So, from the start, he had us hooked in to what he had to say.
Takeaway: When we have to de...

Many people have an ambition to deliver a TEDx talk – it is a wonderful ambition to have!  It was an ambition I had, and managed to fulfill in October 2016.  I was thrilled to be able to share my message that “you probably are more intelligent than you think you are” in my talk.  This is a personal topic that is about my eldest daughter Katie.  She struggled academically and yet was super intelligent in other ways.
You would think that, as a TEDx speaker coach since 2014 and a high impact presentations facilitator since 2001 I would have found it super easy to put together my own talk.
Not so!  I have to confess, I did struggle to hone my talk – typical of the shoemaker and shoes!  This talk is so different to training or speaking at an event, areas in which I am totally within my comfort zone.  Many of the speakers I coach say the same thing, it really is a different type of talk altogether.
Recently I did a Live Stream with Lottie Hearn of  #LIVEWithLottie ConfidenceO...

USA today described last night’s Oscars as a “relatively tame and predictable night”. Is that a fair description?
Maybe it was.
Maybe it wasn’t.
For me, I am always curious about the speeches.
Interestingly, in his monologue, Jimmy Kimmel referred to said upcoming speeches. He tried to encourage the winners to keep their speeches short, by promising a prize of a jet ski to the shortest speech.
So, I am sure Mark Bridges, who won the Costume Design Oscar for Phantom Thread, is whizzing in his brand new jet ski, somewhere off the coast of LA! He managed to get through his thank you’s in a mere 32 seconds.
But, the good thing about the lure of the jet ski prize, was that it gave several of the winners an opportunity to throw in a bit of humour early on in their speeches, by making throw back references to the infamous prize.
Overall, from what I can glean, the 2018 Oscars were nothing particularly special. In 2017, at least we had something to talk about, with the excitement...

Recently I was approached by 2 people with the same need but for completely different reasons. One of these was a man whose daughter was getting married. The other, also a man, had 3 people he knew with terminal illnesses. Both of them knew they would have to speak in emotional circumstances.
While shedding a tear or 2 is of course acceptable (and healthy) both of these clients felt they needed some help to ensure that they would not lose control.
As with all things, there isn’t a “one size fits all” solution. Below is a random sample of techniques that may help you if you are in a similar situation:
 
Breathing
Both before and during the speaking event it can be helpful to engage some deep breathing techniques.
There is a simple breathing exercise that can help hugely when feeling nervous or anxious.  When I do this breathing exercise (even when I am not feeling anxious) my heart rate consistently falls by 10%.
So, here it is – breathe in slowly for a cou...

We all know that we shouldn’t read a presentation or speech. It’s not ideal and you could end up disconnecting from your audience; it is better to deliver a presentation as a conversation.
However, sometimes for legal, policy or other reasons it is necessary to read verbatim.
The presentation tips below have been selected from a longer list and mainly focus on the ones that enable you to maintain eye contact, which is arguably the principal challenge when reading a speech.
 
1. Type the speech on the upper 2/3 of the page. This will make eye contact easier as you have a shorter distance to raise your head.
 
2. Begin with first 2 pages side by side. As you reach the end of the first page slide the 2nd page on top of the first.  This prevents the paper from shuffling and becoming a distraction.
 
3. Pace your looking down and looking up. Always ensure that your eyes are up at the end of a sentence.
 
4. Avoid breaking sentences over pages.  This will al...

As a member of the Professional Speakers Association UK + Ireland – I am fortunate enough to be exposed to fantastic speakers with fantastic tips.  The annual annual UK + Ireland conference was held recently in Reading.  The speakers were not just from Ireland and the UK but we also had speakers from Canada, USA, South Africa and New Zealand.  We were also privileged to have the company of  two Global Speaking Federation Presidents, from the USA (NSA – National Speakers Association) and Asia (GSF -Global Speakers Federation).  So we were in great company for the 3 days.
Below are tips from some of the speakers – as relevant here as they are in their own countries!
Tip 1 – customise your content
This first tip came from David Newman of doitmarketing.com.  As we were in the UK, he had references to cups of tea vs cups of coffee which he would refer to in his native USA.
Several of his slides had obviously been tailored for a UK audience.  For instance, he spoke about g...