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It’s fifteen
minutes before your presentation and you’re a little nervous.
You’ve checked the projector and it’s working just fine. Your
handouts are in order. The microphone has been tested and your
voice comes across strong and clear. You even have a water glass
ready in case you get a little parched during your presentation.
What do you do
now? We recommend going out into the audience and chatting with
your listeners. It’s a great way to deal with pre-speech jitters
because it helps turn the audience from strangers into friends.
Pre-speech
schmoozing also gives the speaker greater insight into the
audience’s interests. If an audience member
asks about something related to your speech, you can be sure to
address that issue during your remarks. And if one person is
interested in a particular topic, chances are that others are also
interested.
One of our coaches
had to give a speech to a large group and he was a little jittery
(Yes even Speechworks coaches get nervous before a big speech.).
Once everything was set up, he walked out into the audience and
began introducing himself. “Hi. I’m going to be your speaker
today.” He tried to meet as many people as possible, having little
“cocktail party” conversations. It helped calm the nerves.
Questions to ask
include:
-
“Where are you
from?”
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“Where do you
work?”
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“What in
particular interests you about today’s topic?”
Don’t spend more
than a minute or two with any one audience member. Just end the
conversation by saying, “Nice meeting you. I hope you enjoy the
presentation.” And then move on to the next person. Ideally, you
would speak to everyone in the audience before your speech.
Next time you have
to give a speech, don’t stand at the lectern waiting to begin. Get
out in the audience and schmooze.
At Speechworks we
help our clients learn how to communicate in a way that connects and
persuades. If you’re interested in becoming a great communicator
give us a call at 404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net. |
