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PublicSpeaking101

I want to learn to become a better public speaker.

I feel like I'm wooden and boring in the formal speaking part of any presentation. Once the questions and answers start -- even if they're difficult (maybe especially if they're difficult) -- I relax, and can talk naturally. I'm fine thinking and talking on my feet, but much less comfortable with the structured part.

I'm getting better with practice, but I still feel streets behind people who do it really well.

Toastmasters does not appeal, from everything I've heard about it. I've thought about taking acting lessons, or possibly clowning. Latest thought is to try improv theatre classes.

Do you have the same or other problems with public speaking? Have you tried any of these as a way to get more comfortable and better at it? Are there other things you've tried or can suggest?

--FionaCharles 23-Apr-06

There are two paths here (at least). One, are you comfortable and relaxed conceptually with the subject? The second, before I added the "at least", is what is it about the nonstructured part that you feel is working?

Maybe you study the material in a "wooden and boring" way? Perhaps before you get any where near speaking you can learn your material in strange or interesting ways. Did you just learn a new fact? Go off and look up a funny quote for that fact. Maybe you can relate that fact to something interesting. For example I routinely tour a Jelly Belly Factory. I connected their new robot to a previous economics lesson about minimum wage laws. Most subject matter I cross pollinate with chocolate as well. Do other public speakers who qualify as entertaining have some sort of "entertaining parallel process" going on?

For the second path, what works about the non-structured part? Is it because you address your answer to a particular person? If so then deliver your material to a particlar person. Have a personal conversation with some person for each part of your presentation. Is it the question and answer format you enjoy? Perhaps you can structure your presentations that way? That way you can map entertaining discoveries about parts of your presentation into future presentations. Take whatever you find that works and dream up three ways to map that from the unstructured part to the structured part of your presentation.

--KurtSimmons 23-Apr-06

SherryHeinze 2006.04.23

When I've had trouble speaking, it's for these reasons:

• I didn't want to speak about the thing I was trying to speak about
• I wasn't completely familiar with the material (I generally write an article, even if it's not for publication about my topic)
• I didn't want to be at the place I was.

You're an articulate speaker. Do you have any rules about the "formal" part of the presentation? -- JohannaRothman 2006.04.24

Although I like improvisation too, I think material that has a solid structure makes the speaker more effective. Your method for structuring the material sounds like it isn't working well. Perhaps a conversation about structure will help.

I have a structure for presentations I use regularly. It works for me; It may not work for you. I think, however, it may help you start thinking about ways to structure material so you become more comfortable (you always want some discomfort). I will share it, if it is something you want to hear about. Let me know.

SteveSmith 2006.04.24

I speak frequently, to groups of various sizes. Primarily, I do a lot of speaking on client projects, where I�m often in a program test manager role on large integrations. That means I�m presenting (sometimes selling) assessments, plans, strategies, state of the testing program reports, etc., to groups of executives, managers, project managers, test managers, whole program teams, and so on. I�ve done it in meeting rooms, and in biggish auditoriums. While there�s no doubt I can always improve, this is a basic part of my job. I enjoy it and believe I�m good at it.

I also do presentations at conferences and quality groups. I did one last night, to an audience at my local quality group sized around 60 -- about typical. I have spoken to groups of more than 200, but not for many years.

At this I think I�m competent. (I get asked back; presumably other people think so too.) I�m fluent and in command of the material, because it�s full of my ideas and I wrote it. I always have plenty of background material that�s not on the slides. I talk about things I care about � primarily systems integration testing. I�m not nervous � at least no more than I need to be properly on. In saying I�m not comfortable, I meant with how I do it, rather than with the act of speaking. Granted integration testing isn�t the world�s liveliest and most fascinating subject to everyone, I don�t feel that I�m a very dynamic speaker. I think this is a learnable skill.

Some of it is around voice and how you use it, and some of it is body language. It was interesting that you asked about rules, Johanna. I don�t think I have rules per se, but I may have habits left over from a time when I did have stage fright. Also that you talked about needing to write an article. I felt that this past weekend, developing last night's presentation. I don�t think in bullet points and I wasted time trying.

Some of it is undoubtedly also in how you structure material, and yes Steve, I�d like to take up your offer. I think one of my issues � again a hangover from the past � is over-scripting. Kurt, you asked what works for me about the unscripted part. It�s the fact that it is unscripted. I recently delivered someone else�s material at a big meeting. Other than putting the slides up and highlighting a couple of points, I felt no obligation to stick to his script, and I think I did a better job because of it. I need to find a balance between a structured presentation and one that�s over-scripted.

Speaking last night I consciously pushed myself off script, using the slides as a rough guide. I also tried to get people to ask questions or make comments throughout, per Sherry�s suggestion. Downsides: I talked too long, and repeated myself a bit too much. Upsides: I enjoyed it, and several people who came up afterwards were surprisingly enthusiastic. (I�ll wait for the evaluations to see what they really thought. :-))

I haven�t researched this, but intuitively it seems to me there is a 3-part engagement model for speaking. The speaker needs to be engaged with: her material, her audience and their energy, and also her own energy. (And of course, there are multiple connections: audience to speaker, audience to material, etc.) A really sensational speaker will be fully engaged with all 3, while knowing how and when to adjust the balance.

I may never be the kind of speaker who can be simultaneously dynamic, compelling and funny while reciting the proverbial phone book in front of a large audience. But I�d like to get much closer to that ideal than I am now.

--FionaCharles 26-Apr-2006

> Fiona writes, yes Steve, I�d like to take up your offer (on presentation structure).

I'll review the structure I use one item at a time over several days rather than all at once. Note, I said earlier that the structure works for me; it may not fit for you. I'm sharing this information in the hope that it will trigger insights into how you can change your structure so you are pleased with it.

The first item, and the most important to me, is CONNECT.

Which begs for answers to some fundamental questions, such as

• Who am I connecting with? In other words, who is the audience?
• How many people are anticipated?

These are the absolute minimums. If you could ask additional questions about your audience, what do or would you ask?

My experience is that the stronger the connection created at the start, the more likely the audience is to forgive both my mistakes and oversights or not see them at all.

For a large audience, I answer the question, What subset of the audience is most important to me? I can't necessarily please everyone so I focus on the group that's most important to me. When I choose where to invest my time and energy, this group comes first and other subsets of the audience may be ignored. It's a conscious decision that I suspect some people may disagree with. I use feedback to adjust my choices during the presentation. I feel the audience and I move with their energy. Unfortunately, at the moment, I can't tell you how I do that. It just happens.

I connect with my audience by starting my presentation with a demonstration or story. For instance, I gave a presentation about exploring requirements recently to a group of colleagues. I used three slides. The first slide is a picture from a scene in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. Juliet is on the balcony with Romeo standing below. On the slide is Juliet's line, "Romeo, Romeo, wherefor art thou, Romeo?" I ask the audience, who now become participants, what does that line mean?

Almost all of the participants who answer have told me Juliet is asking, "Where are you, Romeo?" I ask them to look at the picture again. I point out that Romeo is standing beneath Juliet. I see puzzled wrinkles in people's foreheads. I share with them that the English language has changed over time. Translating from the sixteenth century to the twenty-first, the line becomes, "Why are you Romeo?" In other words, if you were someone else, we could marry and there wouldn't be this problem with my family. I talk about the importance of language and intepretation in requirements work.

I go on to talk about ambiguity and the importance of removing it for effective requirements work.

I beleive connection is vital part of presentation structure. Share with me an example of how you connect with your audience.

Does this information and exercises help? If it doesn't, let's stop.

SteveSmith 2006.04.26

--FionaCharles 26-Apr-2006

The most compelling speakers I know make contact with their audience, based in a sincere wish to offer them something of value, in return for the gift of their time and attention. There is a very strong element of "this is me" to the compelling speakers I know. Perhaps polished, but intrinsically elegant and mannered, vs. a persona. Perhaps energetic, but unavoidably so.

Somehow we have been trained that when we speak to groups we're wearing some sort of mask over our real interest and true intentions. Working with a mask as a device, to better make the connected point with an audience is something different altogether.

I suppose I'm making the same point as Johanna, earlier, in a very different way.

Here's a technique you might try. Before speaking say: "I am glad to be here. I have something important to talk about with you, that I've worked hard to make the best that I can make it." Say it quietly or out loud. If it is true, it will energize you all that need be. If it isn't true it'll feel wrong, and now you know.

Why would you be giving a talk that doesn't fit those words anyway? If the talk fits, celebrate it. If it doesn't, why waste their time and yours?

-- JimBullock, 2006.04.27

Steve re connection, it�s really the selection of conference or organization that dictates the audience. Typically, I at least get people who have chosen to come hear my topic, but I won�t really know how many will come beyond a range. My local quality organization is an exception, because I�m on the board and see the admin e-mails. I knew I�d have at least 60 this last time.

If you could ask additional questions about your audience, what do or would you ask?

I like to know people�s specific interests in the topic, and sometimes I ask. (I didn�t on Tues, but I knew who I was targeting, and I knew I had some in the audience.) Depending on the venue or the audience, I might ask for a show of hands, or if it�s a small group I might ask people to talk a little about their interests. If I have an audience that�s primarily project managers or inexperienced testers, I�m going to slant a talk about testing very differently than for an audience of test managers. If there are people currently running or about to run an systems integration test, I especially want to know that, to make sure I will get their specific questions and provide them a chance to share their experiences.

Share with me an example of how you connect with your audience.

This is closer to what Jim is talking about than to your example. On Tues, I started out by saying that I had thought carefully about who I should address this presentation to. I told them I had spoken on an advanced topic in systems integration testing at the QAI conference in Toronto last fall, and that several people had come up to me throughout the conference talking about being faced with a big SIT and feeling daunted because they didn�t know where to start or how to deal with the many issues. So, although I knew there were several experts in the audience tonight, I had chosen to address my presentation to the people who needed help with the basics. (I saw a lot of nods in the room.) I hoped the other experts would contribute their experiences as we went along so we could all share what we knew. (More nods, some from different people.) Then I invited people to ask questions or comment any time during the presentation, and got started.

--FionaCharles 28-Apr-2006

That sounds great. So, what would you like to improve about this, if anything? Some stuff is under your influence. Some is not. For example, I suspect that you will find it difficult through public speaking exercises to make yourself taller. You might be able to allow yourself not to care how tall you are. - jb

I think it worked ok -- i.e., as a way to make connection.

--FionaCharles 28-Apr-2006

The description I hear would establish a solid connection. Although I'm not certain, it sounds like a meta-connection (a connection about connection).

Are you satisfied with the connection you achieve? If you are, skip the next section.

++++
Otherwise, let me suggest that you might create an even stronger connection by telling a story and following it with exactly what you are doing. Connect and then connect about the connection.

For instance, two weeks ago I gave a presentation to thirty peers about how to transform some data that one of my employer's tools collects into information that could be acted upon by our customers' management.

I started with a quick, less than a one minute, survey. A friend had agreed earlier to collect and display data about the audience. I handed out ballots and asked everyone to rate their experience, using a five step gradient (0 to 4), about three subjects: 1) the data itself, 2) the transformation technology (XSLT), and 3) talking with management about the subject. I asked the group not to share their results with any other member of the group so, hopefully, each person could answer freely without concern about what their peers might think of their answers.

While my friend collected the ballots and tallyed the results, I told a story about how transforming data from motion pictures had changed football in 1940. A sport story was a good fit for this audience; it might not be for other audiences.

My friend was done with displaying the results of the survey by the time I completed the story. Before the presentation I had created a large grid on a white board with columns for the questions and rows for the gradient. My friend used chalk marks to display each persons experience in the histogram. The result was a primitive histogram. 90% of the people were clustered at the middle or lower for all three areas. I shared my interpretation of the data with the audience and told them I would give equal weight to all three topics and target people in the middle. Many heads were nodding so I didn't do anymore exploration.

In retrospect, I think there was an opportunity for further exploration of the survey results, which might have amplified the connection. I also now realize, which I didn't then, that the survey itself was an example about how to turn data into information that could be acted upon. I now see that the survey was a congruent, unconscious action on my part. Thank you for helping me see that fact.

I admit my bias for telling stories or doing a demonstration. My experience is that, if done well, it's a introduction of you to the audience that is totally under your control. (FWIW, I strongly suggest refraining from letting someone else introduce you. I've seen this go wrong way too many times.) Although I advocate asking the audience questions, I prefer to establish a connection first. I can never be certain what the audience is going to do with a question. Someone might use the opportunity to answer my quesiton as a means to climb up on a soap box and give their opinions rather than answering my question. I've seen it happen many times.
+++++

Fiona writes, I like to know people�s specific interests in the topic, and sometimes I ask.

Excellent.

It sounds to me like you are in good shape with connection. I'm concerned I may have missed something so let me ask you some specific questions:

How do you feel about your connection with your audience?

What am I not asking about CONNECT that you want to talk about?

SteveSmith 2006.04.30

What I am finding interesting in this discussion is that you are helping me to become more conscious of the structure of a presentation, as opposed to a piece of writing. I've never really made an explicit distinction about that before, and of course the more you know about a thing, the more you can be in control of it and make it better.

--FionaCharles 3-May-2006

What do the members of the audience you target say about your presentation? If they are saying positive things, I'll bet the connection is solid.

Fiona: What I am finding interesting in this discussion is that you are helping me to become more conscious of the structure of a presentation, as opposed to a piece of writing.

I'm pleased to hear that you are finding the discussion helpful.

Speaking is different than writing. A key difference is that a listener can't relisten to what you said 10 minutes ago while a reader can go back and reread your writing. That's why some amount of repetition in presentations is helpful for listeners. So a refrain, like in a song, can be an effective technique in presentations.

Now let's move on the next item in the presentation structure I use. We can return to connect later.

If I tell a story or do a demonstration, I close the story by sharing with the audience why the story is relevant to the topic. For instance, with the presentation about transforming data, I shared that the coaches transformed the film (data) into information, such as the tendency of the other team to run certain plays and for players to behave in certain ways. The information was used to create plays and techniques to take advantage of those tendencies. And I believe that we needed to do an analogous process to transform the data into information that would help our customers' management drive toward the results they desire.

Next I share the 1-2-3 for the presentation.

For instance, for the presentation about transforming data, I shared that I would cover:

1. What is our problem?
2. Why is it important?
3. How do you transform the data?

Why 1-2-3 rather 1-2-3-4-5? As I mentioned earlier, listeners can't go back and review your earlier words so I try to give them a simple structure so they have something to attach the ideas that follow. By limiting the the structure to three items my hope is that the discussion items will be remembered.

How many agenda items do you cover in a typical presentation?

Please share an example.

When do you share the agenda items with the audience?

SteveSmith 2006.05.04

Generally, I�ve had good reviews. For the presentation I gave last week, most of the feedback was very positive. The most negative comment was, �I did not like the dessert.� (It was a dinner meeting.)

Yes, of course speaking is different from writing. What I meant was that I am far more conscious of the writing process: structure, prose rhythm, the 3 C�s, and so on. When I develop a presentation, I think I do a lot of the right things, but I do them instinctively. I don�t have as conscious a set of measures as I have for writing. I still choose words carefully, and I make sure there�s a beginning, a middle and an end. I also try to make the slides visually pleasing. I don�t have, as you do, a fully-developed presentation model � perhaps surprisingly for someone of my personality type.

I�m still not convinced that I need one, but I�m always interested in other people�s models, especially when they�re successful. Your approach is very different from mine, and therefore I can learn from it.

How many agenda items do you cover in a typical presentation? Please share an example.

No set number. The most recent one had 9, which is the most I�ve ever had. The topic was: Strategies for a Successful Systems Integration Test, and the agenda items were:

• Your Challenge
  
  
• Getting Started
  
  
• Test Strategy
  
  
• Organization and Staffing
  
  
• Test Preparation
  
  
• Test Execution
  
  
• Communication and Reporting
  
  
• Acceptance
  
  
• CSF�s and Tips

I could have done some grouping for a shorter list, but decided not to. These are pretty basic headings that I knew would make sense to the audience, and I knew the audience wasn�t going to get lost in the sequence.

When do you share the agenda items with the audience?

Frequently. Right after the introduction (who I am and what I�m talking about), and then each time I move to the next topic area, I show the agenda slide with the topic I�m about to talk about exdented, and the others greyed out, so they�re visible but not highlighted.

--FionaCharles 4-May-2006

And I'm not going to try and convince you that you need one. Your unconscious model may be better than by conscious model.

Fiona: but I�m always interested in other people�s models, especially when they�re successful.

The model I use has helped me. But, despite knowing the model, I have had presentations that didn't go as well as I would have liked. And I expect those learning experiences to continue. If I don't continue to have them, I won't improve.

Fiona: No set number. The most recent one had 9, which is the most I�ve ever had... These are pretty basic headings that I knew would make sense to the audience, and I knew the audience wasn�t going to get lost in the sequence.

Let's test your model. We have Testers who I hope are tuned in to the thread. Please share your feedback with Fiona about her topic list. Just the right number? Too many? Too few? What would you have preferred?

Fiona: I show the agenda slide with the topic I�m about to talk about exdented, and the others greyed out, so they�re visible but not highlighted.

I have used that transition method too. I realize that I have never asked someone in the audience whether they like it. I suspect at least 90% of people here have seen it. A question for everyone: What's your thoughts about this kind of agenda item transition?

SteveSmith 2006.05.09

How is a presentation framework helping this:

I feel like I'm wooden and boring in the formal speaking part . . . Once the questions and answers start . . . I relax, and can talk naturally. I'm fine thinking and talking on my feet, but much less comfortable with the structured part.

Is more structure a likely solution? Perhaps Michael Bolton or another with more of a performance background will chime in here. For me, I prefer to have a collection of "bits" to move between, items that are never the same way twice. Presentation materials, if I have them, are more a shared example and supplementary reading, never an outline for "the talk."

Sometimes I do provide something intending that we all pay attention to it together. When I do that's usually an example that we work together, during the talk. Sometimes for me, the content is indeed in the writing. In that case the speaking part is more some navigation hints, and being there to answer questions as people explore the document. If what you want to deliver is in the written materials or the outline, why speak? Is speaking to an outline simply a disinclination to type, yet the interaction is the same?

When I do have a structure, it is usually tiny. For content, often as little as a problem, exploration & conclusion / solution. From an admin point of view, as little as: "tell 'em what you're going to tell "em", "tell 'em", "tell 'em what you told em". If the "talk" is an exercise, the "exercise" part may be highly structured, yet the "talk" part is minimal: "We're going to do this thing here, now . . . "

So, if you feel wooden about the structured presentation part, why more structure? Is there another way to get whatever benefit you get from having some structure? What is that benefit, anyway?

What's going on for you when you "feel wooden" BTW?

- JimBullock, 2006.05.09

It isn�t � but that�s not to say I�m not interested in the framework. I am, for reasons I gave. But thank you, Jim, for hearing the problem I stated and going back to it.

My issue with speaking is purely and simply about delivery � the physical act of speaking in a formal presentation. I�m probably hyper-conscious of how it feels because I also sing, and have worked on and off for years with a teacher who taught me to free up my singing voice � a thing you can�t do without involving your whole body. (I�ve also worked some with a speech therapist to free up my speaking voice.)

What's going on for you when you "feel wooden" BTW?

I don�t think I�m unanimated when I talk informally, but when I do a formal presentation I feel as if I flatten my voice and hold myself unnaturally still. It�s what made me think about a 3-part model. I�m engaging with the material and with the audience, but I feel as if I�m not fully engaging with my own energy. The connection is partially blocked somehow, and I don�t know how to unblock it in that setting. (It may not show much, BTW � people I�ve asked for feedback don�t mention it.)

Somewhere in the past I learned to cut myself off from my energy, probably because of stage fright, introversion, whatever. The fear is gone, but the habit remains and I want to ditch it. It may not even be especially hard to do with the right techniques, and that�s why I asked if anyone had tried anything like improv theatre to get better at public speaking.

Is there another way to get whatever benefit you get from having some structure? What is that benefit, anyway?

Oh, I dunno. Security, probably � though I�m not convinced I need it. Over-scripting (i.e., more structure than I want) is habit, too � partly formed by presenting for and to my employer, a company that over-scripts getting dressed in the morning. Less structure is much more natural to me, but again I need to figure out how. I have to start working on 3 presentations almost immediately. Time to try it, I guess.

--FionaCharles 9-May-2006

--FionaCharles 13-May-2006

I learned valuable lessons during both discussions.

For those of you who want the whole framework, here it is:

• Connect
• 1-2-3
• WIFM
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Trial Close
• Q & A
• Close
• Reciprocity

I consider this thread finished.

SteveSmith 2006.05.13

People have already alluded to the necessity of a desire to give this speech. If you don't want to be there, speaking on this topic, to this audience, it won't be good no matter what you do. So, my question to all of you is this:

How do you decide which speaking engagements to accept?

For me, this was the biggest insight into improving my satisfaction with speaking engagements. I never accept an offer without an overnight reflection (at least), nor without negotiating what I will talk about, what restrictions will be placed on the audience (size, background, etc.), and what they will do for me. In other words, I use my yes/no medallion and my wishing wand, and I never accept an engagement out of low self-esteem.

After that, what I do on stage always works out okay, though never, of course, perfectly. - JerryWeinberg 2006.05.14

Jerry asked, How do you decide which speaking engagements to accept?

I�ll only agree to talk on something that interests me. I prefer to pick my own topic.

I have to know enough about the topic not to feel like an imposter. That doesn�t mean I have to be an expert, because I can say, �I�m on a journey and here�s what I�ve learned so far�, but I don�t want to be completely ignorant before I start.

I want to learn from doing the talk, through some or all of: researching the topic, exchanging with the group I�m speaking to, and clarifying/extending my understanding by developing the presentation.

I want to feel I�m doing something that will be useful to the audience, which means there needs to be an obvious connection to start with between the people in the audience and the topic.

The allocated time needs to be appropriate. An hour is probably about right if it�s a talking head presentation, allowing time for questions and discussion. A shorter timeframe wouldn�t be enough to get into enough depth on most topics. But if it�s longer, I�d far rather do it as a workshop or something else interactive.

Ideally, I'd like it to be a marketing opportunity for me.

I hadn't really thought about other considerations, though I'm sure there must be some, like I wouldn't want to speak over people actually eating, or in a noisy place like a bar. So I'll add a question to Jerry's.

What other constraints might influence your decision to speak/not?

--FionaCharles 14-May-2006

• the purpose of the session is not aligned with my life purposes
• the sponsor is making money and I'm not
• they want to restrict me to "speaking," because I'd prefer to have people "experiencing"

- JerryWeinberg 2006.05.15

I always want to know how we'll know whether we got what we expected - all of us. From that, I've come down to three categories of "speaking" I'll do, with varying investment on my part.

• My faviorite is "reporting in" on something I've discovered, that might be new to other folks. The presentation has the form "Hey, this looks cool to me." and a flavor of exploring something together. I put a lot of work into where people start from and meeting them there to begin with. We're successful if they can track with the clue I think I've encountered, and we all learn something about how the world works. FWIW, I "discover" lots of things that are old-hat, but new to me.
• Next favorite is "answering a question / solving a problem." Folks show up with a defined problem, and I think I can help. We're successful if they have some ideas for going about dealing with the problem at hand by the time we are done.
• My least favorite, but necessary in my world, is data. The idea here is to get a bunch of people "on the same page" about some piece of their shared world. Just like "on the same page" suggests, I try to present the information in multile modes, and ideally any conversation / presentation part is clarifying what's already available in writing in some form.

I think presentations get in trouble when they mix up the three purposes. In particular, a great deal of discovery - observation and hypotheses really - gets presented as "getting on the same page." This is a particular disease of methodologists. Some of us with some training in more formal reasoning go a bit nuts with sloppy presentations of this kind - an observation or hypotheses delivered as simple data, or conclusions so we can all "get on the same page."

I have also found that negotiating up front helps set expectations, and some people won't hear what you say, no matter what.

-- JimBullock, 2006.05.15