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Copyright © 2014 naturalhealthpractitioners.org

Public speaking Overview Public speaking is a powerful tool by which to get information across to an audience and to help build your business. It is also one of the most daunting things to do and many people avoid it, fearing what can go wrong. …and there are few things worse than embarrassing yourself in front of a large group of people. Benefits of public speaking:

Potential clients will be able to see you in person – this is particularly important for a practitioner.

Sets you out from your competition. Helps improve your standing in the

practitioner community and make new contacts.

Allows you to share your knowledge and experience, empowering your audience.

Raises awareness of your profession and you.

Can be a very useful source of income and help with job opportunities.

What can go wrong?

Poor venue – too cold, too noisy, bad acoustics, too cramped, bad layout

Poorly prepared – forgets words, unable to answer questions, slides are not clear,

Badly delivered – does not engage the audience, too rushed at the end, unable to explain themselves well.

All of these points are easily manageable with some simple guidance. Our fact sheet gives 5 simple steps to becoming an effective public speaker.

The 5 simple steps to becoming an effective public speaker

Planning

Tools

Practice

Delivery

Review

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1. Planning Considerations What message are you trying to give? What do your audience want to hear? How are you going to grab your audience’s attention? How are you going to maintain it? Knowledge Know your material. The more you know your material, the more confident you will feel delivering it. Know your audience. Find out who your audience is going to be, what are their expectations, what level are they at, specialists or a mixed audience? Know your room. Where are the power sockets, lights, emergency exits, where will you be standing? Take time to feel comfortable in your space. Know your equipment. Try out your equipment beforehand. Have a back up plan! Ensure video clips (if using them) are downloaded and playable without Internet connection. AIDA model For an effective financial outcome, be it getting the audience to buy your service or to sign up for another talk, use the AIDA model – Attention – Interest – Desire – Action. If talking about nutrition give a catchy title and intro. Then make the talk relevant to them and show them the benefits of change. From there explain why they need to see you again, in order to achieve their desired outcomes. Finally give your audience the incentive and power by which to take action – such as 10% of a consultation if they purchase at the talk or an online payment facility.


A flexible but firm structure Be prepared for surprises, such as a late start or questions. Be flexible to a degree but make sure you are in charge and manage your time and audience to ensure the main structure of the talk is not too disrupted. 2).Tools PowerPoint presentations A PowerPoint presentation should be clear and visual. Avoid putting to much information on each slide as this can be confusing and you can end up just reading of the slides. Use bullet points, images and graphics to support what you have to say. Keep your slides consistent and the word size large enough for your audience to be able to read at the back of the room (24/28 should be ok in most cases). Although each person uses different timings for presenting slides, a guide I use is about 30-‐35 slides for each hour of presenting – depending upon the detail of explanation and audience participation. Handouts Handouts can be useful tool to pass on other information to your audience, a place to write notes (such as a copy of your PPt slides), and for the audience to leave with details of how to contact you. Use your handouts as a marketing tool by which to further promote yourself. Consider attaching a feedback form by which you can collect information on your audience. Examples Bring along examples as appropriate as this can help engage your audience and better illustrate your points.

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Lectern Having a reading place by which to place your notes or laptop makes it much easier to read from, than just holding your notes. It can also be a prop to hold onto to help combat nerves and hide from all those eyes on you. Be aware that this can become a barrier between you and your audience, so do try to move away from the lectern as you can. 3. Practice With public speaking, practice really does make perfect. The more you practice the more natural you will come across and less nervous you will be. You could practice initially in front of the mirror, partner or cat, but soon look to speak in front of an audience. Pick a small audience with familiar faces and speak for just a short time (5mins) as you begin to find you feet. Maybe join your local Toastmasters as this is an excellent way to practice with likeminded novices. If you are studying, ask for more opportunities to stand up in front of your peers. For your actual talk or presentation, do a dummy run at least twice so you can spot any issues and be aware of the timings of your presentation. Combating nerves Nerves can be a terrible thing and can hit you suddenly when about to give a public talk. The first thing to do is to breathe deeply and collect your thoughts. Take your time. Break the ice – Speak directly to the audience to break down the barrier. Ask a question – how was their journey? Tell them what a pleasure it is to be there and you hope they will benefit from your advice.

Use the tools you have to help you. Use your nervous energy to your advantage, to help you focus. If you have prepared well you just need to follow your presentation and planned structure and you will be fine. 4. Delivery Welcome and engage with your audience. Welcome your audience and thank them for being there, with you. Thanks the organisers for giving you the opportunity to share your message. Invite participation and questions. The more engaged the audience is, the more likely they are to be involved with your message. Remember to speak to all the audience – at the front and the back. Make sure the back can hear you and the people at the front are not looked over. Be yourself It is much easier and people will respect this far more than you trying to be someone you are not. A good speech comes from the heart …your heart. Body Language Becoming aware of your body language is just part of your identity. Consider your appearance, your voice, communication skills, and your presence. A simple technique is simply lifting your shoulders, or imagine being lifted by your ears by an invisible force, will help you project your voice Think Positively. Using EFT, visualization, affirmations and positive thoughts all help with your confidence. You were asked to present for a reason, and your audience are willing you to succeed. So take your time to enjoy it and shine!

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Do not rush the end A common mistake with speakers is to get distracted by questions or specific areas of the talk and not leave enough time at the end. Without a summary and conclusion your audience will be left confused and unable to use the information effectively. Words of wisdom: “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action. And because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium, and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open”. Martha Graham 5. Review

Gain feedback from peers or the audience. Provide a feedback form.

Reflect on the presentation, what went well and what you would do differently next time.

Watch or listen to yourself. Detach

yourself from the images/sounds you see in order to make the most of the learning opportunity.

When you are at conferences or listening to speakers you enjoy, write down what it is they are doing, and then try to include it into your talks – get out more!

Things to avoid: Try not to get side tracked and go off on unnecessary tangents as this will cost time and be irrelevant to many members of your audience. Avoid being too political in your views as this can alienate your audience and may not be the best time to view your thoughts. Be balanced and considered in your information you give. Do not be afraid of silences. Silences can be powerful and filling them with ‘um’ or waffle is not necessary. Do not cancel unless completely unavoidable. Your audience will have made certain sacrifices to come and see you and a cancellation will live long in the minds. Do not think you are in a race to say as much as possible in a short space of time. Clarity and simplicity are far more important. Do not say sorry. If you apologise for your nerves or for a particular slide, then the audience will notice it and pick up on it. Although walking about on stage displays confidence, do not use too many abstract movements (and avoid twitching, tapping and standing on one foot). This can be off putting and display nerves. Websites: Toastmasters – www.d17.org London Athenians toastmasters -‐ www.athenians.co.uk Speakers trust (course and workshops) -‐ www.speakerstrust.org Further Reading Ehrenborg & Mattock (2001) Powerful Presentations Sampson ( 2002) Build your personal brand Lloyd-‐Hughes (2012) How to be Brilliant at Public speaking: Any audience Young & Kushner (2011) Public speaking and presentations for dummies

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