If you have any significant responsibility, you sometimes make speeches. They may be to employees or customers or community groups, but it’s inevitable that an executive has to give speeches. However, it’s not inevitable that they be bad speeches. For a quick fix, here are five common things to stop doing to make your speeches more engaging.
1. Stop thanking the host. This seems like the polite thing to do, but the best thing you can do for the host is give a great speech. That means getting the audience’s attention immediately. The perfunctory thank you lulls everyone to sleep. If you really need to thank the host, weave it in a few minutes into your presentation. The bigger point is that audience engagement must begin with the first words out of the speaker’s mouth.
2. Stop telling old jokes. Humor is great, but old jokes are not. A humorless speech is better than an old Henny Youngman line, but there’s an even better approach. Use stories from you own experience. Laughter is common among human beings. When you’re laughing with colleagues or friends or strangers, make a note of it. Recounting a funny interchange with the Starbucks barista works far better than a stale joke.
3. Stop saying “I”. A common speech form is: “I saw this problem. I developed this fix. I implemented the fix. I am pleased with the results.” Stop and think about the audience. The entire presentation should be about them, not you. Try this format instead: “You are facing a challenge. You are frustrated by it. A fix has been developed, and it appears to be something that all of you can use for better results.” Regardless of the specific words, keep in mind that the audience should be the focus of your speech.
4. Stop hiding from the audience. Get out in front of the lectern instead of standing behind it. In a smaller group, get off the platform and walk among them. (Sometimes the room setup does not allow this, as in the photo above.) Begin eye contact with people in the back corners of the room. The folks in the front row will feel close to the speaker anyway, but the people in the back feel neglected. Look at them first and frequently.
5. Stop rambling at the end. It is frustrating to listen to speakers who don’t know how to end a speech. They will reiterate old points, remember minor points forgotten earlier, and then repeat themselves. The closing is tremendously important. If you don’t have time to practice the entire speech, at least practice the last three minutes. Whatever your topic, you should inspire people in some way. And then stop.
To get more help, consider a coach. A firm in my town occasionally makes high-stakes presentations bidding for major contracts. They’ve been very successful thanks to coaching from a professional speaker. (Not me, by the way.) Even though I’ve been highly praised for my speeches, I periodically work with a coach to improve. Top athletes have coaches; nobody is so great a speaker that she won’t benefit from coaching.
