- 24 Sep, 2022
- 0 Comments
- 2 Mins Read
The Queen and Public Speaking
QUEEN’S MEMORIAL HOLIDAY
For some this is a bonus day off, a long weekend! Yippee! For others, especially small businesses, it’s not that great. Loss of revenue, paying staff for this extra day off, it can really take its toll.
But, that aside, this day off is really about remembering the Queen. For me, what I remember most of all is her Christmas Day speeches. When she’d talk about the past year, mention family and whatever else had been going on that year. One speech in particular sticks in my mind. It was her Annus Horribilis (that phrase cracked me up no end) which made me realise that she’s a person too, with feelings and frustrations and just trying her very best.
And wasn’t she great! She always showed up and just seemed to be able to say the right things at the right time. Of course, she’d have speech writers and teachers but she’s the one who had to deliver on every occasion and I don’t recall her ever putting a foot wrong.
I suppose that’s what life-long raining does for you.
When it comes to your public speaking. It’s all public speaking. Standing up in front of 400 people is what probably springs to mind but having to pitch for funds, present to clients or colleagues, meeting with your boss, even speaking on the phone – are aspects of public speaking.
Here are my top 5 tips to get it right:-
Preparation is the first key step for any of these situations. It’s like building your house on sand, the whole lot will crumble around you if you don’t have the preparation solid.
#1 Know your purpose. What is the purpose for this event (meaning, to a large audience, a work presentation, a challenging meeting, a phone call you don’t want to make? This is your objective or goal. Starting with that in mind makes the rest a bit easier.
#2 Know your audience, if you don’t know and understand who your audience is, those funny jokes will be met with a room of silence or even worse, fall asleep. At the same time know your time limit sp you can prepare the main points around that. .
#3 Create notes, or even write out the whole thing. Then practise reading it out loud to yourself first. You’ll hear your words out loud, know when you are getting off track, remove the unnecessary words and stick to the point.
#4 Rehearse. Practise with someone who will give you honest and constructive feedback and who knows your audience as well, this will help to keep your speech on topic and on target. Practise doesn’t make perfect, practise plus feedback does.
# 5 Find out strategies to help you not only keep the anxiety at bay but will also harness that energy for a really impactful and successful speech.
On that note a free webinar is coming up. Wednesday 12th October 7pm NZT to be exact. We will be covering all aspects of speech, how to build your expertise and your confidence, how to develop your voice so people want to hear what you have to say. Many, many tips, techniques and strategies so you can achieve your goals.
Have a fabulous Monday, Miriam.