Many people freeze up and perform poorly when they present online or in person. I recently coached the President of a local learning organization in preparation for her speech at their annual meeting this year, which, for the first time was going to be on Zoom. Frankly, in initial rehearsals, she was awful: stilted, boring – a real snooze. Why? because she went into a robotic “I-am-now-making-a-speech-mode,” what I call “speechifying.” She had to change. Here is the advice I gave her which ultimately moved her from deadly to dazzling. (My asides to you are in parentheses)
(Look at the positives of the situation)
First, you are the perfect, perfect person to be giving the major annual talk! People know, love, and respect you. Your unlimited commitment to
Organization X and passion for members are well known. Second, we worked on your content and it hits all the right notes.
(What do you want listeners to see?)
What attendees see has to reflect that passion and commitment. Right now—and it is normal—you are stilted because you are getting used to Zoom and becoming familiar with your remarks. We need to get you past that so that people see the President they all know and love.
(Rehearse until you are pretty familiar with the material)
In addition to our meeting today, I encourage you to go over your talk 6-7 times before Monday, so that you feel more comfortable with the material and consider the following…
(Here’s the secret…)
It’s all about focus. What we “see” is what we do, so ask yourself what is your intention with your remarks?
- Is it to be the “perfect speech maker,” in which case your focus will be on yourself and worrying that you don’t make a mistake, which will make you look intense or stilted, OR
- Is it to be the “cheerleader” for X, the “leader” who believes to the depths of her soul in the power and beauty of this group and their commitment to learning– in which case your focus will be on the attendees and making them feel strong and proud and blessed to be part of X, which will naturally lead to a warmth in your eyes, a smile on your face, passion in your voice and a conversational delivery?
Obviously, the latter, so my suggestion is that as you get ready to speak, “see” yourself as that person. “Seeing” yourself this way and really wanting people to feel like they are a part of something extraordinary will create the impact you want.
Rehearsing 6-7 times will also help you feel more comfortable looking at the camera more often.
Again, the goal is to become so familiar with your material (you don’t have to memorize it) that you can focus more on how you want to make your audience feel than worry about making a mistake.
(How did she do?)
I am happy to report that the meeting was yesterday and our President did a wonderful job!
- Was she textbook-$10,000-an-hour-speaker “perfect?” No
- Did she misspeak a word or two? Yes
- Did that matter? No
She didn’t need to be “perfect.” (And you don’t either). She only needed to
- Know her material
- Deliver it in a way that was authentic to who she is, &
- Make the audience feel she cared about them and their common cause
On those metrics, she scored a perfect “10.”
She was thrilled, the audience applauded her, and, now, she cannot wait to do her next Zoom talk!
Anne Miller
Words Matter – Make What You Say Pay!
Get Convenient, On-line Coaching to Present Online &/or to Close Business Faster!
Call today: amiller@annemiller.com 212 876 1875 or email amiller@annemiller.com
“Anne is a great resource and talented coach. Working with Anne remotely made the session extremely easy and convenient. Anne set up video chatting for our session and accommodated our different time zones. After my first session I was able to apply the practical techniques Anne provided and see immediate results. Anne is passionate about sharing her expertise and is genuinely interested in helping her clients succeed.” Director, Strategic Partnerships, American Cancer Society
Latest Podcast with Ken Newhouse, social media guru: “Words That Sell“ based on my book, “The Tall Lady With the Iceberg: the power of metaphors to sell, persuade & explain anything to anyone.“
If you enjoy these posts, feel free to share with friends, clients, and colleagues. Thank you!