The best public speakers started at the bottom. Either feeling scared, worried, anxious—or a mix of all three.
This is probably similar to how your employees feel when asked to speak or even if you talk in public. And that’s okay! We all know the feeling.
Public speaking is an essential skill to master in life and the workplace because it shows off your critical thinking, creativity—and a healthy dose of credibility. It’s a skill that every employee can master, and it’s important that you teach employees the art of public speaking. Feel free to use this blog as a keynote presentation too.
The art of public speaking starts with the four a’s—attitude, authenticity, awareness and audacity.
The first thing employees need to do is change their perspective. Instead of looking to take something from the audience, they must show up with a giving attitude.
They’re presenting because they’ve either seen, done, or tried something that the rest of the organisation needs to hear about. And that’s why they’ve put their hand up or been asked to speak—because they have something to give.
The problem is that too many public speakers show up to take or to get something out of the presentation. It’s pretty obvious when it happens. For example, colleagues might ask questions, and the presenter might respond with something like, “Oh, you’ll have to email me about this later”. They could easily answer. They’re the expert on the subject. It’s about a giving, not taking mentality.
So make sure your employees show up to give, not take.
When trying to improve an employee's public speaking skills, ask them: Do you experience fear when speaking? Whether it’s fear of how you look or fear of being criticised, we all feel fear at some stage.
But most employees won’t be honest. And that’s the second really important lesson in public speaking. Employees must be authentic with themselves—because authenticity engages the audience like nothing else.
You have to listen to yourself first to really deliver the presentation. Authenticity engages because the speaker has to know themselves almost better than anyone else in the room. They have to speak from the gut. Because when you’re talking to an audience, they can feel the realness. And so your employees have to be themselves. Because if they can’t be themselves, they will never engage with the audience the way they want to.
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong—that’s Murphy's law.
This is why a public speaker needs to be aware of how the audience is feeling. Whether it’s because they’re distracted by something going on at work or because there’s an unexpected guest in the room, an audience isn’t always tuned in. And so in public speaking, being aware of how your audience is feeling is really important as awareness connects the speaker to the audience.
Has the audience been seated for a long time? What time of the day is it? Are they drunk?
Things don’t always go to plan. And there’s no way to plan for it. So, the speaker needs to be fluid and ready to rock in the situation. And if you have situational awareness, what often can happen is you can play on what is happening.
Audacity is another really important trait in public speaking.
Employees sit through hours of meetings and presentations on a daily basis with little interaction. When an employee presents, they have an opportunity to stand out and make their presentation the most exciting and engaging one of the day.
And that requires audacity. Because we know fear drives most employees when they speak. And they need to be bold to combat that fear. Because as a speaker, your employees want to deliver something transformative. And that requires boldness. They can’t half-step into a presentation. They have to be bold. And a great way to do that is for your employees to embed a story into your presentation.
Because stories are powerful. Stories can be crossed over into any industry. They make the audience think and go—huh.
They are one of the most powerful things you can do when you open your mouth. Because the brain creates pictures. And a story has the ability to paint a picture in the mind of your audience.
Ensure employees embed a story into their presentation to drive home what they're trying to say. Because wherever they’re trying to take the audience. The story will get them there.
In the grand scheme of things, public speaking isn't just about words—it's about the connection and exchange with the audience.
Encourage employees to embrace the four A’s: attitude, authenticity, awareness, and audacity. Encourage your team to give, be genuine, stay aware, and be bold.
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