When You Speak
“Did you ever spend a lot of time on a ship?”
That was the question I asked the speaker I was evaluating at a Toastmaster Meeting.
The reason I asked, was that Michael, the person I was critiquing, possessed the habit of rocking from side to side during his speech. He wasn’t aware of it, but it was so bothersome I had to mention it.
Michael, like all Toastmasters, was attending the meeting to improve his presentations. Just telling him what he did correctly wasn’t going to help him get better. I certainly did mention the positives of his presentation, but ‘sandwiched in’ the ‘room for improvement’ advice.
Whether it’s rocking back and forth, jingling change and keys in pockets, or filling dead air space with ‘Ums and Ahs and You Knows’, those distractions compromise the delivery of your message to the audience.
Often, as in Michael’s case, it’s something you’re not aware of. This is one reason it’s important to have someone critique your talks and/or film yourself so you can see and hear how you present.
Other personal distractions could have to do with your appearance
- A stained shirt or jacket
- Food on your face or in your teeth (I’m not kidding.)
- Too flashy jewelry that sparkles too much.
- Outrageous clothing that ‘sends its own message’
There are some preventative measures that can be taken to avoid delivering distractions.
- Empty your pockets before speaking. No coins or keys = No Jingle!
- Have a friend in the audience quietly ‘signal’ you if you start swaying or rocking.
- Put a Post Note on the lectern or on top of your notes or mind map with a reminder .
- Get a good night’s sleep the night before a presentation.
- Practice – Practice – Practice
- In front of a mirror.
- In front of friends and family.
- In front of a camera.
- Look in a full length mirror before coming to the lectern.
- Check:
- Clothing – zippers, buttons, for lint & hair
- Self – hair, face
- Check:
Eliminate personal distractions when delivering your presentation and your speech will be absolutely, positively – No Sweat!
4 Comments
I didn’t spend much time on a ship. Although I should have on that Carnival one that was suppose to take me to Mexico but instead ended up on the Bahamas due to the ever popular swine flu.
Personal distractions have to be the worst. Come to think of it I’m a case of my own failures in that aspect. Commonly I have change in my pockets that dingle around and make me look like the local janitor. The one with a giant ring of keys. The other problem is being able to relax and maintain control. That’s always been a challenge for me personally and one that I wish I can overcome.
Thanks for Sharing!
P.S. I’ll keep you posted on the ‘Ignore’ button progress for Facebook. No Promises!
Thanks for visiting and commenting, Ivan.
Being aware of those personal distractions is the first step to eliminating them.
Good Luck!
Good article Fred. I’ve almost gotten seasick watching some speakers. The food one is good. I hardly ever eat before I speak at a meeting because that’s always a possibility of spilling something or having lettuce on my teeth or drinking pop and wanting to burp in the middle of the talk.
Thanks for visiting and posting a comment, Scott.