Tips on Being a Better Presenter

I read a post recently on one of my favorite startup entrepreneur boards that asked for tips on being a better public speaker. The first response was, I believe, ideal: join Toastmasters. I’ve not joined Toastmasters but I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things so it seems like a great idea. However it’s not suitable for everyone (what if there is no local meeting in time for your big speech?) so I thought I would add in a few tips here that I’ve found helpful through the years. These aren’t your run of the mill tips – I figure that every list has, “Imagine your audience naked” already – but these might be used in conjunction with other tips you find.

Tip #1: Know How You Handle Stimulants

I originally listed this as, “No caffeine” but I was reminded by someone that some people find caffeine calming – so I settled on this title. The point is that, for most people, stimulants increase anxiety and make them more jumpy. This is not what you want as a public speaker – you want to be calm and relaxed. If coffee gets you going in the morning, you might want to take a half cup or so 1-2 hours before presenting – it’s fine to be “up” for the presentation. Just watch out for taking a bunch of caffeine/stimulants right before you have to speak.

Tip #2: Know How You Handle Depressants/Downers

In an attempt at humor, my first draft had this listed as, “No heroin” but I thought that too polarizing. This tip is basically the opposite of number 1 above: if stimulants increase your anxiety then “downers” decrease your anxiety. Some people have a lot of trouble with the added anxiety that being a presenter adds and so downers help them. Others find that they will lower their excitement level too much. So know how you handle them and prepare accordingly.

Tip #3: Practice 10-20 Times Going Through Your Entire Presentation

The usual advice is, “Practice in a mirror”. That helps too but the main point is to practice – mirror or no mirror. Practice while you are driving, while you are making dinner, while you are in the shower, etc. The more environments that you practice in, the more prepared you will be for interruptions or for glitches/bugs/”gotchas”. You want to be prepared to handle multiple situations – who knows, you may get to the event and find that it isn’t exactly going as planned. These types of events can place added stress on you and the best way to handle them is to be so prepared that having to talk louder instead of using a microphone, for example, won’t rattle you.

Tip #4: Practice the Opening Paragraph 50-100 Times

Nothing derails a speech/presentation sooner than when the presenter stumbles over the first few lines (particularly if they are an attempt at humor). When a first-time presenter (or a nervous presenter) starts out stumbling and bumbling, it adds to the stress. Adding more stress to the situation usually results in more mess ups, goof ups, and an overall less exciting presentation. The more you practice that opening paragraph, the more comfortable and confident you will become – and that will “show” in your voice, body language, and presenting style. Bill Parcells, the famous football coach, said once that, “Confidence comes with demonstrated ability.” When you practice the first paragraph for the first time, you’ll likely listen back to it (you are recording these early takes, right?) and think, “I suck! I’ll never do this well!” That’s because you haven’t demonstrated the ability to deliver well to yourself yet. Keep practicing until you have demonstrated the ability to deliver the first paragraph well – now you have confidence.

Tip #5: Practice Acting Comfortable

The audience will match your comfort level: if you appear uncomfortable, they will become uncomfortable and vice versa. If you aren’t sure whether you are acting comfortably, ask a friend/spouse/colleague to watch you present and then ask for feedback. I would suggest that you do this after you have done at least a few iterations by yourself to work out any kinks. Also, if you have notes/cards for reference, please do not simply read the notes/cards. People appreciate your taking the time to act spontaneous. Learning to deliver presentations in such a way that it appears both spontaneous and exciting requires lots of prep work!

Tip #6: Alcohol: Make Sure You Have a Game Plan

If you are presenting your business idea to venture capitalists or angel investors then this likely won’t come into play. If you are presenting the Best Man’s Toast at your best friend’s wedding to over 300 attendees, then this will definitely apply. The point here is that you need to know how alcohol affects you as a presenter (if you drink, that is). It makes some people more “fluid” (pun intended) yet it can negatively affect others. Here’s an idea: why not do a few practice runs after a beer or two and see how it works for you? If it works, great – don’t be shy about having a beer before you start. If it doesn’t work, you can always politely decline the beverages until after your presentation. No one will mind.

Tip #7: Flirt

This is my version of, “Imagine your audience naked” and it’s also one of those, “This works for me. Your mileage may vary” approaches as well. I usually speak to audiences of DBAs and developers – let’s be honest here: those generally aren’t The Pretty People. I don’t want to imagine any one of them naked! So here’s what I do: I pick out the pretty girls and I make eye contact. And I will continue to scan the room looking for cute girls and making eye contact. I’ll then make eye contact with the same girls over and over. Although this may have a creepiness factor to it, it works to help me (a) seem as though I am addressing the whole room, and (b) makes me more comfortable as a speaker. I am more comfortable talking to pretty girls – I just am. And remember: the audience will match your comfort level.

Tip #8: Look Your Best

Confidence comes from looking good and feeling good, right? The “feeling good” can come from a variety of places: knowing that you are prepared, the Sam Adams you just drank, the pretty girls you are eyeing, etc. That leaves the “looking good” part , which should be easy. Generally you will be presenting in a suit or at least a nice set of clothes therefore you should be “feeling good” about “looking good”. Take the time to shine the shoes, to pick out your best tie/suit/shirt/whatever. You don’t want to be distracted while presenting – distractions kill your concentration. I have become distracted several times because I was underdressed for an event. I’ve never become distracted by being overdressed.

Do you have any tips that you find helpful?