How to Resonate with Your Audience Through Public Speaking - Cowen Partners

      How to Resonate with Your Audience Through Public Speaking

      The idea of giving a speech or presentation to a crowd often sparks high levels of fear, even in the most confident people. There’s something about standing in front of large groups that gives rise to our most hidden self-doubts: Will they listen to me? Is my talk boring? What if my mind goes blank and I can’t speak?

      Many books and videos are devoted to teaching people the art of public speaking. A worldwide club known as Toastmasters coaches professionals in giving public presentations and talks. 

      The information is available for good reason. As individuals progress up the career ladder, they need to become more comfortable leading meetings. They may have to conduct town halls and other presentations with their entire company if they make it into an executive role. 

      Knowing how to give a speech effectively is crucial to advancing your career. Let’s discuss what to know about developing and delivering a compelling presentation.

      Prepare Accordingly

      Unless you’re a professional public speaker like a news anchor or politician, stepping in front of a crowd to deliver a speech will probably not come naturally. If someone asks you to give a lengthy talk, you’ll want to start preparing for it weeks in advance. 

      Your presentation may last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. Most corporate talks last less than an hour. It may be even shorter if you’re going to speak alongside other individuals. 

      Once you know your topic, begin outlining your presentation. It would help if you started with the key points you want to make to your audience. You can further develop your speech once you have an outline. 

      The first few minutes of your talk are crucial. Try to capture your audience’s attention immediately, or you risk losing them. Opening your speech with an interesting story or explaining why your topic should concern them is one of the best ways to ensure their attentiveness.

      You should pepper your speech with examples and metaphors that keep your audience interested. If you drift into too much technical language, the crowd’s attention may drift away as well.

      Unless you are giving a seminar or teaching others, it’s best to keep your speech short. Audience members’ attention will likely begin to dwindle after 20 minutes. If you must speak longer, giving them a short break can help sustain interest.

      Work on Your Delivery

      There are three ways to deliver your presentation. You can read it directly from a teleprompter or a written script or use bullet points from an outline to give you direction. The final option is to memorize your entire speech.

      If possible, it’s best to memorize your presentation word for word. When you learn it, you can convey it to your audience confidently. You won’t lose the audience’s attention by scrounging through your notes for your next sentence.

      Memorization takes time. You may have to work on your speech for weeks before memorizing it completely. 

      If your presentation isn’t as formal or has a limited audience, then speaking from a prewritten outline or script is fine.

      Keep in mind that speeches are memorable when they come from the heart. Speaking from a script or consistently relying on your notes is distracting. The audience may lose parts of your message if you can’t perfect your delivery. 

      Even if you plan on reading from a script, practice giving your speech several times before your big day. The more you learn the material, the more assured you’ll feel. You can also decide which parts of your speech require emphasis.

      Don’t Forget Stage Presence

      Stage presence usually doesn’t come naturally. It’s something that people develop over time through practice. If you are new to giving presentations, you’ll definitely want to work on your stage presence.

      If you are giving your speech in a conference room, try to book the room for a few practice sessions. Consider filming yourself as you give your presentation. While watching the video of yourself may feel uncomfortable, it allows you to critique your presence. 

      Many people new to public speaking unwittingly rock from side to side. Others may fidget, constantly touching their face or arms or clutching their fists. If you see this behavior in yourself, make a conscious effort to stop it in your next practice session.

      If you feel the need to move during your speech, you can transfer your movement to walking along the stage. However, you don’t want to start pacing. Stay engaged with the audience. Walking can help eliminate nervous energy, and you’ll be able to see your whole audience better, not only those directly in front of the podium.

      Decide Whether You Need Visuals

      You’ve likely participated in presentations that included PowerPoint slides or other multimedia. Slideshows highlight the essential elements of a presentation you want your audience to remember. 

      If you include a PowerPoint, be careful not to overburden your audience with excessive detail in your slide deck. Each slide should contain minimal information; if the crowd wants to take additional notes, they can do so independently. 

      Your PowerPoint should be thoughtful and precise. The audience should be able to read it from any distance in the conference room. You can also print off copies so that they can reference them throughout your presentation.

      Sometimes, a speaker might use photographs or other visual aids to support their speech. Depending on the context of your presentation, pictures can attract attention and keep the focus on the purpose of your talk. 

      Tying It All Together

      Once you’ve written your speech, practiced your delivery, and prepared any visual aids, you’re ready for your presentation. If you still have a few days, practice your speech in front of an audience you trust. They can tell you what works well and give you tips for improving your talk. 

      Try to release any anxiety you’re feeling in the minutes before your presentation. Sometimes people find stretching, a short meditation, or taking deep breaths can improve their focus.

      Above all, remember that presentations offer a learning experience. The more time you spend speaking in public, the more comfortable you’ll feel giving presentations in the future.

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      At Cowen Partners, our executive recruiters are exceptionally skilled at delivering in-demand candidates, no matter the need and across all industries. Backed by a proven executive recruiting process, we have been the partner of choice for startups, corporations, small businesses, non-profits, and more, meeting unique and critical recruitment needs across the entire C-suite, including CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CMOs, CIOs, CTOs, CHROs, VPs, directors, and several other leadership roles. 

      With our executive recruiters, you get senior partner-led searches, due diligence-run networking, meticulous candidate vetting, and so much more, all geared towards one goal — placing the very best talent as soon as possible, all while ensuring a seamless fit with your company culture, your big-picture objectives, and other factors. Plus, we have one of the highest candidate retention rates in the industry while consistently delivering world-class talent faster than the competition. 

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      Contact us to see why we are continually ranked as one of the best executive search firms around and why we have so many repeat and long-term clients, as well as referrals.

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