I wrote a bit about this in the last post at The Viral Garden but the first social media event I ever spoke at was SXSW in 2008.
Think about that for a moment; Here I am, an introvert that hasn’t spoken in a public setting for 5 years previously, and I am making my social media speaking debut at the Super Bowl of ‘social media’ conferences. I was scared to death, and the funny thing is, if this had been a smaller event, I probably wouldn’t have gone through with it. But since it was SXSW it was ‘too big’ to ignore. I knew that being able to say I spoke at SXSW was too important to not have on my ‘speaking’ resume.
So I bit the bullet, and did it anyway. Now 2 years later, I have gone from being an introvert that’s scared to death of speaking publicly, to an introvert that actually LOVES it. For any introverts out there that want to start speaking, here’s what I learned to make me more comfortable with the process:
During the creation process:
1 – KNOW your material, do NOT memorize it. Extroverts are just naturally chatty people, right? They are more comfortable ad-libing and making ‘small talk’, it seems. I think we introverts want to more carefully plan out our presentations, so we know exactly what to say.
But the big problem with that approach is that we can come off VERY stiff, and look as if we are reciting to the audience. Nothing turns off an audience quicker than a speaker that’s disengaged.
So here’s what I do. When I have created a deck and am ready to start rehearsing my presentation, I will carefully script out my session, so I know exactly what I want to say, and when I want to say it. I’ll do this about 5 times so I have pretty much memorized the material, and the key points I want to make.
At this point, I throw the script away. And I keep rehearsing the presentation without it. I also break up the flow, if I have 5 points I have been rehearsing in order, I’ll now do them in a different order, just to force myself to break away from the script and actually TALK about the points I want to make, instead of reciting them. I’ll even be in the middle of rehearsing a point and will cut myself off as if someone asked a question, then after a minute or so I’ll try to remember where I was and go back.
In the end you want your presentation to be a conversation with the audience. You want to KNOW the material. Because something will ALWAYS happen to throw you off base. If you KNOW the material, you can get back on track, but if you don’t, then you’re in trouble.
2 – Tell stories. Everyone has case studies, and everyone has numbers that back up the points they are trying to make. Big deal. What you want to do is weave those case studies and numbers into a story. A story that is entertaining, but that also shows the attendees why and how Company X used social media, and gives them actionable takeaways for how they can take what Company X learned, and apply it to their own situation.
When you arrive at the event:
3 – Find the room where you will be presenting, and get a feel for the layout. Walk around the room. Make sure you know where everything is, where your laptop will be setup, where all the jacks are. Will you have a mic, will it be a clip-on or standalone? Walk around the room. Sit in some of the chairs and make sure the audience can see you from everywhere in the room. Simply familiarizing yourself with the room beforehand really helps, especially for an introverted soul đ
And try to attend sessions in the SAME room before yours. This gives you a chance to see how other speakers do. Are there some problems with the audio/video? Watch how the audience reacts to the session and the speaker. What does the speaker do that gets their attention, what does she do that they don’t like? Incorporate what you learn into your own session and delivery.
4 – Attend any pre-show meetups/tweetups. Most conferences will have a tweetup/meetup the night before the event kicks off. This is an excellent chance for you to connect with speakers and attendees. Try to connect with the attendees, especially the ones that will be attending your session. If you meet someone that’s planning on attending, ask them what they are hoping to learn, and why they are interested in the topic. And this also gives you a way to incorporate that into your talk. Like “Now let’s talk about getting more comments on your blog. I was actually talking to Carla last nite in the lobby about her blog…:” Suddenly Carla and all her friends at her table will immediately perk up and pay attention (if they weren’t already).
5 – Get to your session at least 15 mins early, so you have time to setup everything. This gives you plenty of time to get the laptop connected, your deck ready to go, and make a last-second bathroom run. Also, make sure you have a glass of water on hand. You’re going to be talking for 30-90 mins probably, and if you’re like me, you WILL be nervous, so not having dry-mouth helps đ
If you have any extra time before you start, what I like to do is walk around the room and introduce myself to some of the attendees and thank them for coming. Good way to connect with them, and increases the chances that they will pay attention during my session.
Oh and one extra tip, if you are SUPER nervous right before you are to speak, eat a couple of saltine crackers, it will help settle your stomach and calm down the butterflies.
During your presentation:
6 – Thank everyone for showing up and MEAN IT. When I spoke at #optsum a couple of months ago, I was a bit worried about the topic, which was Think Like a Rockstar: How to Build Fans and Community Around Your Social Media Efforts. I was afraid that it might not be what the audience (mostly property managers and apartment complex owners) was looking for, and was a bit worried about how well it would be received.
Somewhat to my shock, the session was literally standing room only, and we were still bringing in chairs to accommodate everyone 5 mins into the session. I was beyond grateful for the turnout, especially considering the caliber of the other speakers and sessions at that time slot, and made sure everyone knew how appreciative I was.
7 – Let the audience know exactly what’s coming. Tell them exactly what you will be talking about, the exact order of the talk, and tell them how they can get involved. Most sessions have a talk, then questions at the end. I generally encourage the audience to ask questions as they think of them, rather than waiting for them to wait till the end, when they might forget the question. But if you do this, you need to be mindful if the question-asking is cutting into presentation time. If you realize that after the 5th of 23 slides that you’ve just spent 10 mins answering questions, then you probably need to tell the audience that you need to move on at that point.
8 – Move around. At one of the first events I spoke at, the speakers were provided a podium up on stage, above the crowd, with lights shining down on them. No matter what they were talking about, having them chained to that podium having to stand in one spot behind a microphone made the session seem less interesting. The audience seemed less interested as well, I think the unintentional message that the format sent was ‘this is a lecture’.
When it came time for my talk, I told the organizer ‘You’ve got to mic me up, I can’t stay up there’. So I was the first speaker that didn’t present from a podium on stage. I was down eye-level with the audience, away from the lights, and interacting with the audience. The guy that was in charge of videotaping the sessions didn’t like it, but by simply being ‘ground-level’, the audience perked up. They paid attention, and that made them more engaged.
One thing I also like to do is get to the CENTER of the room. I’m sorry, but I just hate staying in front of a group for an hour. Chris Brogan had a great point one time about the difference between an audience and a community is the way the chairs face. I want to spend some time in the middle, interacting with people where they are.
9 – Realize that you WILL screw up, and likely no one will notice. Remember my first point about knowing your material, and not memorizing it? Here’s an example where I screwed that up. In preparing to moderate that first session at SXSW in 2008, I made a COMPLETE script of what I would say to each panelist. I knew the exact questions to ask, etc. I even made two scripts, one was detailed, and the other was a ‘loose’ script to keep me on track. I kept the detailed one to my left and the loose one to my right.
So as our session started, I set the groundwork for what we would be talking about, and the format of the session, closely following my very detailed notes. All was going off without a hitch.
Then I moved to introducing the panelists, and went back to my detailed list, and carefully started reading off who each panelist was. Then….it happened. I read the bio for one of the panelists off my detailed list, and looked up at the crowd to tell them about the panelist. Then when I looked back down…..I looked at the ‘loose’ script, instead of the ‘detailed’ one. I was expecting to see the detailed bio for Mario that I could read off, and instead I saw ‘Introduce Mario’.
At this point, I was completely confused, and after what seemed like 20 years (in actuality it was probably a couple of seconds), I realized I had stopped talking, and mild (read: OH SHIT!!!!) panic set in. After another second or two of literally being scared to death, I finally found my place in the script, and went on. The rest of the session went off without a hitch.
But the FIRST thing I did as soon as the session ended was apologize to my fellow panelists for the disaster I made during introductions with that seemingly 5 min pregnant pause. They had no idea what I was talking about. So I assumed they were just being nice, so I found a few people that attended the session and asked them about it, and they didn’t know what I was talking about either.
So in reality, I thought I had totally ruined the session 2 mins into it, over an ‘error’ that apparently no one noticed but me. That’s usually the way it goes when you are speaking, and I think introverts take even minor mistakes much more seriously than extroverted speakers. But the reality is, most people won’t even notice them.
10 – Engage with the people that are engaged with you. Another big advantage to knowing your material is that you can talk about it, and while you are, you can connect with the audience. I spend time looking around the room as I am speaking to see who I am connecting with. The woman at the front left table that nods along when I make a point. The guy in the middle right table that laughs when I tell a joke. If they are paying attention to me, I am paying attention to them. And they see this, and that makes them more interested in what I am saying.
11 – Close the presentation by thanking the audience for coming (and mean it), then tell them how to get in touch with you. This is where you can pimp yourself and your site. Make sure the audience understands that you want the session to be the START of a connection between you and them, not the end. Encourage them to email you if they have any questions, and I always give out my Twitter name and tell the attendees to please follow me, and I will follow them back.
12 – Let the audience ask questions. Even if it means you cut your presentation short, the audience deserves to ask you questions. And this is a little trick I picked up (actually it’s more about being considerate of your audience), but if someone in the BACK of the room asks you a question, walk TO that person and answer them. First, this keeps them from having to shout at you, and two, it means you don’t have to shout your answer back at them. Also, it makes other audience members around her more likely to ask you a question as well.
Doing things like this and thanking the audience for coming might seem trite, but by doing this you are showing the audience that you care about them, and are genuinely grateful that they came. This makes them far more likely to pay attention to you, and be interested in both you AND what you have to say. Simple common courtesy goes a long way.
After the event:
13 – Stay connected. One of the first things I will do is check feedback on Twitter. I will thank those that leave feedback, and pay close attention to what they are saying. Which points resonated with them. Did I do something that someone didn’t like? Did a particular story really hit home for attendees?
But the bottom line is that I am living proof that introverts can not only have successful speaking careers, but that you can learn to ENJOY it. Seriously if you had told me in high school and college that I would love speaking, I would have thought you were insane. But I really do, and I think you can as well. Fellow introverts, what tips for speaking do you have?
Pic via Jeremiah
Great tips and stories – there’s hope for those of us that aren’t naturals!
Did you just take the plunge on your own & learn through trial-and-error, or did you join a group like Toastmasters beforehand to learn techniques and get comfortable?
.-= Eric Heinzman´s last blog ..âChameleonâ â Free Social Media Icon Set =-.
Completely trial and error. Seriously, prior to SXSW 2008, the last time I spoke in front of a group was in grad school 5 years earlier. The only reason I started speaking was to get exposure for myself as a consultant.
If *I* can do this, anyone can.
To add to the glass of water always have some breath mints on hand. Post speaking breath can be a little edgy at times.
It goof to be ready to fill time if needed. Having a couple of familiar story vignettes in your back pocket helps. If possible try to have a canned 2 minute, and 5 minute universal story that you can deliver from the hip.
Great post!
Kevin
.-= Kevin D. Lyons´s last blog ..13 Ways to Grow Your Business on the Internet =-.
Kevin that is a GREAT point about filling time! The first few times I spoke I was really nervous and the time it took when I rehearsed might have been an hour, but ‘live’, it was 40 mins. Then as I became more comfortable with the material and speaking, I could get it closer to that hour.
But you’re right, at first we introverts might fly through the material faster than we realize!
man does that hit close to home. I love this post and I really am working hard to figure out how to be a better speaker. All the training and advice in the world is only as good as my ability to internalize it, however. I think confidence – even if somewhat artificial and temporary – coupled with practice is the ticket.
This is a great list, Mack! I especially agree that your #1 point – know your material – is the #1 key to success for anyone, but especially introverts. As long as I know what points I need to make and have the beats planned out in advance, I am very comfortable on stage.
One thing I would add, which you alluded to, is that because many introverts tend not to repeat ourselves – we feel like if we’ve said something once, we don’t need to say it again – we may not realize that our audience would benefit from a repetition of the points. I have to remind myself to rephrase my key points in different ways and at various times in the presentation. And examples and stories are a really good way to keep the talk from being just a dry recitation of facts and tips, boiled down to their essence.
Thanks for a great post!
.-= Nedra Weinreich´s last blog ..Shall We Play a Game? Interactive Adventures in Social Marketing =-.
Nedra you are right about repeating points and why we introverts don’t. I think another point is to watch what points resonate with the audience. What ‘takeaways’ do they pay more attention to? Usually statistics, especially surprising stats, need to be repeated. During one of my case studies at #optsum (I think it was on Graco’s blogging strategy) after I gave one of the stats, it was immediately as if the entire room started pecking on their keyboards at the same time! I think most people were tweeting whatever I had just said!
That’s why I mentioned monitoring Twitter feedback, that gives you an idea of what key points get RTed by not only the audience, but others that are following attendees.
Great tips. Number nine is very important, as a lot of people freak out when they screw something up. It takes some grade of confident, and that confident can be gain with some practice.
.-= RicNunez´s last blog ..What Makes You Keep Going? =-.
this is very useful information. Especially for me as i have just started mooting which is extremely difficult as you have to explain finer points of law to strangers.in alanguage that is both correct but easily uindrstood and no reciting is no good you need to get to know the material so you can ad lib…
Mack, your intro to this article made me laugh — because I completely relate to it. I used to be terrified of public speaking (as in, fainting terrified), and I ended up teaching speech to college freshmen. The universe has a sense of humor.
What’s great is this article sums up a semester’s worth of main points. I think if I were to add one more thing, it would be something you alluded to: introverts, just go and speak! It doesn’t matter how much you read about it or practice in front of the mirror — the only way you’ll ever get better is to do speak in front of people.
Thanks for a great article!
Hey Christina! As with much in life, most things aren’t as bad as we think they will be. And if you’re really shy, simply attending a few local tweetups and attending events first before you speak can help you draw out of your shell a bit.
But you’re right, there’s no substitute for getting experience speaking in front of a group, rather it’s 10 or 1,000.
Awesome post, Mack. I think #1 really IS #1: you must really know what you are talking about! I am subscribed to about 10 Public Speaking Experts’ blogs, but I’ve probably never seen such a good post: useful, actionable and very easy to identify with…
Thank you Amadou! Hope you have a great Sunday!
Great points. Feeling comfortable in the room is very important.
So many great points here, Mack. I also love the Brogan quote about which way the chairs face–and use it often.
I also love the point about screwing up and no one remembering. We’re all so focused on our own little words–but really, no one else is.
The only thing I’d add is to just let your personality shine through in the presentation. I once saw Peter Shankman present–and man, was he good. Why was he so terrific? He was himself–cracking jokes, smiling, laughing, taking shots at people. He was true to himself–and that came through. And the audience responded to it. I think some of us get a little caught up in being a little too formal when we’re speaking, instead of just being ourselves. People will react much more favorably to the latter.
Thanks for the post, Mack.
@arikhanson
.-= Arik Hanson´s last blog ..Digital PR Perspectives: The BP Oil Spill =-.
Great piece Mack, and timely for me. I have a presentation in a few weeks, and I’m bookmarking this post.
.-= Hutch Carpenter´s last blog ..My Ten Favorite Tweets â Week Ending 051410 =-.
Quite possibly the best thing I’ve ever read on public speaking. Your insight into the introvert (and how we think!) is spot on.
I especially like your advice about knowing your material, but not memorizing it. I’m going to definitely read and re-read this guide the next time I need to speak.
Thank you!
Carolyn
.-= Carolyn Lawson Low´s last blog ..âNature by Numbersâ â Stunning =-.
Mack,
This is a great post not just for introverts, but for everyone. I find I have many problems with public speaking as an extrovert. I am a chatty and social person by nature and usually engage very well in an informal setting, but when asked to give a formal presentation, many thoughts go through my head and I still get nervous – especially if I haven’t spoken in public for a while. I can work a room with the best of them, but speaking in front of people in large groups all at once is much different… and the more you do it, the easier it gets.
Definitely keeping this post in mind in case I get asked to present any time soon. Great checklist.
Sara
.-= Sara Halperin´s last blog ..How to Get Into the Best Creative Shape of Your Life =-.
Hi Mack,
I appreciated your viewpoint on public speaking for introverts, a topic I write and speak about frequently, and shared your post on my blog, http://www.selfpromotionforintroverts.com.
Nancy Ancowitz
Author of Self-Promotion for IntrovertsÂŽ
thanks so much! I have the problem of ‘memorizing’ script & not keeping the eye contact. I’ll practice what you suggest. Gr8 post! Thank you…
Thanks for this really thoughtful post Mack. Working in an industry of extroverts (PR), I often feel like being an uncomfortable speaker/presenter is a “dirty little secret.” Your post is incredibly validating and refreshing.
I’m saving/sharing/retweeting this. It’s SO great! Thanks a ton.
Mack,
I’m presenting next month to a new group and am feeling a little intimidated by it. I’m afraid the material will be too basic. But by far the hardest thing for me is Q&A. I have a terrible memory & find it tough to think on the spot. I like writing for that reason – I have time to think and edit things. I hate not knowing the answer – or not remembering something that I know. Mostly because I feel dumb.
I admire people who can remember facts and tell stories well. Sometimes I can, other times (like on a webinar) it’s harder. I do best if I got a good night’s sleep and am in a good mood.
I remember a moment that I totally embarrassed myself plugging my book awkwardly because I forgot what I meant to say. Like you I found that most people didn’t notice even though I cringed. It’s better to go on than dwell on it.
My favorite tip is not to look at your slides, just throw your arm back and point to them – like the weatherman or weatherwoman on TV does.
Thank you for these tips, I’ll take them to heart.
Janet
One more point – Today you need to work tweetbytes (the new soundbytes) into your speaking. The audience might like what you have to say but if they have to think about it too hard they won’t tweet it.
Janet
.-= Janet Thaeler´s last blog ..Google Suggest & Your Reputation =-.
Mack:
It’s interesting to read this because I would never have pictured you as an introvert. Then again, maybe some people don’t get that feeling about my social media presence and I’m very firmly in the Introversion tendency (INTJ, according to MBTI testing).
As for public speaking, I’ve been in Toastmasters since 2005 and I feel that it has helped me with my public speaking skills and, to a certain extent, dealing with nervousness. I fully agree with your point about not memorizing speeches or presentations: it’s too easy to get screwed up if you forget something and it’s very likely that you’ll come across as looking stiff, as you indicate.
Great points in your article; thanks for writing it.
.-= Mark Dykeman´s last blog ..LOST and blogging about islands =-.
I am an introvert myself but have made a lot of presentations to my clients. Funny thing is, it seems to me that I do better live in front of the clients than I do during my rehearsal and I realized it is mostly because I feed off the eye contacts, audience asking questions, etc. Instead of these being distractions, they are more like segues into the material that I want to cover. Also gives me time to recollect and creates a better engaged experience.
I am a chatty and social person by nature and usually engage very well in an informal setting, but when asked to give a formal presentation, many thoughts go through my head and I still get nervous â especially if I havenât spoken in public for a while.
Great suggestions; speaking to a group of people has always been hard for me but getting comfortable early always helps! đ
Very thorough guidelines. I think your points could be a very helpful cure for the nervous speaker. A good deal of anxiety, I think, does come being unsure of your material. Knowing your material well enough that you can get by with a few bullet points on a small card takes a lot of rehearsal but it’s worth it. Public speaking can become fun when you are not pressured for time or content, even for introverts. More on networking and introverts at:
http://www.helpforthenetworkingintrovert.com/
Hello Mack,
It was very interesting to stumble across this post. As long as I can remember, I have been struggling (conventionally) with my Introversion to a point that I had started to actually doubt my intellectual capabilities. As you know the world view seems to be that Introversion ‘its not normal’ including that in India. Even in the corporate this feeling gets reinforced that Extroverts get more visibility and its true to a very large extent. I was amazed to find so many people including you aknowledging and discussing about our Introversion.
And your post had some great tips for public speaking.
Mack,
What a great post! I am actually an extrovert, but I HATE (x100) public speaking. Being in groups energizes me, but speaking in front of the group is absolutely terrifying. You provided some great suggestions here. I am going to immediately put these ideas to work!
Thanks so much.
Michelle
Thank you Michelle, glad the post was helpful!
Very informative and useful, thanks a lot for sharing your experiences.
I think I’ve read some where that public speaking is the number one fear around the world if I wasn’t mistaken! But, through the sharing of experiences we gain as presenters with others who are less comfortable with presenting than us, we help them overcome some of the difficulties they are facing!
Thanks again!
This would make an awesome book, Mack!