The Myth of the "Natural" Public Speaker

Several years ago, I realized that talking in front of large-ish groups of people that I wasn’t on a first-name basis with was going to be an expectation of my job. I had always been fearful of public speaking, and crowds in general throw me off. So, I did what any good glossophobe would do - I jumped into the deep end of the pool and signed up to speak at a conference.

I had always assumed that some (more-extroverted) folks were innately gifted at speaking. That’s why (in my mind) they came across as more “natural” at all hands, training sessions, demo hours, live Q&A, etc. With that mindset, in the most well-intentioned fake-it-till-you-make-it sense, I decided that I could read my way into coming across as (being?) a better speaker. Yes, instead of working on my story narrative or drafting slides, I read a series of books. I find that most things in life can be solved with a good book.

All the key ideas from the books (referenced below) I noted in a simple 1-pager Google Doc. I then referred to this doc constantly as I prepared my talk. Every time I would get discouraged or blocked, I just went back to the doc. Here’s the gist of it:

1. biggest mistake happens before talk (i.e. not preparing)

2. the audience wants you to do well (they don’t feel stage fright)

3. focus on 1 person in the crowd (biggest supporter, least hater)

4. open with conviction (audience internalizes first impression)

5. grab and hold attention (counter-intuitive idea, visual cue)

6. highlight dissonance / build tension (no story without conflict)

7. slice your story in an unconventional way to pique interest

Now, whenever I have an opportunity to speak, I start with those notes. And this is where something very strange happens - that cheat sheet actually puts me at ease. Just the mantra “the audience wants you to do well” is enough to change my demeanor. No, it’s not sorcery - I’ve created a muscle for public speaking which I can activate via that doc. It’s a phenomenon that Joshua Foer talks about in Moonwalking with Einstein.

“memory is primarily an imaginative process…in fact, learning, memory, and creativity are the same fundamental process directed with a different focus…the art and science of memory is about developing the capacity to quickly create images that link disparate ideas.”

So if you’ve been under-estimating yourself and assuming you’re not a “natural”, stop. And if you think you can get good at it without real effort and reps, don’t. But the next time you see a really compelling speaker / talk, recognize that you’re seeing the n-th and final step of a process, and 1 to n-1 is a slow grind and real craftsmanship.

Would love to hear from readers who’ve gotten better at (or just started) public speaking, and what techniques they’ve employed…

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further reading / references

• Confessions of a Public Speaker convinced me that really anyone can do it

• Clear and to the Point is great for creating empathy with the audience

• Presentation Zen gets into the nuts and bolts of good storytelling

• a hodgepodge of tools for crafting slides: colors, fonts, charts, and inspiration

• if you have a tendency to psych yourself out, watch this parody of a TED talk

• 11 Public Speaking Techniques from the World’s Greatest Speakers is a deeply-reported practical guide on public speaking techniques with video examples!

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childish drawing / interpretation