Dear Speakers

Slow down generally is a good one too, I think. The greater the number of people in the audience, the slower you seem to need to talk.

Great suggestions. I think I'll use this list, with your permission of course, as guidelines for my clients. Also, I have to try and follow the no-pacing rule myself -- I know I tend to walk back and forth a lot when I speak.

I actually consider moving around a good thing: it gives a little variety to everyone. And movement can actually stress what you are saying: backing up, changing sides etc. have a metaphoric meaning as well.

Movement also helps keeping an audience awake :-) Start slowly walking around them to their back. They might be pissed, but the will wake up.

@adeah - There are always going to be exceptions to the rule. Most novice speakers would benefit to stick to these rules like the Bible until they become more accomplished.

Great list. I am printing it out and posting it in my office tomorrow.

Possible case in point for wild pacing? Clifford Stole:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj8IA6xOpSk&eurl

guess these can be useful for anyone who wants to learn how to deliver good presentation.

thanks for these.

Can't agree more with the eye contact.

Also, typically the crowd wants to connect and wants you to do a good job, sometimes you just need to remind yourself of this when you're speaking. Which leads back to your first point...

Dear Blogger: Please spell check your postings. Postings with misspelled words allows your readers to conclude that you're either technically incompetent, don't respect the reader, or lazy...

Nice advcice. Thanks man.

Great tips! I've done a fair amount of public speaking and was a teacher for a while and one thing I always tell people is energy. The more you can consciously be aware of your energy and keep it at a high level, the more you can keep your audience engaged. There are many other factors, of course, but a good, positive, energetic state can go a long way...

rules are made to be broken... the best ones are creative, vibrant and connect using their own persona and charisma... following generic rules can be good as a base, but if followed to the T, the artificiality of it would show!

I wanted to comment on the pacing as well. I agree that too much is distracting, especially if vigorous. However, a past professor of mine, quite a charming speaker, pointed out that moving around keeps the audience engaged and active because they have to follow you. His own dynamism was a key part of keeping those undergrads interested and awake.

Of course, this works better with a relaxed amble, well fleshed out with pauses, than a rapid stalk.

These are very good recommendations. Might I offer a few more?

1. Speak slowly

Sometimes we are not always aware of how the speed and pacing affects an audience's ability to really comprehend what we're saying. The faster we speak, the less likely we will communicate what we want to them. Take a deep breath and slow down.

2. Avoid nervous verbal tics.

An audience will have difficulty focusing on the substance of your presentation if you punctuate all of your sentences with "um," "eh" and/or other verbal tics--I often begin counting the number of times they repeat the tic rather than concentrating on the speech itself. We often repeat these things without even being aware of it, and most speakers have to consciously work to eliminate these tics from their speaking voice. It makes a huge difference, however, for those who do.

I'm sure more accomplished speakers have many more suggestions!

I agree about not pacing. I think that watching a speaker prowl up and down and back and forth along a stage too much just distracts from the content they're there to impart. I don't mind if you stand at a lectern to talk to me, just make it interesting.

I think that the example of a speaker saying "hey, I walk about a lot, that's just how I roll" is a little risky. If he'd said, "y'know, sometimes I like to do my talks in French, that's just how I do things" then suddenly the whole point of turning up to the talk is a bit ruined. Asking doesn't guarantee it'll go over to the crowd.

People are generally ok accepting something they're politely asked to do but there is a limit and it's hard to tell what the line will be until you step over it and lose the audience. You could just be unlucky ad get an audience that is just before lunch and hungry or got caught in traffic/the rain before you met them, they could be grumpy. Asking rather than expecting "that's what I'm gonna do, k?" is always better. Politeness is king.

Also, I'm always concerned that "dynamic" speakers are going to shout and jump and pace and point and gesture so much they'll forget that content is nice too. Motivational speakers can be very bad with this - effectively they're sometimes paid to stretch one or two central points into perhaps a whole day of talks and that can be hard for even the best speaker. It's not acceptable, to me at least, to excuse other flaws in presentation technique with the handwaving excuse of "I'm a dynamic speaker". It's a word with a wonderful intention that's a little too easily subverted by people who aren't as good as they think.

You should have mentioned the abomination of laser pointers:

1) Circling each word endlessly while talking about it.

2) Pointing to each word as it is read (and reads every single word).

3) Vibrating the spot because the speaker is too nervous or has had too much caffeine or the screen is too far away.

4) Using the wrong end of the laser pointer.

5) Having weak batteries in the pointer

Basically, if you need to use a laser pointer more than a few times during your talk, then you are probably using the laser pointer as a crutch. Simplify your slides so that the central point is obvious. Think about TV and film and how they achieve focus without using a pointing device.

I'm in Toastmasters and know your advice to be spot on. Great reminders for me, too, as I am competing on the district level for Best International Speech. Thank you!
Rita

You've inspired me to write a similar post:

http://egofood.blogspot.com/2009/03/want-to-be-better-speaker.html

In which I give tips on how to be a much better speaker.

Chris

Great comments. I would also suggest that since all the TED speakers are so wonderfully passionate about their work, they invest a little time in improving their presentation skills if they are not as strong as they could be. Toastmasters is a world wide organization which has helped many people become better presenters. The cost is nominal and the process is self structured. Tom Peters and Debbi Fields are two of the more famous alumni.

Stand and Deliver!

This is great advice. Thanks.

Don't pace. Wear nice clothes. Speak slowly. Must all communication constantly cater to the lowest common denominator?

How about a blog post on how to stop being a superficial nitpicking audience member? How about a post on how we can all work a bit harder as listeners to overcome our weaknesses. If we are so easily distracted by these superficial things, perhaps it's time for us to focus. The day I pay more attention to a man because of his tie is the day I need someone to set me straight-

I also agree. Pacing non stop can be distracting, but for extraverts like myself with short attention spans colour and movement is essential. Many speakers who have moved gently around the stage manage to keep my attention on them.

Great list. I'd like to add: "Dear Speaker, do not read." Of course, speakers at TED are savvy enough to deliver a talk rather than to read a paper. But speakers at other venues often make the mistake of writing a speech & then reading it - which is a great way to put an audience to sleep. Better to know your main points and speak to us directly.

Yes! I am a speech coach and I have to work very hard with my students on this point! Walk with purpose, and once you get where you're going, STOP! Walking during transitions can be especially effective, a nonverbal cue of "now we're shifting gears, come along with me."

"If you don't make eye contact with your audience, you make it that much harder for the to connect to your message."

"the".. its "them"

Typo there. Do the honors!

Cheerio

Sam

I would also add: watch one or two of the Apple presentations by Steve Jobs for inspiration.

There's someone who knows how to hook an audience, keep them engaged, and the use of "One more thing..."

Certainly, he follows a lot of the tips you mention. It also doesn't hurt to have great products to talk about.

Thanks for saying what most audience members have been thinking. These are practical suggestions, Duncan.

Lots of good points on how to avoid distracting one's listeners from the point, but little on how to actually get a point across.

I'm dyslexic, I found learning from books hard, but did well from most lectures. I've realised that the lectures I learned most from used techniques that go all the way back to medieval times; techniques that engage the listener.

1: Q&A. Pose your point as a question; i.e. ask for listener engagement. Pause, then answer the question. This makes the point stick in the listener's skull.

2: Explain your point three times, each time from a different perspective. Not everyone understands and learns the same way so the different perspectives let everyone have a shot at comprehension - and regardless of which of the 3 explanations the bulb flashed on in their heads the listener takes in all 3 afterwards. This method deepens understanding because a single perspective explanation also builds a "box" to think in, but a multiple perspective explanation avoids this trap.

3: Engage the listeners both intellectually and emotionally. A speaker should be passionate about their topic, aware of and openly sharing their bias. This is the difference between a Presentational speaker and a Representational speaker. The listener almost always takes more away from the later than the former.

4: If you must walk, use the walking to illustrate the point. Walking during transitions has been mentioned already, but another powerful tool that works on western audiences (we learn this from reading left to right) is past walk and future walk. If you're talking about the past, or the way things used to be, walk to the listener's left (stage right) and if you're taking about the future or how things could/will change, walk to the listener's right (stage left).

I really enjoyed this. I'm actually trying to develop a speaker training program for our staff or writers and editors, and this will be the perfect supporting material. Thanks so much for writing this.

Wow-good-engagement,Speakers! All of the above plus the engagement of your innersef with your physical body equals the sum total for the bridge between you and the audience.
Gil R-Resto

Great list. Will keep it on hand for future reference and reminder. I notice a lot of attention being paid to the movement on stage, but my biggest gripe is with your first point. I can't tell you how many presentations, from small to large, I've seen where the presenter basically created his speaking notes into Powerpoint slides. This is a very dangerous habit, it keeps everyone reading and not listening. It also encourages the presenter to refer back to their "notes" by reading from the screen behind them. The best presentations are those where the slides integrate or support an argument, not where they outline it.

As someone else suggested, look at the Apple presentations, or better yet many of the best TED presentations -- not a list to be found on screen.

Thanks again,
Randy

I taught and guest lectured at colleges and museums for almost 30 yrs., but am now disability-retired. At a recent event, I discovered both how out-of-practice I'd become and the extent to which you never forget how to ride a bicycle. There was no water on the podium and I was really parched because of the meds I take. I sensed a wave of panic approaching as I started getting hoarse. Then my inner problem-solver told me to pause, softly clear my throat, and engage my salivary glands. It worked! And I simply repeated this as needed throughout the talk. Afterward, I wanted to kick myself, however, for forgetting a cardinal rule of public speaking. Like most folks, when I get nervous my voice goes up a few octaves into Minnie Mouse territory. The solution, I learned in my high school speech club, is to breath from the diaphragm.

Like others, as a speaker I disagree with the "please pick a spot and stay" bit.

Unless required by videotaping for example, I will purposely move at regular intervals during my talks, to help people stay awake or to emphasize section changes or "dramatic" parts of the talk.

I see your point about looking like a caged animal though, will try to avoid that ;-)

What you say is right on. But the best way to do this is to actually get some help. I took a course from a company called Paulsen Productions and was so impressed with them and their techniques that I even took the time to write them a thank you letter for what they did. The staff was amazing in what they accomplish in just two days. It was like a boot camp for executives, but very, very refreshing and eye opening to have somone with a well trained eye tell me everything I was doing wrong - and then fix me!

The best thing you can bring to your presentation is passion for the topic at hand - if it's in you, it will come out loud and clear and engage all the folks in the audience!

I have a different opinion about several of your comments. For example, moving with high energy on stage is essential to good communication. A speech is not designed for film. We film them, yes; but the medium is not designed for film/video/digital. They never work well in that medium. That's one reason even Broadway plays filmed look staged and contrived. Direction for film is entirely different. Working with a live audience is completely different. True, genuine pacing is distracting, as is any movement that is completely disconnected from content. On the other hand, having a speaker stand perfectly still during anything that lasts more than 10 seconds is so boring no one in the audience can stand it. It might be convenient for a videographer, but it is hell for an audience.

Great comments and I want to add another thought. If you plan on speaking in situation where you want to come off well, arrange to video tape a practice presentation.

It is the worst thing in the world to watch your recurring tics and bad posture and stage traveling and staring down and mumbling and crumply clothes, etc. etc.

Scared straight.

Nice tips, although I have to quibble with your comment about dress code. I don't wear a suit on stage because I only wear suits at weddings and funerals. If you choose to pay more attention to my state of dress than my presentation, then I don't care about whether I reach you with my words.

Really good summary. I will try to think on it while doing the next talk ;-)

Great, thanks. Also, I didn't notice the first time through the article that the photos are yours. That's some great work -- capturing people and making them look good is no easy task.

What a great post! I'm putting together a speech/presentation for a small group soon, and I'm definitely going to keep all these tips in mind.

Great post! As speakers, we have an obligation to keep our audience engaged.

To the guy who said the audience is too lazy - sorry buddy, it's just doesn't work that way. We have to always show respect to the audience and make sure we're passionately sharing our expertise and authenticity.

Thanks for some awesome tips.

Gary

Thanks James. At Confreaks, we frequently film speakers with the mistaken idea that pacing during your talk makes you seem more comfortable. What they don't understand is that all gestures are relative to one another. If all you have done is move your hands a little, then waving your arms is sufficient to attract the attention of your audience. In general, more subtle motion is better, and it certainly makes it easier for us to record you a lot better.

Excellent comments. I'll certainly take them into account. I posted about 19 offensive presentation techniques which will add value to this conversation: http://visionadvancement.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/19-offensive-presentation-techniques/

What are your thoughts on deliberate pauses?

First off, good luck Rita from a fellow Toastmaster :)

Saw a lot of comments in the thread about "pacing on stage". Mostley either agreeing or providing a counter-argument. Maybe a better way of phrasing the advice would be "control your stage movements".

The point is, how you move on stage, like it or not, is part of your communication. If, for example, your telling a story and you want to convey "frenetic" or "agitated", pacing could be a good thing. Alternatively, if you're working on a large stage to a large audience, giving yourself "zones" to deliberately move between can help keep the entire audience engaged...or, if you're presenting an award, maybe just stay behind the lectern.

Point is, in all cases, the speaker determines and controls how he wants to communicate through his movement (or lack of it). That is, stage movement that is part of the overall presentation is fine...it's the manifistation of nervous energy that we seek to control, and this control usually comes as you gain experience in public speaking.

One of the best ways, I think, to gain this experience is through Toastmasters International.

If all you can do is comment on spelling errors, then I can only conclude you live a very small life, and look for the negative in most interactions. If you can't say anything nice or at the very least constructive, then keep your opinion to yourself. I found this posting very interesting and informative!

thanks for sharing your valuable voice of experience tips. My husband is a politician in Bermuda and i will share with him and his colleagues.

Hmmm...I took my badge off and the conference organizer forced me to wear it :-/

Your comments like your photos are right on the button!

I am still using on my profiles the photos you took of me at Etel 07.
Keep up the great work!

Great article and really good points. Much easier to understand than to actually do it all correctly but practice makes perfect.

I always feel it's better to get up on the stage and go for it. The worse that can happen is that you will get good practice and do it better next time.

Good points ... and I really like the photos, I can see why you ended up in your current profession :-)

A niche tip for those whose presentations include demonstrations, notably computer-based.

Be prepared for things to go wrong.

In more than just the obvious ways. If you're writing code or somesuch on stage, of course you should have a working version ready to show should something go awry. But more than that, you should be mentally prepared and not get flustered if you make a mistake.

The audience is generally on your side. They want to see what you have to show, and they want you to get it right. But you have at the most 30 seconds to get it right, thereafter sympathy wanes...

If something fails, you have three good choices and one awful scenario. The first two are "easy", but the second can turn into the third, and the third can turn into the fourth. You can:

1. Bail straight away, explaining what should have happened.
2. Fix it immediately and continue.
3. Spend a few seconds trying to diagnose the problem, then either fix it or bail depending on the outcome.
If you choose this option, it may be helpful to tell the audience what you're going to do ("Please bear with me for a few moments whilst I try to fix this -- if I can't fix it quickly we'll move on") or to use it as an opportunity for adding value -- talk through your debugging procedure.
4. Futz around for over 30 seconds ignoring the audience and muttering about how this has always worked before.

Very occasionally, presenters can spend a long time fixing a problem and receive a warm reception when the demo finally works. Typically, however, you simply frustrate the audience.

next year when I'm giving my speech at #tedindia i'll be sure to use these tips;)
thanks!!
alexandra copley

An excellent thread. Any comments / thoughts on the use of cues? In the past I have used binders with doubled sided pages and very large print for cues as to what comes next (and when to advance the slides). Pausing to flip the page is a conscious effort, helps set the pace. Lately I've been using the presenter's notes in Apple's Keynote product (again, large font for brief points to keep me on track vs. wandering off). Pausing to sip some water gives me a chance to check the screen for any key items I may have skipped (and rehydrate of course).