Don’t be a scaredy cat!
There’s nothing like the thought of public speaking in front of a group of strangers to get the bile rising! What is it about talking to a room full of people that sends us into a cold sweat?
Research says that people can feel such fear about this that they would actually rather die! Such is the terror felt. But I’m regularly encouraging my Clients to get out there and talk to their community. However, I often see them shrink back and their face reads “NO WAY! NO HOW! I’m not doing THAT!”
Having now run many workshops as well as the Osteobiz Roadshows, I have steadily moved from scaredy cat to cool cat! So here are a few tips I have learnt along the way:
1. It’s not about YOU!
This is one of the hardest concepts to handle but once you get your head around it, you will fly – I promise! A long time ago, the British School of Osteopathy asked if I would present a 2 hour workshop as part of their CPD course ‘Osteopathic Refresher’. Now my head said that was a wonderful opportunity to meet and talk to many Osteopaths but my stomach wrenched and twisted and I felt sick at the thought of standing in front of them!
But then I realised something. It’s not about me; it’s about them! So I decided that I must turn this idea around from focusing on me and my fear. Instead I got really focused on getting the important business building knowledge out of my head and into theirs. I wasn’t there for them to like me but rather I was there to share some valuable knowledge. And that did the trick!
2. Make 3 key points
So I accepted and got down to work. I wrote down some ideas and drafted out some Powerpoint slides making sure that I was making 3 key points (or 5 for longer presentations) and kept the ideas I shared close to those points. If you’re not using slides, then have your key points on a card so that you don’t falter.
Remember too that when we have so much knowledge on a topic it is tempting to excitedly share too much (a mistake I have made!) and this can easily lead to overwhelm in your audience!
So don’t share all your knowledge in one go. Keep the points succinct and, especially with a complex topic such as Osteopathy, keep the tone light and the language simple. Remember not to use jargon and abbreviations as your audience may well not understand – watch for eyes glazing over!
See if you can show something to make the session more interactive and engaging. One of my Clients is gearing up to demonstrate kinesio taping on a nice Young Farmer at one of their meetings! Another Canine Osteopath regularly demonstrates treating a large stuffed dog at school fetes – imagine the impact that has on her bookings!
3. Leave lots of room for a Q&A session
This is where all the misconceptions will surface and you can then swiftly deal with them. Those questions you hear all the time like “Do you also do feet?” or “Does it hurt” or “Can you help my arthritic dad?”
If you have kept the tone light and given your presentation some good energy, your audience will be engaged and comfortable to ask questions. Just remind them that there is no such thing as a silly question. People can be timid if they think that they are asking the obvious. I always say that we all have gaps in our learning and it is great to keep adding to our knowledge.
So that’s easy public speaking!
Just remember that it’s about what they need to know and not about how you appear. Practice your presentation a few times so that you know what you want to get across and intersperse it with some interesting stories to add colour. I suggest you also avoid stimulants like coffee which can get your heart racing and make you feel apprehensive!
In fact, you might find that, once you’ve cracked public speaking, you’ll probably get the bug and want to do more!
