Mark Twain said “There are only two types of speakers in the world. The nervous and the liars.”
What this means is that we all get nervous sometimes, before getting up in front of people (whether on a literal stage or an online one).
But according to film director, John Ford, “You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.”
Okay and what does this mean?
It means that rather than focus on the theatrics of how you deliver your message and practice your power poses, prioritise refining your message.
What is it that you really want to say? What would you like the people who listen to you to do or come away with afterwards? How do you want them to feel?
Do you want them to be educated about the best health care practices? Do you want them to feel more empathy for abandoned pets?
Many introverts are at an advantage in this area, because many introverts have deep interests (about which they know A LOT) or driven by a cause (maybe for a more just society, for example). And when introverts are sharing this interest or passion or talking about this topic with others, they can communicate quite compellingly.
Of course, talking to one or two people is quite different from talking to a roomful of people.
So, you can try the following:
- Hone your message first
- Practice saying the message to yourself
- Practice sharing your message with 1 other person
- Then, try talking to more than 1 person (4 or 5 is a good size)
- Practice in the setting you will be speaking in i.e. in a big room if you will be addressing people in-person or using the devices you will use to connect to your online event
- For online events, try to figure out the tech beforehand so you have 1 less thing to worry about
- People say to imagine the audience in their underwear. That has never worked for me, but making eye contact with encouraging faces has.
I hope these help. Try them and share how effective they were for you.
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