If you are daunted by speaking in public, so are most people. And so are many of the most successful people you will know.

 

Making a speech in public doesn’t have to be difficult. It is relatively easy once you understand the techniques of good public speaking and once you have banished any fears and worries.

 

I used to dislike public speaking but today I enjoy it. Now I want to share my learning with you, and offer you coaching in how to make a presentation, a formal speech or a five minute talk that will be listened to and remembered with pleasure both by your audience and by you too!

 

If speaking out aloud to a group of people makes you nervous I can help you overcome that. If you have to speak about really complex issues but don’t know how to present them easily and succinctly without losing any of your message I can help you do that too.

 

The Five Minute Speech – or 1 Minute!

 

Hardly anyone likes to make the sort of speech that takes not much longer than the time you need in which to get up and speak. How do you say everything you want to say in such a short time? The answer is: don’t try. Focus on one thing, and do that well. That means deciding what is going to be most relevant to your audience.

 

You may be tempted to speak as fast as you can because someone has told you that your time is limited, but a speech that almost sounds like a racing commentary will make absolutely no impact. No one expects you to explain something chapter and verse. What they are hoping to hear is something that they can identify with, and learn from.

 

What they want is a taster, a brief resume, with specific points highlighted with a pause. I can show you how to plan your speech, how to make your talk easy for people to listen to, so that they remember it for all the right reasons.

 

And I can help you gain the confidence to presenting your short speech so that on the day it runs smoothly for you. Public speaking is something you can master with supportive coaching.

 

The Business Presentation

 

When you are making a business presentation you know that a lot can hang on the outcome. It might even be your own job or business future. The skill in making an excellent presentation is partly in the research and preparation, and partly in getting the structure right with just the right amount of relevant detail.

 

It also lies in the method and style of the presentation itself. With coaching you will learn how to create rapport with your audience, how to speak with power and conviction and how to respond to difficult questions.

 

I will show you how to construct your presentation so that it addresses the needs and aspirations of your audience.

 

This is the most critical element in this kind of public speaking, because your audience will be highly focused on its own very special interests. You need to speak the language of the people you are addressing so that they respect and value what you are saying.

 

The Conference Speech

 

The conference speech can present quite a challenge, especially if you are not used to public speaking. You need to understand your audience and the mix of people who will be attending the event. Will anyone from the media be present? Are you going to speak to an audience of generalists or specialists?

 

You will need to set the right tone and ensure that the material that you select is absolutely right for you and for the occasion. What will you choose to say, and more important, how will you say it? Are you speaking after a keynote speaker, or after lunch, or maybe it is you who is making the keynote address.

 

What kind of audio-visuals will your conference speech include? How will they support what you are saying? What do you think will be your audience’s expectations? What do they need to hear and what do they want to hear? How can you best prepare, and how can you be relaxed about speaking in a public setting?

 

I can provide you with coaching to help you make a memorable conference speech so that your message is made with all the conviction and ease that you want.

 

The Seminar

 

Speaking at a seminar for 20 or 30 people rather than addressing a conference hall of 100 or 200 sounds relatively easy. It certainly can be. You can have much better eye contact with your audience in a seminar, and it is easier to include some interactive elements in your presentation.

 

The audience in a seminar tends to be more focused. The people attending will probably have some highly relevant questions for you, with a keen interest in hearing some solutions to the issues that they are thinking about, which is why they are attending the seminar anyway.

 

Speaking at a seminar demands a very different type of public speaking, and the coaching I offer is also quite specialist.

 

One thing that many speakers do not do properly, when talking to a small group of people, is to speak clearly and loud enough.

 

There are likely to be no microphones in the seminar room so voice projection is key. Yet at the same time you need to be somewhat informal and not address the gathering like a public meeting.

 

Understanding this is essential for anyone who has to address a packed hall of delegates one moment, and then later on talk to a small assembled group with special interests.

 

Let me show you how to make your seminar talk expert and authoritative as well as enthralling and thought-provoking.

 

Presenting at a Workshop

 

Presenting a workshop either on your own or in partnership with someone else can be demanding. It can also be a lot of fun, if you plan it well. People’s expectations tend to be pretty high at a workshop. They have usually come to learn, to be informed or to decide whether to buy a particular service or product.

 

This is public speaking of a very different kind from what I have talked about so far. You don’t just need to consider what you want to say, but how you will engage the interest and enthusiasm of those attending.

 

How are you going to energise the room? How are you going to create the right atmosphere from the very beginning? Body language, eye contact, tone of voice, and the ability to sense changes in people’s attentiveness and understanding of what you are presenting is a key skill here.

 

There are many ways in which you can infuse a workshop with energy and excitement, so that everybody in the room is listening and learning, and alive to each other and to what you are saying. With coaching I can show you how to make your workshop really rewarding.

 

The Local Community Group or Association

 

You may have to speak to your local community group or an association and perhaps feel embarrassed and nervous at the prospect. If so, you are not alone. Many of us have experienced similar feelings.

 

Even among those we know well, we can be nervous in public speaking. Again, preparation, focusing on a few important themes and being able to quieten those nerves will go some way in helping you to speak well. But there are also lots of small things that you can do which will enable you to deliver a well-received speech or talk. You will surprise yourself.

 

Special Events

 

Perhaps you have been asked to speak at a school sports day event, a charity fundraising, or a company celebration or a colleague’s retirement party. You want to speak ad lib but don’t have the experience. You want to make a good impression but don’t know what to prepare or how.

 

You may feel that you are not a public speaker and that this is not for you. But on these occasions you are really having a conversation with a friendly audience where people are out to enjoy themselves. All they will want is for you to be yourself, with a few points lightly made. This is public speaking at its warmest.

 

I can show you how to make the event work for you and for your audience.

 

Radio and Television

 

Speaking on radio or television is quite unlike any public speaking. It is more informal and more intimate.

 

For people who speak on radio the most important thing to remember is that your listeners can’t see you, so all the familiar gestures that you might usually make to explain a point will be wasted.

 

However, although they can’t see you, your tone of voice, your state of mind and your feelings will be communicated unconsciously across the airwaves. Once you understand that, it becomes easier to prepare yourself for a talk or interview on the radio.

 

Preparation is vital. Unless you are reading from a script you need to be perfectly clear before you go on air what it is you want to say, and if you expect awkward questions plan how you will respond.

 

Speaking on television is quite different from radio. Speaking on television is more informal than at a public meeting, but the camera magnifies our responses and gestures. So body language plays a big part, as does the look and appearance of the speaker. Yet as with radio, preparation is also vital, if you are to present yourself in the best light and with complete confidence and assurance.