Stepping up your performance in front of new and larger audiences is something for which everyone needs a warm up.
It’s not just the intellectual challenge of facing something new. There’s an important physiological, even visceral component to it too. You need to feel alright about it in your head. But you want to feel OK in the pit of your stomach too.
Have you ever sensed that queasy feeling when everyone’s focus is suddenly on you in a public space, perhaps for the first time?
I was struck recently by the read out from an Australian business school study that looked at barriers to speaking up in meetings, and how to encourage input. The study also looked at how to reduce the whinging and whining that’s often expressed after the event. You know: the conversations that should have happened inside the room actually happening in discreet corners outside the room.
Some of the common reasons given by those who were interviewed for the study were:
- The sheer size of the meetings
- A sense it was futile to raise questions
- Fear of negative consequences from speaking up
When questioned further, the surprising find was that hardly any respondents could give examples of negative impacts from speaking up. So: the researchers concluded that often:
- Those feelings of futility and fear were exaggerated
- That a culture of silence was the norm
- And that, in reality, the employees had much more personal agency than they imagined
You may think this has not much to do with speaking formally in front of an audience. But I think there is a link, a red thread, running through these two types of event. In fact, any public event where there’s an opportunity or invitation for you to speak to a large audience.
We can become so used to not using our voices when we should that we undersell ourselves. We undersell the story we have come to tell.
Or, we fail to face up to those imaginary fears, and pass that opportunity to speak altogether.
So, how do we get better at facing up? Firstly, recognize that thicket of fears as entirely natural. Then, plan a route through them. If the fears come from lack of experience, that route may begin with very simple steps. Prepare to stand and tell a simple story in front of a trusted friend in just 60 seconds. Keep it super simple, but give the story a beginning, middle and end, so it has some shape to it.
You could even record it on your phone and watch it back. What was good about your performance? What could be improved? Then do it again, but better!
If conquering those fears is really important to you and your career, take more steps. Sign up for a speaker workshop, or engage a personal coach. But, more than anything else: practice, practice, get some honest feedback – and do a realistic rehearsal before the real thing!
By Peter Coë
February 14, 2024
Peter was a business journalist and BBC TV news anchorman for many years. Alongside, he also has nearly 30 years’ experience as a speaker coach. You can sign up here to receive Peter’s insights on communication made human for business – and learn about his online introduction to becoming an effective speaker: Be Your Best Self Up Front.
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