Whether you are in front of a camera in your living room or standing in a podium with over 100 people, the first five (5) seconds are the most critical to display your image, and their first look at you is going to lay the foundation of respect and engagement of your audience, which in turn will affect your verbal delivery. Make sure that you present yourself as a natural, confident, clean, and “put together” speaker from the moment your step in, or when your Zoom meeting is on with the tips below:
Colors
Make sure that you wear professional business attire, solid, neutral, and soft colors for both men and women. The black suit seems like a constant in powerful men.
To find inspiration on what to wear during a speech, look at famous speakers like Suzie Orman, Elon, Tony Robbins, Grant Cardone, Marie Forleo, Lori Greener, and see check their outfits when they are presenting a new product, talking in front of thousands of people or special events. These are pointers that I usually notice:
- Neutral and soft colors for the ladies
- Suits and pants seem to be a hit among the ladies
- Black or beige suits tend to rule the men’s closets (at least at the time this lesson was written)
- High heels and closed toes
- No sandals, skirts above the knee, or low cleavage for the ladies (this also apply for interviews)
- No jeans unless you are absolutely certain that the culture of your organization allows it
Adios Hmms and Ahhs!
– REPLACE THEM with transitional, active words like:
“Let’s see” “ok” “so” “Alright” Here we go”, and “any questions?”, “Excellent”, “this is great”,
-If you are waiting for something to happen like a download, a website to come up, or a co-presenter to join, It is perfectly ok to say “give me one second…” followed by the action that you are doing”
– We are replacing these awkward pauses with opportunities! Yes and depending on the waiting time you can thank sponsors, talk about what you do, any social channels
– If the pause/download/presenter takes more than 5 minutes then move to the next chapter and if that part that you skipped was essential and must be covered you can say “We will circle back to that” or “If we have time left we will review this part again”
Voice inflection
Keep it balanced and look at your audience’s reaction to it. For example, if I want to make a statement I slightly raise my voice, and what you want to see is the audience staring at you, nodding, or any agreement signs.
If you notice that when you raise your voice they look away, roll their eyes or look uncomfortable then at that moment, lower your voice to a level that feels right to you and them. Believe me, they will let you know when they are at ease.
When you are about to tell something impactful try keeping silent for a few seconds before you tell them what it is. This is a subtle but effective way to unconsciously awaken their curiosity.
We hope these tips help you find the balance between feeling comfortable with your own persona during delivery but at the same time, being alert and checking that your audience is engaged and alert because of your delivery. If you would like more tips and tricks on how to improve as a speaker, click here for more information
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