I am about to embark on one of my least favorite occupations — Public Speaking. Although I jumped at the chance to get more exposure for my film by presenting FINDING KUKAN at several upcoming events, I am not a natural speaker. In fact making any kind of announcement to a room full of strangers normally makes me break out in hot flashes that are NOT menopausal-related.
So I’ve been collecting public speaking tips from friends and colleagues. I thought I’d share some of the best ones here.
Could this tip apply out in the garden too?
1) Picture the audience wearing just their underwear (I know this is supposed to make you feel less intimidated, but I’m afraid I might just break out laughing and never recover).
Businessmen manage to look serious even in their long johns
Miss Fancypants the retro underwear maker shows that women know how to have more fun, even in their underwear.
2) Practice your speech in front of a mirror (could be dangerous depending on your self-image)
Overcoming a negative self-image is a part of the battle.
- I need to take lessons from my cats.
3) Act like a Diva, you’ll sound better. (A hint from my wonderful singing instructor Blossom Lam Hoffman)
- The talented cartoonist Dorie Ratzlaff illustrates my Diva problem.
4) Warm up your voice with a Carol Burnett Tarzan call. (Another hint from my singing instructor)
5) Use lots of visuals so the audience doesn’t focus too much on you. (But be careful of visual overload and the LSD effect).
Visual overload in the brain might look like this.
6) Ask for divine intervention and just wing it.
- What I imagine Divine Intervention might look like. (photo by Hei Astrid)
7) Go online and get some practical tips from the pros.
In the next month or two I will probably try out most of these. I’ll report back which ones worked best for me. What do you do when put in front of a crowd?
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