We all know that public speaking is humankind’ s biggest fear; as Jerry Seinfeld once observed, at a funeral many people would rather be in the box than give the eulogy.
Recently, Sahil Bloom had an opportunity to speak at a special event at Google (Zeigeist) and shared that for much of his life he suffered from the “syndrome”. Then, he developed a strategy to overcome it. Since he’s built a seven figure business around speaking, here’s his 3-part strategy.
1: Preparation: Study Your Characters.
Today, thousands of presenters have YouTube videos of them presenting/speaking. Find 3-5 that you admire and pay attention to how they present themselves. In specific:
- How are they structuring their talk?
- What is the pacing of their words? When are they pausing and when are they accelerating?
- When are they raising their voice? When are they lowering it?
- Note their movement on the stage. How are they gesturing?
- How are they engaging with the audience?
“By studying the best”, you naturally move to embody the traits you’ve identified.”
- Perfect your “logo blocks”
Learning that memorizing the speech never worked for him, he decided to divide the speech into smaller units each built around a key part – The opening, transitions, and punchlines. By focusing on them, he then connects ideas and doesn’t worry about the fact that he might be changing specific words, tones, etc. The key is to practice the connective tissue between the parts so it becomes natural. “The general content remains the same, though the exact way you say it may change a bit each time”.
- Practice in “Zone 2”
Everyone knows you have to practice, but the key is to practice when your energy level (and heart rate) is slightly elevated. You can do this with a slow jog, brisk walk, moderate hike, or stationary bike ride. “When you get nervous during a talk, your heart rate starts to rise.” You need to simulate that feeling by practicing “with the conditions of the real game”.
Give it a try, and let us know if it works for you too! Also continue to use the Presentation Excellence’s ADAP formula – focusing on the audience, and not yourself. That reduces nervousness and focuses the energy where it should be – meeting the audience’s needs!