4. Shape your talking points. There is a lot of competition out there. There are other entrepreneurs in your business or industry. So, you have to find your niche. Meaning, what is the one opinion that you have that you are certain of that may be contrary to conventional thinking or wisdom, Sherman asks. “Certainty or a strong point of view will always win the day. Say you are in the beauty or haircare industry and your strong point of view is that a certain trend is going to be in style in three months. Back it up.”
5. Do your homework. Know the audience and the venue. How many people are going to be in the audience? Who are they? Don’t use stories or humor that they can’t relate to or understand, advises Sherman. What is the seating style–is it theater seating which is rows of seats in aisles or in the round? “There are different things that you can do such as have them turn to a neighbor or to create an exercise or activity where people can interact with one another. Are you speaking during a meal or after a meal when there tends be a lot of noise. Also, there is a different vibe in the room if alcohol is being served.”
6. Make it interactive. This includes creating an audience exercise, sharing a story, showing an example, telling a joke. “You have to make people very engaged and very active. It is called infotainment. You have to care enough about your audience to keep them engaged,” adds Sherman. Don’t be stiff on stage standing behind a lectern and reading from podium reading from your script. “That puts a barrier between you and the audience whereas you want to be exposed. Oprah Winfrey is the great expert at tearing down the walls and letting people in.”
7. Prepare talking points. If you are serving on a panel, you want to make sure that you prepare two or three talking points that you wish to share with the audience during your part of the presentation. What do you want the audience to hear? What do you want them to know about you or your business? You may have 10 minutes total in time to speak when you are on a panel. But “speaking on a panel is a great way to get started; there is less pressure because the spotlight isn’t only on you and there are others on that stage. It is a great way to stand out and get your feet wet,” says Sherman.
8. Don’t apologize. “There is not room for sorries,” Sherman says. “if you make a mistake. If you forget something or you stumble over a word it is okay. If you trip or drop your notes or spill a glass of water. Don’t apologize. People expect you to be human,” she explains. “They don’t expect a talk that is riddled with errors or see that you are uncomfortable. You can always say you missed something that you wish to return to or go back and go over.”
9. Mind your non-verbal communications. Your body language has to be solid. You have to look and sound like the expert that you are. “Too many people are concerned about not being authentic if they move their arms a certain way or if their tone of voice is a certain way,” Sherman says. “Authenticity is often mis-characterized. I don’t care how you feel I only care about how you look and sound. If you come across authoritative, the audience will believe you are the expert that you say they are. Project confidence even if you don’t feel confident.” Walk that stage and command that stage.
10. Rate your performance. Sherman says that a test of how well you did is whether or not people are gathering around to talk to you and exchange business once your speech is done. “People will wait patiently in line, or, they will seek you out during the conference as well as outside of the conference.” Giving a talk is like giving a performance.