Procter and Gamble (P&G) is one of the Worldwide Olympic Partners of London 2012. In their headquarters in Mexico City – and likely world-wide – you will see clocks counting down the days, hours, and minutes till the July 27th Opening Ceremony.

I work with the P&G Marketing group in Mexico City. When I was there recently, many of them were involved in the media announcement for Mexico. The highlight was the showing of their new commercial about moms. Have a look, and remember to have a tissue ready – your tears will flow. And send this to all the Moms in your life!

Hundreds of P&G’ers contributed to this message – many with small parts: serving on committees, making contributions, connecting with agencies and the media. The result is a significant world-wide communication which supports the Olympics, increases awareness for P&G, and most importantly celebrates those particularly important people in our lives – our MOMS!

The bottom line… every communication that you deliver has value. You can never be certain of the effect of one of your communication events. Pay attention and perform them all to the best of your abilities. Because your communication can, literally, reach around the globe.

“You never do anything as well as you can do it if you continue to think about how to do it while you do it.”

I found that quote in a study about athletes and their attempts to get into or stay in THE ZONE.  Ask an athlete who was in the zone to describe it.  And if you ask them what they were “thinking” about, they will usually tell you, “I wasn’t thinking about it.  I just shot the ball or ran the race.”

My wife and I take ballroom dancing lessons. I am good at taking the lessons but not yet so good at dancing. I know the steps, and I know how to count, but my wife and the dance instructor keep telling me to relax and lighten up! My response is usually, “I AM RELAXED!” My words certainly don’t match my tone. Get the idea?

 Don’t let public speaking anxiety keep you from relaxing and finding your zone.

When you do anything like dance instruction, golf lessons, and yes, public speaking, you’ll get better when you get beyond the technique and the how-to’s, and just ACT!  Your preparation should not be to memorize or prepare exactly and precisely.  Don’t just know your material.  Think about how you FEEL about it.  When you do that you stand a better chance of coming across “naturally.”

1). Know Your Answers Inside and Out
Practice answering potential interview questions at home. Both writing your answers down and saying them out loud will help you remember them when it comes time for your interview.

Be prepared to improvise. If you’re not ready for a question, it’s okay to take a moment to ponder your answer, but try to be as prompt as possible. If the question is similar enough to a question you practiced answering, you can bridge to the thoughts you practiced for the unexpected question.

Also be sure to do thorough research on the company and the industry of the position you’re interviewing for.

2). Dress for Success
A strong wardrobe will give you the confidence to move forward in your interview. Read more about choosing the best wardrobe in my previous blog post.

3). Use Visuals, Numbers, and Examples to Amplify Your Point
Just like with any presentation, you need to present your information in a way that makes it easy-to-digest and analyze for your audience. That’s why resumes are short and to the point!

For example, saying you amplified revenue isn’t enough. You need to say how much you amplified revenue with a percentage or dollar amount.

Did you write and design a flier for a work event? Did you draft a newsletter? Did you coordinate an event? Bring a copy of the flier and the newsletter. Have photos from the event available (of course this isn’t the time to gawk at photos, but having them on hand and providing a short visual to showcase your accomplishment is helpful). Bring portfolio samples or any other potential examples of your past work to show the initiative that you can bring to your new position.

4). Don’t Be a Stock Photo!
You want to be clean, professional, and prepared, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want to stand out! Don’t be monotone and boring, use your personality to demonstrate that you’ll be not only a great worker, but a great coworker. Show your enthusiasm for the opportunity before you. A firm handshake, a genuine smile, and confident eye contact will help you stand out among your peers. You can show your personality without sidetracking or distracting from the original conversation.

Brief mentions of hobbies, volunteer activities, and community organizations you participate in are quick ways to show who you are and what other skills you have available in your arsenal.

Don’t just share what you’ve done, share what you’re capable of by showcasing past accomplishments and explaining how your skill set can benefit the company in its current state.

5). Ask Questions
At the end of the speech, many will accept questions from the audience, or ask questions of the audience members. This spurs a conversation and an exchange of ideas. The same applies for job interviews.

Ask questions to show your interest in the position, demonstrate additional skill sets that may not have been covered during the interview, and as a way to learn as much about the position as possible to guarantee that it’s the right fit for you.

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The job market is competitive! I hope my tips help you get a new job where you can demonstrate your leadership and skills to the best of their potential.

But then you find out that your venue leaves something to be desired. Your room has poor acoustics. The lighting feels off. The architecture and decor is plain or dreary. The temperature is uncomfortable, too warm or too chilly. The door squeaks, the podium creaks, and there’s an unidentifiable odor drifting in from the vents.

So how do you make the most of the situation and keep the atmosphere from distracting you and your audience?

Use Visuals
Visuals can improve a presentation, but they also help brighten a venue. If viewers are focused on a slideshow, a handout, or another form of media, they’re less likely to notice the drab room. The bright colors of your visuals will be more appealing to look at then gray walls or beige floors.

Quick Fixes
Opening or closing doors and windows can be quick fixes when it comes to adjusting lighting, air quality, or acoustics. Take a moment to make some changes and see what works to improve the room.

Asking audience members to position themselves closer to you can bring a group together in poor acoustics. 
If possible, discuss problems with lighting, acoustics, or other issues with an event coordinator or whoever is responsible. Hopefully they can find a solution in time.

Acknowledge the Distraction
A quick acknowledgement of the problem and even a quick joke about it will put listeners at ease, especially if they were concerned they were the only one that noticed the issue. A few examples of fast ways to acknowledge the problem are below:


“I hope everyone in the back can hear me. The acoustics in this room aren’t the best. If you need me to speak up let me know.”

“Boy, it sure is chilly in here this afternoon!”

“It’s a little dark in here so I’ll try to brighten your day.”

…

These are a few of the ways you can make the best of a poor venue or atmosphere. In the end, your environment can only affect you so much. It’s up to you to present at the peak of your potential.


What tactics do you use to make the best of a bad venue?

As any good speaker knows, it’s important to expand your audience, which is what I sought out to do by contacting other public speaking and goal setting professionals.

I joined Akash Karia of Communication Skills Tips to share the importance of body language and The Five Parts of Your Body Your Audience is Listening To.

Arina Nikitina of Goal Setting Guide hosted me as a guest on her page, where I shared some of my secrets for speaking up in the workplace with her readers.

If these tips aren’t enough to satiate your need for public speaking resources, feel free to visit our shop and consider purchasing one of my books or online courses.

Or join our mailing list, which you can sign up for on the sidebar of this page.

Of course we aren’t finished yet. Stay tuned for future news, book reviews, and of course, plenty of public speaking tips.

I hear that all the time! It usually comes when I have just urged the audience to be energetic, enthusiastic, and yes…EXCITING! As I did in the blog post about exciting the audience just before this one!

Here’s a question which I’ll answer at the end of this blog: Why are manhole covers round?

I was walking down the street with my dog and saw two workmen uncovering a manhole. I approached them and asked that question. They did NOT know the answer, but a conversation began. They love their work! They know how essential it is for them to keep the sewers clear. In only a few minutes I learned a great deal about their business, but also about them as people.

No matter what your topic or business is, you can make it worth hearing about. Have some very complicated and tedious financial data? Show me how important it is to the success of my business. Have you created an almost incomprehensible piece of software with intricate and minute details? Tell me how it will speed up my assembly line and increase the financial bottom line for my company. Are you an actuary who deals every day with numbers, ratios, and probabilities that most of us have a difficult time following? Take me to the conclusion and show me the money!

The point is, discover the excitement in what you are doing and share that story with us.

The answer to the question above: Round is the only geometric shape which makes it impossible for the cover to accidentally fall into the manhole.

I’m not sure how you’ll be able to use that story, but I know you can make it exciting!

Do you want to engage the audience? Then you must be engaging. Do you want to excite the audience? Then you must be exciting. Do you want the audience to feel confident about you and your message? Then you must sound and look confident.

A comedian needs good jokes and a good delivery if they want the audience to laugh. A coach whose team is behind must deliver a message of confidence and “go get ‘em!” when he sends his team out for the second half.

The audience will always connect and identify you with your message. The way you deliver your message will determine whether they will accept it or not. What an opportunity this can be – to sell yourself and your message! Be the best YOU that you can be. Give it all you’ve got.

When you do, that will be a good day for YOU and THEM!

Kamishibai is a form of story telling that originated in Japanese Buddhist temples in the 12th century. Monks used emakimono (picture scrolls) to convey stories with moral lessons to a mostly illiterate audience. This is still done today!

In teaching others to tell these stories, the advice was given… “Do not read. Keep you eyes on the audience.” I give you that same advice for your Powerpoint or Keynote presentations. In simple words, do not read or talk to your visuals; talk to your audience. You can look at your slides or direct us to them, but do that in silence.

With the continuing explosion and overload of information in the new digital age… the job of connecting with and keeping the attention of the audience is more essential than ever – and more difficult. So prepare your information for the audience, organize it to meet their needs, and be as energetic as you can possibly be. And remember the advice from the 12th century -

Keep your eyes on the audience!

Get To The Point

Caution… Be sure that you say something valuable and to-the-point. People who speak up just to be heard or noticed are soon dismissed and forgotten. Those who say something valuable are noticed and remembered. A valuable ad-lib comment can add equity to your reputation and your business.

How do some people consistently deliver ad-libbed, seemingly unprepared and and unrehearsed comments? They PREPARE and REHEARSE them! Find out everything you can about the meeting…the leader, the participants, the agenda, the expectations, the desired results… Then prepare yourself with your specific contributions, insights, and experience. And then – rehearse your comments. How do they sound? How can I make them crisp and confident?

Now, go to the meeting, listen very carefully, and when your opportunity comes – seize it. Speak up!