You’ve all heard the tip: overcome your fear of speaking by picturing the audience naked. Yikes. That can work against you! Instead, try this: tape a picture of a snake…a naked snake…to your laptop or notes so only you can see it. Maybe the #1 fear will swallow the #2 fear, and you’ll be able to deliver your presentation flawlessly…but perhaps at a faster pace than intended. Let me know how that works for you.
Public speaking is an aspect of my job that hits a passion point. It’s a craft…a skillset…that I find challenging and invigorating. I will always have room for growth as a facilitator, instructor, and speaker.
Last week, I had 2 valuable reminders – lessons for those of us who want to grow as public speakers. The lessons came from MUST Ministries and Memphis, the musical.
1st Lesson: know your audience.
MUST Ministries has the motto of “Serving our neighbors in need.” MUST operates in the communities near our home office, and offers many services to those in crisis, including emergency shelter, food, clothing, and education assistance. Last year, MUST provided back-to-school supplies to 3,000 children and served 180,000 lunches to children through the Summer Lunch Program. They ROCK.
Beth Ray is on staff at MUST, and she is awesome. Beth serves as Manager of Employment & Education for MUST, and her team of staff and volunteers help their “Customers” become job-ready. Beth’s team helps individuals find and complete job applications, practice interview skills, learn how to navigate the internet, and practice some basic computer skills.
Our staff at Velociteach volunteered to develop skills training for basic Microsoft Office tools for MUST. Wednesday, I met with Beth and her team to facilitate a “Train-the-Trainer” session. What an invigorating exercise! The group shared stories of their frustrations, and the perspective that comes each time they see a life changed. It was inspiring! I was reminded of one truth: know your audience.
The typical “Customer” at MUST is quite different than what you normally expect. This is not a corporate speaking gig…not a boardroom presentation…not a time to impress with your knowledge, wit, and the latest books you’ve read. These volunteer instructors have learned how to reach their audience – they’ve got to connect at a personal level, show that they care, not intimidate, deliver hope, and build confidence. What a great reminder for me. To be effective as a public speaker, I must know my audience.
Ok, I’ll save the 2nd lesson for another post…it’s from Memphis, the musical. For now, your job is to find a picture of a naked snake.