Matt Eventoff

Man, I wish it was that easy.  I speak publicly often, and I still get nervous prior to every speech or presentation. Every single one.

That being said, I’m in pretty good company — it has been noted that Sir Winston Churchill and President Lincoln also got quite anxious prior to speaking publicly.

Unfortunately, no matter how many books, courses, DVDs, websites or snake oil salesmen promise to “cure” you of your fear of public speaking, it is never that simple, or that easy.  That being said, there are a number of techniques, strategies and tactics to use to alleviate the fear and anxiety that come calling prior to speaking publicly.

Tips and Tactics, Pt.I :

1. Prepare. Prepare. Prepare - Simply put, the more you prepare and the better handle you have on the material you are presenting, the better it will go.
2. Practice. Practice. Practice – Once you have prepared, you MUST practice, early and often.  Rumor has it that Churchill practiced for one hour per one minute of speech content he was delivering.  5 minute presentation = 5 hours practice.  How long are you practicing?
3. Check out/Read the room before – Familiarity breeds comfort; surprise the day of a presentation are no fun and ratchet up anxiety tenfold.
4. Remember – the audience is on your side- 9 times out of 10, the audience is rooting for you to succeed, not waiting for you to fall flat.
5. Breathing - My three favorite breathing techniques – 3 Deep Belly Breathes, Ujaia breathing, and the Alternate Nostril technique – more on each in a later post
6. Listen to Music – Watch a boxing or MMA competition; watch Kobe or LeBron prior to getting on the court – always listening to music, getting in the zone, eliminating outside distraction and chasing away anxiety and negative thoughts — it works prior to public speaking as well (I do this each and every time)
7. Remember – You are always more nervous than you look – ALWAYS!

Stay tuned for Pt. II…

Today we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., a leader, a visionary and a hero.

He was also one of the greatest communicators of the past century. Dr. King was always relentlessly on message, and always spoke with passion and energy.

This clip is important for a number of reasons.  It is the conclusion of his final speech, given at Mason Temple in Memphis on April 3rd — he was assassinated the next day.

He was speaking in support of the striking sanitation workers in Memphis, however as was usually the case when Dr. King spoke, his message was consistent regardless of who he was addressing, and he was always on message.

The sheer energy that this clip contains is unbelievable. One can feel the power through the small clip on a computer — imagine the energy that must have been in the room that day in Memphis!

Dr. King’s use of tempo, inflection and pause during this speech are masterful. It is not possible to sleep through this speech. It was not possible to drift away into another thought if you were watching. It is not possible to walk away indifferent after hearing this speech.

How many times have you witnessed presenters or speakers fail to make eye contact, speak in a monotone or rush through each thought? How often have you walked away from a presentation unable to remember hours later what the speaker said? How many times have you witnessed a speaker that had absolutely no energy or passion, and seemed to be going through the motions?

The notion that it is better to say something than to say nothing is just false.  If you don’t believe in what you are saying, you are better off saying nothing.

If you think that you can fool an audience, think again.

Breaking news….Social media is in fact….Social!

Social Media outlets are not diaries, confidants or private/confidential conversations. The reality is that now, more than ever, social media conversations are public, or at the very least semi-public.

Whether “friends, followers or connections” the reality is that every day more and more of what you post is available via search.  More importantly, even without search, what you post can leave your immediate universe of friends and followers, and in some cases, even go viral.

Who cares? You should, especially if a friend, follower or connection becomes a foe, gets annoyed with you, or just decides that something you wrote is so interesting, ingenious (controversial, embarrassing) that they just have to share it with a friend who is not your friend.

Below are examples of some gems that have been circulating around the web — all examples and further reminders of why you should read, re-read, and then read once more before you hit send, share or tell Twitter “what’s happening.”

The following examples were sent over by my good friend Ed Kuhn (who just passed his P.E. exam – congratulations Ed!)  The language in some is a little rough, so consider yourself warned:

The New York Post reported today that John Liu, New York City’s newly elected Comptroller, has instituted a new policy…..drum roll please….and the new policy is:

“New York City’s new comptroller, John Liu, has ordered his staff to rise whenever he enters the room and to address him as “Mr. Comptroller.”

The New York City Comptroller’s mission:

“The mission of the office is to ensure the financial health of New York City by advising the Mayor, the City Council, and the public of the City’s financial condition.”

Wow.

Business and political bookshelves are filled with examples of leaders who do everything to fit in, who talk about the importance of “team,” who pick up garbage when they pass it and who proudly describe no task, regardless of how menial, being beneath them.

I have had the opportunity to work with myriad elected officials over the years, a few who took the actual title (what he or she was called) very seriously, and most who took the job a lot more seriously than the title.  One group includes men and women who were beloved long after they left office, and the other group (the “title” group) does not.

In this day and age, when people are hurting, incumbents are vilified and being a man or woman of the people is what’s in (watch C-SPAN for any random 5 minutes, listen to a speech or testimony and you will see what I mean), I am not sure what message Mr. Liu is trying to send.

I am quite sure about the message that the general public has received.