Loathe public speaking? 25 tips to get past the fear
We rounded up seasoned Inman Connect speakers for their best advice. May their tips, tricks and mishaps help you hone your public speaking skills.
It’s estimated that some 15 million people deal with glossophobia, or the fear of public speaking, daily, according to Orai.com. Some experts estimate that 77 percent of people experience it, according to Verywell Mind.
If you fall into that group, the good news is that public speaking is a learnable skill, one that you’ll use a lot in real estate. Whether onstage at a real estate conference, hosting a first-time buyer seminar, or simply leading a meeting with clients, speaking in front of people requires intense preparation, confidence-mustering and willingness to roll with the punches.
As we move toward our 25th anniversary of Inman Connect in New York this April, we thought it would be fun to reach out to some of our seasoned speakers to find out their secrets for taming the butterflies and reaching the masses.
25 tips for public speaking in real estate
Take the leap
Start small
Practice taking honest feedback
Once you’re comfortable, scale a little bigger
Do the prep
Have your talking points ready
Review them the night before
Practice several times in advance
Know your content without slides
Don’t overwhelm yourself on the morning of
Focus on the story, not the lines
Make sure your first few sentences capture attention and imagination
Have something meaningful to say
Generate dozens of questions/talking points so there’s never a lull
Fight the butterflies
Take a few deep breaths
Focus on gratitude
Remember your audience is rooting for you
Pray, say a mantra, give yourself a pep talk
Remember there’s no difference between 25 and 2,500
Be ready for flubs
Be flexible
Let the audience in on the mistakes
Don’t take yourself too seriously
Stay in control of the situation without stressing
Learn how to redirect without getting thrown off
If you get stuck, ask a question
Be there for the audience, not for you
Laugh
It can bring up a lot of anxiety and worry about whether people really care about what you have to say and share. To get past this, I try to put myself in the shoes of the listener and reflect on the conversations I have each day with people to be sure I am prepared with key messages that I feel will most benefit the audience.
What does your pre-game look like?
I almost always have notes or slides I’ve prepared in advance. They are usually bullet points and key messages I want to convey. I will practice delivering my talk several times before actually delivering it. People have often complimented me by telling me how natural I look up on stage.
Believe me, the shy chubby kid is just under the surface. The only reason I look natural is because I am prepared. Depending on the type of presentation, I may even record myself. I want to think about the cadence of my speech, the tone of my voice, the rhythm of the presentation. These elements can take content to a whole new level and help you become a better speaker.
How do you prepare right before going onstage?
Right before I go onstage, I am full of energy and excitement. I really just try to contain that energy in a positive way so that it doesn’t turn into nervous energy. I do that by focusing on gratitude and taking some deep breaths. I have a personal mantra I often repeat to myself: Focus, Discipline, Commitment and Fun! When I hear my introduction, it is time to go have fun!
What’s your top tip for those who are trying to swallow the fear?
Preparation and practice is key. Don’t fly by the seat of your pants. Remember, the audience is rooting for you. They want you to shine.
Tell us about a time that things didn’t go so well on the stage.
Prior to going out onstage, we often get “mic’d up.” This consists of a portable microphone being clipped on your lapel that is attached to a small battery pack you clip onto your pants waistband.
I was leading a rather long session, and there was a break in the middle of it. I had to use the bathroom before we started and didn’t have time. So out I went onstage for Part 1. Everything went great. Break time came, and I really had to go to the bathroom. So I made a mad dash the second I got off stage.
Being in a hurry, I forgot about my microphone pack, and when I pulled my pants down in the bathroom the battery pack (still attached to the live microphone) fell into the toilet. I’ll spare you the rest of the details, but as you can imagine, there was a bit of a commotion in the bathroom stall as I fished the battery pack out of the toilet.
Then I had to go back up onstage, and I had no idea how much the audience had heard. Should I pretend nothing happened or try to explain what they likely heard broadcast through the speakers? I decided to share the whole story as we waited for the audiovisual team to get me a new microphone, since the swim in the toilet killed my battery pack. I blushed the entire time but the audience was great, we all had a good laugh, AV saved the day with a new microphone, and the show went on!
SOURCE: inman