Anton Guinea
Entrepreneur, Speaker, bestselling author, and founder of The Guinea Group of Companies. For over 15 years, Anton has helped leaders move their teams to become psychologically safe, physically safe and overall better versions of themselves.
Can you remember the first time that you spoke to a big crowd? And, you may never have, though for some people a big crowd might be 10 people)?!?!?!
You know that moment when you walk out from backstage … You got introduced as the ‘thought leader’. Then there are hundreds of eyes staring back, and ears open ready to hear what you have to say …
I can … and, yes, I was freaking out … I was sweating, stuttering and not struggling to breath. Until I started speaking! ? ? ?
As soon as I started, and because I knew my material so well, I was able to focus on the audience. I could put all my attention into making sure that they had an amazing experience.
I realised that every attendee had put their time and resources into coming along. I needed to give them an experience that was memorable, and that exceeded their expectations! ✅ ✅ ✅
On reflection, the one thing that got me over the line, and made that first talk to a big crowd so successful was how much preparation I had done.
Preparation, preparation, preparation.
I can remember in the early days of my speaking career; I would do the talk up to 10 times to my (very patient) wife. Julie would critique it and give me the ‘gift of feedback’. She was always very honest, and being a teacher, she knows what a good presentation style looks and feels like!!!
So, what else did I do. And, what could you do to get ready for a big presentation? Especially if there is a big crowd involved, and you don’t want to freak out. Here are some thoughts:
? Over prepare
The reason that preparation is so important is that it will allow you to speak without thinking! Most people don
Preparation means that you can focus completely on your audience, not on your content. You can put all your attention on the attendees, not on trying to remember what to say …
? Over visualise
This is key, and not a well understood and understated element of public speaking success!
I learnt from Christopher Howard (a world class motivational speaker), who before every session that he ever presents visualises how successful the session is going to be. And, so do I since learning this speaking hack!
To do this, stand or sit quietly before you start your session. Cast your mind forward to how you want to feel. Think about what you want to see and even what expressions you want to see on the faces of your audience. The clearer you can picture in your mind’s eye what and how you want to be at the end of your session, the more chance you will have of achieving that vision!
And, don’t thank me now, just watch your session go so much better when you have visualised an outstanding ending.
And, it is just as much about starting with the end in mind as it is about creating a positive vision!
? Over care
This is a no brainer.
Speaking to an audience is not about the speaker, it is about the audience! And, their experience.
As a speaker, my goal every single time I am front of an audience, regardless of size, is to be engaging, energetic and entertaining. And, memorable.
So, now you don’t have to freak out next time …
Reach out, if you still think you might, we are here to help!!!
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