Short compilation of expert public-speaking tips recorded at Global Speakers Academy and shared by Scott Empringham (uploaded Jan 19, 2023). Speakers — Renee Marino, Danny Bursell, Diane Swillinger, Hope Zavara, Pat Quinn, and Coach Jimmy — offer concise guidance: co-create with the audience; downplay perceived comforts when describing events; calmly recover when you lose your place; stand still rather than pacing; say your name during talks to aid recall and outreach; and reframe nerves as excitement to use as energy.
Chapters
What's the best public speaking advice you ever received? Recently, I was at Global Speakers Academy put on by entrepreneur organization where I got to ask this exact question to legendary speakers like Pat Quinn, Danny Bursell, coach Jimmy Renee Marino, Diane Swillinger and Hope Zavara. And mind you, these coaches, these speakers, these legendary speakers have coached legendary speakers like Tony Robbins, Grant Cardone, Daymond John and many, many others. Thousands of other business owners around the country listen to what they have to say.
The best public speaking advice I ever received is, is that in a live situation, we are co creating this with our audience, that it's not just me talking at you, but it's almost this idea of we're having a conversation, even if I'm the only one talking at the time. And I think that's why I like public speaking and like a live event so much. My background is an actor. I didn't get to interact with the audience this way when I was an actor. Right. And the fact that I can scan the audience, I can see who is interacting with me, and it allows the audience to kind of play up and be participant. You know, if I'm getting a nod like you're giving me now, or somebody gives me a smile, I feel like I get to read the audience. And every time I talk, it's a little different experience because that audience and that energy and what we're going to go through that day is going to be unique, even if I'm telling the same story.
So one of my mentors was telling me when he was starting as a speaker, he was in San Francisco on the bay, eating clam chowder, looking at the Golden Gate bridge, it was 70 degrees. And he called his wife who was home in New Hampshire with two screaming kids. And he was describing the bridge and he took hell for it. And he said, danny, here's the best advice I can give you. Whenever you talk to your spouse on the phone, when you're on an event, the bed's uncomfortable and the food stinks.
If we lose our place in the middle of talking, I think a lot of times we panic inside and we think, oh, no, everyone's gonna know I lost my place. They're gonna think I'm not prepared. They're gonna think I don't know what I'm talking about. But I don't think that's the case at all. I could try to tell you something fantastic to do right now when you lose your place, but for me, it's very simple. If you lose your place when you're speaking, don't panic. Don't think the audience is going to judge you for not knowing where you're at. You don't have to do anything spectacular or have some crazy technique to find your place. Just step over to your notes. You could even say, let me see where I was. Find it and continue. It's really no big deal.
The best public speaking advice I have received from my mentor was, hope, just stand still. When I first got started, I was like a caged animal on stage. Pacing, walking, doing the two step everywhere. And I was so nervous. I was so nervous. That's why I was everywhere. And when my mentor told me, hope it's okay to just stand still and deliver your talk, that felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders. But what he was really telling me was, it's okay not to be good at everything right away. The further conversation with that was, you don't need to learn all the techniques right away. Just get your story out with clarity. We can fix your pacing, we can fix your tone, we can fix how you move on the stage later. But the audience right now needs to hear your story.
One of the most important things for a business owner to do while they're speaking is to say their own name, to refer back to themselves by their name. And people come to me and they say, hey, Pat Quinn, why is that so important? That's so important because the audience has to be able to reach out to you afterwards. And to be able to do that, a, they have to know what to call you, and B, they have to know who you are. And if you want to be called Dr. Bob or you want to be called, you know, Mr. Pink or whatever it is, you know, you got to teach the audience that. So just by saying, you know, people come to me and say, pat Quinn, you know, why do you make these short little videos? And the answer is, so my audience can learn from me. But by just referring to yourself by your name during your presentation, you'll get more customer outreach, more new customers, more business, more revenue, and most importantly, more impact.
Knowing that nerves are one of your greatest tools. Because nerves are just energy. It's all about the label you attach to them. Are you going to say it's nerves or is it excitement? When you think of the physical sensation of nerves, heart beating out of your chest, mouth going dry, feeling like you're going to forget what you're going to say, those are the same physical manifestations as when you're excited, oh, my gosh, this great thing's happening. Or I just met the person that's going to become my husband or wife. Just label it as excitement and let it become your fuel. Oh, I'm about to do this speech. Oh, I'm about to deliver value. I get to speak to an audience. I'm so excited. And use it.
