Some people feel scared or nervous before they deliver a speech. To gain confidence, they might go somewhere private right before they speak and strike what’s called a power pose.
This is a broad, expansive gesture like putting your arms over your head and looking up. It’s a classic pose of someone who just won!
Someone who’s victorious. A champion!
Or they might stand with their hands on theirs hips while looking up. Just like a superhero! Strong, confident, large and in charge!
And these kinds of expansive poses are a form of warm up exercise. You can gain emotional energy from putting your body into these types of postures that make you feel more powerful.
Huddling and crouching? Those are classic postures we adopt when we feel scared or submissive.
Huddling and crouching poses send a message to your brain to feel afraid. Using broad gestures sends a message to your brain to feel confident.
And while the science on power posing isn’t exactly clear right now, consider this: warm-up exercises have been a part of theater tradition for a long, long time. That’s because the warm up exercises you perform off stage can help you project the emotional energy you want to portray onstage.
Power posing is actual a riff on an old acting technique. It’s a simple but powerful warmup exercise. And it’s one that’s worth trying.
After all, when you’re performing on stage or in front of a camera, you need to put out about 25 percent more energy than you might do in a normal, everyday conversation.
If you’re just being ‘yourself’ on camera — and you don’t project a little more emotional energy that you normally would, you’re probably going to come across as lifeless and flat.
Actors often do warmups before they go on stage.
Professional performers know it’s way easier to come down from an amped up emotional state than it is to try to ramp up to a heightened emotional state.
So if you don’t believe in the science of power posing, why not take a centuries old tip from the world of acting and performance?
Get yourself a ritual. Try some warmups before you hit the stage.
Look at it this way. You have nothing – zero – to lose.
And best of all, you might be delighted by the results you achieve with a few simple warmup exercises before your next speech or presentation. Give them a try. Let me know how power posing works out for you.
Laura Bergells is a writer and instructor. Check out her online courses at LinkedIn Learning. You can also find Laura on Twitter and at YouTube.
Laura Bergells writes, coaches, and teaches. Check out her online courses at LinkedIn Learning. You can also find Laura on Twitter and at YouTube.
I got a special offer in the mail on Saturday. It was marked “Urgent”.
I felt puzzled. After all, the mail isn’t an urgent medium. The postal service takes its time.
But I skimmed the letter, anyway. It offered me 20 bucks if I would do a thing.
I don’t even want to know what the thing is. I read a few paragraphs and got bored. I shredded the letter.
A few moments later, I got an email from an organization marked “urgent”. I read a few paragraphs of babble, then deleted it.
We all know the score by now. Messages marked “urgent” aren’t urgent.
Twenty bucks of “free” means I’m going to become an indebted servant to some corporate scheme that’s going to drain my resources and patience for years. And if it takes someone 3 paragraphs to get to the point, there’s no urgency.
If it’s really urgent, you don’t say “urgent”.
You say “fire”. You scream “get out”.
I don’t need corporations creating a false sense of urgency for me. Children are being separated from their families. People are being rounded up in the streets. We’re surrounded by matters of real urgency.
Marking something “urgent” means it’s “urgent” for them to make money. It’s not urgent enough for your immediate response.
You’ve got better things to do with your life.
Laura Bergells is a writer and instructor. Check out her online courses at LinkedIn Learning. You can also find Laura on Twitter and at YouTube.
Three years ago, I organized an online web conference. At the request of an organization, I interviewed three of their Subject Matter Experts to get background information for a presentation.
The following photo is a re-creation of what I saw in this online meeting:
Uh-huh. That’s right.
For almost the entire interview, I stared at a close up of one man’s ear. After a few minutes, I told him he might want to adjust his camera.
“Oh, sorry,” he said. I then got an extreme close up of what appeared to be his hairline.
“Is that your neck?”
“Probably.”
“I think I preferred your ear.”
“Oh. OK.”
For the next hour, we all looked at his ear.
My interview subject never saw his audience. He never looked at the camera. We could see his ear twitch a bit as he talked, but that was about it.
Let me be clear. The expert with the wiggly ear?
He’s brilliant in his field. He had wonderful information to share. And he’s also a delightful person.
He simply didn’t know anything about presenting on camera. It was his first time, and he was too intimidated to tell anybody he didn’t know what he was doing.
He thought he could fake it. And in a way, he was right.
We were a friendly group. We didn’t judge our colleague too harshly.
We were in a time crunch, so we smiled and went on with the meeting. And after all, we all knew the guy was a genius.
But I also know he’s doing much better now. Post-meeting, he took some good-natured ribbing and sought help.
He learned more about delivering online presentations. And of course, he continues to gain valuable experience.
There are plenty of tips available to help you improve your own online video performance. Here are six of my favorites: they’re all available through LinkedIn Learning:
This sort of specific information and advice can help get you going in the right direction with regard to your next on-camera presentation. Think you don’t need help? That it’s no big deal?
Your audience was raised on TV or online. We have expectations for how people look and perform on a screen. You may be warm and wonderful in person – but how do you come across on camera?
We were all kind to “ear guy” — but you don’t always have the luxury of being in front of an audience who loves and accepts you no matter what crazy thing you do. You’ll want to learn and practice some of the basics before you present to employers, clients, key stakeholders, and the public.
You probably don’t think of yourself as a film star. But if you’re asked to present on camera, guess what?
You’re a video star now, my friend. It may be a low budget production from your home office, but who knows? One low budget presentation could have enormous business stakes…or at least lead to previously unheard of opportunities. (It happened to me.)
Prepare yourself. We’re all video stars now.
If it hasn’t happened to you already… it’s going to happen soon. We’ll all be presenting more on camera in the future.
I suspect that no matter how many articles pile up on this topic — people won’t change. They’ll keep at it. They’ll keep asking what I do.
That’s cool. But a few years ago, I decided to change my answer.
In the past, I might have said I was a writer. Or a teacher. Or a business communication consultant. Or a speech coach.
Freelancers tend to cobble together an umbrella career of a wide range of skills. We perform many tasks in the realm of crafting and delivering messages.
I’ve been toying with the idea of saying “I’m a slasher. I write SLASH teach SLASH coach SLASH speak…you get the picture.
It’s very Hollywood. No one’s an actor. They’re an actor SLASH writer SLASH producer.
Think Orson Welles. Or Oprah. Or Donald Glover. They not only slay, they’re slashers.
But saying “I’m a slasher” can be confusing for people who ask what I do. If I tell them I’m a writer, most think in terms of “book” — not “speeches” or “scripts” or “copy”.
If I say, “teacher” – they ask what grade. If I say “speaker” – they ask if I live in a van, down by the river.
To help clear things up, I tried following some more advice. This time, another slew of articles and books told me that I needed to craft an elevator pitch.
I was instructed to say something like this,
“I work with growing businesses to help them create and deliver compelling messaging.”
But to me, that sounded arch and stilted. It also seemed like I was using a lot of words to say “I write, teach, coach, and speak.”
The elevator pitch approach? It didn’t work out too well for me. I felt like a dope when I said it. So I’ve hit upon a new tactic when people ask me what I do.
I literally tell them. I share the most recent, top-of-mind thing I actually did. For example, here’s a list of a few things I might say:
“Oh! I’m reading this fascinating book about…”
“Last week, I published an article on…”
“I spoke at a conference about…”
“I took a class on…”
“I’ve been listening to more audio books. I just finished…”
“So far this year, I spent over 100 hours trying to get medical coverage.”
“I’ve been driving my car less and walking more.”
“I went on vacation to…”
“I sous vide a turkey in a beer cooler.”
“I’m watching…”
“I participated in a…”
See what I’ve done? I’ve taken the question literally. When people ask what I do, I tell them what I’m actually doing…then I follow it up with a little bit of specificity.
I’ll confess. This approach has gotten mixed results. Many times, people will be interested in a book I’ve read, a class I’ve taken, or a conference I attended.
Then, they chime in with their own reading list. Or class. Or conference. Or whatever.
I like it when that happens. It’s an entertaining discussion. And we end up bonding over interests and ideas.
But other times, all this ‘literal’ approach does is cause more confusion. I might tell someone I wrote an article about a topic and they’d repeat,
“Sure. But what do you do? You know? For a living?”
So then I’d fall back to saying, “I write, teach, and coach.” Then, they’d seem annoyed or confused that I didn’t lead with that before telling them about an article I wrote.
Oh, well. No matter. Can’t win ’em all.
On the plus side, I’m not hurting for clients or work. At the moment, I have plenty to do.
I sometimes joke that I sign so many non-disclosure agreements, it’s a wonder I can talk about anything. Ever. At all.
On the negative side, I have no idea if my ‘answering the question literally’ is the right approach to take. But, hey. At least I’m enjoying myself.
People aren’t going to stop asking me what I do any time soon. By being literal, I’m hoping to create a more human connection over interesting topics like books, ideas, current events, and mutual interests.
What about you? What do you say when people ask “So. What do you do?”
Laura has decades of experience as a business communication coach. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and leads workshops on effective communication. You can find Laura on Twitter and at YouTube.
Being a part of a team or ensemble can be fun and uplifting. And for the audience, a great team is a joy to watch.
Ask any sports fan. They’ll tell you this is true.
In contrast, let me describe the on-screen action I saw in a recent online group presentation. Maybe this will sound familiar to you:
Two guys fiddled on their phones while one colleague talked. Then guy #2 started talking.
Guy #1 and #3 started playing with their phones. When guy #3 talked, a woman seated at the conference table rolled away and faced the door.
Let’s pretend the content of this meeting was strong and the information was outstanding. What did the non-verbals say?
Hot. Mess.
You guessed it. This was not a great team showing.
Each person focused solely on their own personal performance while speaking. They barely acknowledged the others in the room.
My guess? They didn’t know what team role to play while they weren’t speaking.
That’s not a team presentation. That’s a series of individual performances.
If you’re not talking, you’re still presenting. You need to be active and engaged in a team presentation.
What role should you play in a team presentation when you’re not talking? It depends.
Huddle with your the team before the show. In general, there are two non-speaking roles:
1) cheerleader or 2) observer.
What do I mean by cheerleader? What role do cheerleaders play?
By cheerleader, I mean when one of your team members is talking, you look at them. You focus on the speaker and give them your energy.
You smile and nod when it’s appropriate. You make it clear to the audience that you think the presenter is a genius.
You give your team member your undivided attention and full support. That’s what I mean by cheerleader.
You’re not waving pompoms. You are sending positive energy to your team member so they deliver a better presentation.
You’re also sending a great non-verbal message to the audience. Your body language puts the audience at ease.
When you pay attention to the speaker, so does the audience. When they see you smile and nod, they’re more likely to mimic your behavior.
But cheerleader isn’t the only position you can play. You can also be an observer.
Watch, Dog.
What’s an observer? What role do observers play?
The observer looks at the audience and picks up on their non-verbal cues. Hey, did somebody look confused when your speaker said something?
Or if it’s an online presentation, did someone write in with a question or comment? The observer watches quietly, and sometimes takes notes.
The observer can feed the speaker with questions after he or she finishes speaking. Observers often positively rephrase any parts that may have caused confusion.
For example,
“That was great, Laura. I especially liked that part where you said ‘just because you’re not speaking doesn’t mean you’re not presenting.’ To me, that means I’m not going to check my phone or otherwise check out mentally while you’re talking. I’m on your team, so I’m going to give you my attention. Good advice!”
See what the observer did? The observer was active and engaged. The observer supported and reinforced the speaker’s message.
If one of your team members or co-presenters is talking, give that person your support. You may be a cheerleader or an observer, but decide ahead of time what role you’re going to play when you’re not talking.
Then, act your part. When you’re giving a team presentation, be mindful of what you’re doing when you are not speaking.
Go team!
Laura Bergells is a writer, teacher, and a LinkedIn Learning course author. Check out her courses on Crisis Communication and Public Speaking.
Laura has decades of experience as a business communication coach. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and leads workshops on effective communication. You can find Laura on Twitter and at YouTube.
After a student gives a class presentation, I’ll sometimes conduct a quick poll. I’ll ask the entire class: on a scale of 0-10, how nervous did the speaker appear?
The audience might give the speaker a 2 or a 3. But the speaker? A nervous speaker might rate themselves a 7 or 9. That’s a pretty big gap in perception between speaker and audience.
This perception gap is a wrapped up in a cognitive bias called the Illusion of Transparency. Here’s an example of how the Illusion of Transparency works:
Let’s say you believe others know what you’re feeling when they look at you. They can tell exactly how nervous you are. They all know you’re a giant fraud.
That’s your Illusion of Transparency talking. But guess what?
The reality? Other people have a hard time decoding your feelings. If your audience had to guess, they’re likely to rate you as “more confident” than you rate yourself.
While a public speaker might think “I’m a nervous wreck and everyone knows” — the audience might think, “Wow, that speaker is super passionate and enthusiastic!”
It’s important for speakers to know about the Illusion of Transparency. This tiny bit of knowledge can actually help you become a better public speaker. Here’s why:
If you didn’t know about the Illusion of Transparency, you might feel nervous. But you’ll assume everyone in the room thinks so, too. And this cognitive bias can make you feel even more nervous: because it makes you meta-nervous.
Meta-nervous:
When you’re nervous about being nervous.
The Illusion of Transparency sets you up for a downward spiral of nervousness. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. It can make you feel increasingly anxious.
But here’s the great news: now that you know about the Illusion of Transparency, you’re in a better position to cope with public speaking anxiety. Savitsky + Gilovich found when they informed public speakers about this cognitive bias right before a speech, speakers presented with more confidence.
So now that you know about the Illusion of Transparency, you can say to yourself,
“Hey, it’s just my cognitive bias talking. It’s not real. I might feel nervous, but so what? No one else can tell.”
And that tiny bit of knowledge can help make you feel more confident. You can relax and deliver a more compelling presentation.
Bonus: now that you know about the Illusion of Transparency, be sure to share this knowledge with a friend or colleague. Chances are, you’ll feel even better when you help someone else gain confidence as a public speaker.
Instead of a downward spiral of nervousness, help create an upward spiral of increased confidence.
Laura has decades of experience as a business communication coach. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and leads workshops on effective communication. You can find Laura on Twitter and at YouTube.
I designed an exercise to give public speaking students insight into the concept of pace. If you’re curious about your own speaking pace, you can complete this exercise in minutes. Try it alone, or as part of a class (or party?) activity.
Step One: The script below contains 170 words. Read it to yourself, so you’re familiar with it. Pretend you’re delivering the script as an informational talk. Next, read it out loud. Make it as conversational and engaging as you can. Time yourself. Stop talking after exactly one minute. Count how many words you spoke aloud. (Hint: if you don’t finish, count the words you missed and subtract from 170.)
<script>
Do you think you speak too fast, too slow, or just right? When it comes to public speaking, you’ll want to talk at a conversational pace. This rate of speech typically ranges from around one hundred forty to one hundred seventy words per minute. If you speak much slower than one hundred forty words per minute, you’re probably not speaking fast enough for your audience. You might be putting them to sleep. However, if you speak much faster than one hundred seventy words per minute, you could be talking too fast. An audience could have a hard time understanding you. You also need to vary your pace. Sometimes, you’ll want to speak more quickly to demonstrate urgency or excitement. Other times, you’ll want to slow down or pause for dramatic effect. To check your pace, record yourself. Listen to the playback. A recording not only lets you time your speech, but it also lets you evaluate how well you vary your pace within the conversational range. Give it a try.
</script>
Step Two: Record yourself reading the above paragraph. When you play it back, listen to yourself talk. How well did you vary your pace as you delivered your speech? What specific techniques might help with tempo and phrasing?
(Often, the hardest part of this exercise is listening to yourself talk out loud. Many people don’t like to hear recordings of their own voices. The reason? We most often hear our own voices from within ourselves; not outside our bodies. Hearing our disembodied voice can sound…well, creepy and weird! Don’t worry: other people probably don’t think you sound weird. Also, the more you listen to recordings of your voice, the less strange you’ll sound to yourself.)
You might have a hard time evaluating your own voice, so ask a classmate or colleague for feedback. To guide the discussion, ask your evaluators to focus on pace and tempo. Here are some sample questions:
Did you think I was talking too fast, too slow, or just right?
When I paused, how did that seem to you? Too long, too short, not enough?
When I quickened my tempo, was I understandable? How did it sound?
When I slowed my pace, how did it sound to you? Did it sound appropriate?
Reflection and class discussion: How did you do? Did you fall within the conversational range of 140-170 words per minute? What public speaking techniques can help improve pacing? (I.e., what kind of breathing, rehearsal, body language, writing, or other techniques help?)
Final thought: Sometimes, students say they experience pace problems because of the script.
“It’s not a good script. If I could write it myself, in my own words, I’d do better.”
This is fantastic feedback. I love this criticism! Writing and speaking in your own voice is key. If you can do better by rewriting the script, do it.
PS: I recorded this class assignment on my phone. Similarly, you don’t have to make your own recording fancy. No special microphone or lighting is necessary. Use the tools you have at hand and record the script in one take. If you make a mistake, it’s OK. Keep going. We’ll talk about handling mistakes in class.
People say they’re scared of public speaking, but are they really? I see these people speak in public all the time. They’re relaxed, confident — and they seem to be enjoying themselves.
Take a friend of mine. Let’s call him Greg, because that’s his name. Greg insists he’s terrified of public speaking.
Yet, I’ve seen Greg at parties. I’ve seen him at work. He enters into conversations with ease, even with strangers. He tells engaging stories. He’s a good listener. He encourages other people to tell stories with his eye contact and body language.
“Well, sure,” he said when I pointed all those things out to him. “But that’s not public speaking. That’s just talking to people.”
ARE YOU LISTENING TO YOURSELF GREG?
Because that’s the definition of public speaking. Greg’s not afraid. Greg enjoys it. And he’s good at it.
So why does Greg promote the idea that he’s scared of public speaking? What’s wrong with Greg? Why is he such a dirty, rotten liar?
“No, no, no,” Greg laughed. “Give me a microphone and a stage, and I’ll clam up. I’d get the shakes. I’d stammer. I’d probably faint or fart or both. It’d be ugly.”
Oh, I see.
Greg’s not really afraid of public speaking. He’s afraid of the unknown. He doesn’t speak in big rooms or on a stage. Greg’s never used a mic.
Instead, Greg is afraid of the idea of Public Speaking, with a capital P and a capital S. He’s not afraid of speaking in public. He does it all the time.
So what’s the difference between Public Speaking and speaking in public? A microphone? A stage? More people, less interaction?
According to Greg? Yes. Yes. And yes.
All these unknowns? That’s what makes Public Speaking terrifying for Greg. He’s laid a big, scary head trip on himself.
So I laid a different head trip on him. I suggested Greg might want to change his relationshipwith the idea of public speaking. I asked him a question:
What are the factors that make you feel most confident when you speak in public?
“Easy,” he said. “I’m at my best when I’m interested in the topic. I also like talking to individuals or small groups of people. And I like interaction, so I get to hear what others have to say and react. I prefer being spontaneous.”
Great. Why don’t you rebuild your relationship with public speaking? You’ve got a strong foundation: so why not grow from these strengths?
Think about it.
If you identify with Greg’s feelings on public speaking, you might want to consider changing your relationship with it, too. Rebuild it from a place of strength. Ask yourself the same question I asked Greg:
What are the factors that make you feel most confident when you speak in public?
Be specific. What kind of audience, room, content? What level of interaction?
Identify your current public speaking strengths. That’s your foundation. Grow from there. If you’re afraid of something, it could be the unknown.
But you can learn new skills and approaches. You can build upon your strong public speaking foundation. You can layer in new techniques as you learn. And you can grow stronger with practice.
Whether you’re nervous or confident, you have plenty of opportunities to practice public speaking. You can learn and grow every day. Because every time you speak in public, guess what?
You’re a public speaker, my friend. Grow from your strengths. Be open to learning new techniques. You’ll get there.
A colleague told me about a women’s self defense class she was taking. She shared some surprising information she learned.
For me, the information was surprising on two levels. The first level was the actual new information about women’s self defense I learned. My colleague said,
“If you’re being attacked, my instructor said you’re supposed to yell as loud as you can to attract attention. But you’re supposed to yell swear words and filthy language at the top of your lungs, because that REALLY attracts attention. People have grown accustomed women screaming, so they tend to filter it out. But they aren’t accustomed to women screaming filth, so then they know something is wrong.”
Well, now. That’s new information to me. I didn’t know that. And I was surprised to hear it.
But then I got surprised on another level. My colleague continued,
“Of course, we couldn’t practice or drill on that technique. The instructor didn’t want us yelling dirty words in her class.”
That surprised me, too. If a technique is effective, you need to practice it. You need to drill. It may be uncomfortable, but PRACTICE is essential to making a new technique second nature.
After all, athletes drill the fundamentals all the time. That way, when they’re in the clutch, they don’t have to think about what to do. They already know what to do. They’ve practiced it a zillion times until it’s part of their muscle memory.
In speech and crisis response classes, we imagine all types of audience scenarios. We rehearse worst-case scenarios. We do walk-throughs. We drill on what to say and how to say it. When you’re faced with a difficult or high-pressure situation, you’ll need to know what to do without spending too much time thinking about how to do it.
I’m not sure if the “dirty word” self defense technique is effective. It might be — it might not be. (I’m skeptical.)
But I know if students don’t practice the technique, they won’t use it effectively when faced with a high-pressure situation. If you want to make a technique second nature – you’ve got to practice it. Especially if it’s difficult, hard to hear… or even taboo.
Laura Bergells writes, coaches, and teaches. Check out her online courses at LinkedIn Learning. You can also find Laura on Twitter and at YouTube.
