3 (more) tips for confident public speaking

I have been the speaker coach for the Women in Mining WA (WIMWA) Summit for over 10 years. In that time the audience has grown from 300 to over 1000. Annabel Crabb and Leigh Sales are some of the impressive professional speakers who headline the event, alongside industry speakers. By coaching industry speakers to give a top notch presentation, there’s not the contrast that happens at many events between paid keynotes and the others. Here are three tips you can steal from professional speakers to help you give better, live presentations about the cause you care about:

1. Acknowledge other speakers
Professor Bill Wood is a WIMWA stalwart, known for his rigorous presentations on gender equity myths like “merit-based” employment. One thing Bill does really well is continuously referencing other speakers. It shows his respect for other presenters, sees his talk as part of a bigger conversation and, importantly – he is so well prepared that he has headspace to pay attention to everyone else.

2. Ditch the high heels
This wise counsel comes direct from Jamila Rizvi. “Nothing like high heels to make you feel unstable,” Jamila said. If you don’t have the ankle strength to own stilettos like an Amazonian, leave them behind and let your strength show through your great content and stage presence.

3. Connect with your audience
A technical word I love from theatre is the clown term “complicité”. It’s the non-verbal connection you develop with your audience, implying that you are in cahoots with them. You can do this even when you are reading from a script (see How to use notes AND look at your audience when you give a presentation for how Annabel Crabb does it). While you could technically get up on stage and connect wildly with an audience without saying a word, if your plan is to talk, you’ll up your chances of connecting if you prepare well.

Want more tips on giving great talks? Try this: 6 things I learned as a TEDx speaker coach.

About the Author: Rachael West has been a Somatic and Strategic Speaker Coach for over 15 years. She draws on training in physical theatre, Body Mind Centering and other movement and performance practices to help speakers of all levels deliver great talks that make their ideas ripple. Get in touch to discuss how her coaching can make your next event something that people talk about.