Awareness, Intention, Practice, Reflection – the four stages of becoming a better public speaker

Becoming a better public speaker is both very simple and very difficult.

Simple – because it’s just a case of acquiring a few new habits.

Difficult – because changing habits is really hard for humans.

To change behaviour, particularly in high-stress moments like being on stage or on camera, requires a clear framework.

For me, it breaks down into four phases: Awareness, Intention, Practice and Reflection.

The coach can guide, but the speaker themselves must be honest and accountable within this framework.

1.???? Awareness

We can’t change our habits until we know what they are and what we would like them to be.

Part of this is a technical awareness of whether do certain things in front of an audience that aren’t quite right.

My own diagnostic framework for this involves Aristotle’s idea of the Golden Mean – that good behaviour never exists at the extremes, it’s always somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. For instance:

-?????? A ‘good’ speaker can’t be lacking in energy, but nor can they be energised up to a state of terror. The golden mean is in the middle – alert & excited.

-?????? A ‘good’ speaker can’t move constantly around the stage gesturing wildly, but nor can they be rigidly stiff. The golden mean is a nice amount of fluidity and animation.

And so on… This can also be applied to content – i.e. not overloaded with facts and information, but also not devoid of substance. The golden mean.

In one of my diagnostic sessions, a speaker is filmed in several different exercises, then we discuss honestly where they are. This builds awareness.

Another part of ‘awareness’ is the awareness of body and voice. This may involve mindfulness exercises, to build greater understanding of how a speaker moves, stands, sits and speaks.

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2.???? Intention?

The idea of being intentional about public speaking is crucial if you want to improve. Ahead of any speech or presentation, you have to know what you want to achieve and why.

It is also important to set clear intentions for your overall improvement.?

-?????? What is your intention about your mindset as you walk onto any stage?

-?????? What is your intention about how to move and gesture as you speak?

-?????? What is your intention about how to interact with the audience?

Many of the problems come when a speaker doesn’t have a clear intention. They don’t really know what they would like to do, and therefore they can’t hope to do it.

Without bold intention, we won’t interrupt the habits. Our body will just end up doing what it always does.

Write your intentions in interesting, memorable language:

-?????? I want to be cool as a cat as I take to the stage.

-?????? I want to get this audience fizzing like lemonade.

-?????? On stage, I’m an open book. Read me!

Whatever! Metaphors are powerful. If we can plant a visual idea in our minds, this can help us to switch from an old habit to a new approach.

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3.???? Practice?

Forming new habits requires repetition. This is to establish the action in the part of the brain called the Basal Ganglia. This is the ‘habit centre’. It’s not a place for conscious thinking. Here the body stores repetitive behaviours.

In evolutionary terms the Basal Ganglia has been an incredible survival tool. It means we don’t have to consciously think through everything we do. 99 times out of 100, we are repeating something we’ve done before. And because we didn’t die doing it, the Basal Ganglia stores it as ‘ok’ – and to be repeated.

But just because we didn’t die last time (e.g. when eating a bag of crisps, or having a big glass of wine, or doing certain odd things on stage) doesn’t mean that the habit is optimal.

If we want to improve – with exercise, healthy eating, studying, public speaking, or anything else – we need to do something called ‘self-directed neuroplasticity’.

This involves changing our brains with repetition. We need to practice, practice, practice with intention until the new habit becomes second nature.

So, go speak! Present! Do it again. And again. And again. You don’t learn to drive a car well by doing it once a year. You’ve got to practice.

And notice I talk about ‘practice’ rather than ‘rehearsal’. This is about getting more used to the setting – and physical feeling – of speaking. Not the exact words or movements you will use.

You are learning a mindset and a physical awareness. You are not learning a dance.

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4.???? Reflection

Your new habits will only be reinforced if you reflect on them with honesty and compassion.

After each presentation, think over what went well and what could be improved. Forgive yourself for anything that wasn’t as great as you hoped.

Focus on building further on the successes. Have the intention to repeat them.

Consider what more you could do to manifest the intentions you set.

For some, writing a journal of speaking reflections will help – particularly if journaling is already a life habit. Others will want a thorough debrief with their coach.

Whatever you do to reflect, you mustn’t just give the speech/presentation, bin it, have a glass of wine and forget all about it. The whole process must loop back to the beginning.

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So, that’s it. Simple. But not easy. Those who want it most, and commit, improve. Those that keep ‘winging it’ will be stuck where they’ve always been.

Let me know if you want to take your public speaking to the next level - to transform your career or the success of your organisation. I work with senior corporate and government leaders in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the USA. And I’m always happy to hear from you. If I can’t help personally, I probably know someone who can. Message me on LinkedIn or via [email protected]