How to Raise Your Game on Stage as a Professional Speaker

I love being a keynote speaker. There are very few places I’d rather be then in front of an engaged audience sharing concepts I feel passion and conviction for.

There are two primary components to building a successive speaking business: getting on stage and delivering on stage.

This article will focus on the latter.

I will offer recommendations from three angles:

1. Before you take the stage
2. While you are on stage
3. After you step off stage

NOTE: I am a huge believer that what you do before and after heavily impacts what you do while you are on stage.

Before you take the stage: “Be there before you get there.”

I strive to make my preparation my separation.

Several weeks prior to hopping on a plane, I conduct a pre-event call with the client (and/or meeting planner or bureau partner) to learn everything I can about the event and the audience. What is the purpose and theme of the event? Who will be attending? What’s going well in their world? What challenges are they experiencing? What message do they need to hear?

With minimal exception, I arrive on site the day before I am scheduled to speak. This helps lower my ‘travel stress’ (and stress for the client!), allows me to see the venue/stage in advance (which enables me to visualize my performance in advance), have additional rehearsal time, and in many cases watch any sessions before mine (so I can get a feel for the audience).

Lastly, I’ve developed and fine-tuned a consistent ‘pre-game routine’ for the day of my presentation which empowers me to be mentally, physically, and emotionally at my best the moment I take the stage.

While you are on stage: “It ain’t about you, it’s about them!”

Given my level of pre-event preparation, once I hit the stage, I only have three goals: be fully present, be of service (add value to the audience), and have fun (how can the audience have fun if I’m not?!).

Once the lights are on and the mic is hot, here are 9 recommendations to raise your game on stage (these have all worked really well for me):

1. Start by telling a story, giving an eye-opening stat, or asking a provocative question to get the audience to lean in immediately (no fluff)
2. Vary the 4 P’s: pitch, pace, positioning, and pause (by constantly changing your volume, tone, tempo, staging/blocking, and using ‘the power of the pause’ you keep the audience engaged!)
3. If you make a mistake – smile, acknowledge it, own it, and move to the next play
4. Use humor (but don’t try to be funny!)
5. Tell stories (stories invoke emotion and emotion makes things memorable)
6. Be you, be authentic, and be confident (don’t try to be anyone else)
7. Give yourself permission, and have the courage, to try new stuff
8. Speak to the people that are in the room, not the ones that aren’t
9. Let go of perfection – there is no such thing as a ‘perfect keynote’ (relatable > polished)

After you step off stage: “Film doesn’t lie.”

A few hours after my presentation (and subsequent book signings, meet & greets, etc.), and I’ve come down off my ‘speaker’s high’, I spend some time in stillness reflecting. I rate myself on well I feel I performed (Was I present? Did I add value? Did I have fun?) and I rate myself on how well I feel my message was received (How engaged was the audience?). I also ask myself, ‘What went really well?’ and ‘What was challenging/difficult (or did I learn any lessons that I can apply to the next keynote?)?’

A few days after my presentation (or whenever I’ve secured the video), I watch my performance the same way an athlete watches game film. I want to see what the audience saw. I rate myself and take note of how well I did the 9 recommendations above! I look for areas to be proud of and I look for areas to improve. Most importantly, I watch with self-love and compassion – NOT to be critical or beat myself up! As mentioned above, there is no such thing as a ‘perfect keynote.’

This approach – of what to do before, during, and after I take the stage – allows me to stay hungry and humble as a professional speaker.

Being on stage is an honor and a privilege… and one I am truly grateful for each and every time.