Public Speaking (for the rest of us)

Studies have found that people rank public speaking as a more pervasive fear than death. I’m not kidding -- Google it.

Your leadership journey will inevitably include some public speaking, be it to an intimate audience of ten or the company All Hands of thousands. So, like death, public speaking is probably not something you can avoid. But the good news is that it is something you can make less scary.

Some people are naturally gifted orators. This blog is not for them. Similarly, if you aspire to be a truly awesome presenter, you’re going to have put in lots practice and study. This blog is not for you either. Rather, I’m just sharing some personal advice and tricks that have helped me, a speaker of limited natural talents, survive in a job that requires lots of stage time.

My advice:

• Step on stage confident -- even if it’s manufactured confidence: There’s a huge correlation between how self-confident I am when I’m walking to the podium and how well the presentation goes. So that means in the five minutes before showtime, I need to stop mentally rehearsing and second guessing my material. Instead, I need to induce a rush of positive thoughts about how awesome it’s going to go. My goal is to trick my brain into feeling confident, even when it’s not. An audience can sense confidence, or lack thereof.
• Nail the first 30 seconds: Getting off to a strong start is the most important part of a presentation. Why? Because as per my first point, it creates a self-confidence flywheel. More importantly, in those first 30-seconds, audience members are deciding if they want to pay attention or check their smartphone. So you’re competing against Instagram! Here’s how I approach it:

1. I rehearse the hell out of my first 30 second. I mentally go through it dozens of times. It is the only part of my presentation that I truly memorize verbatim. That’s because I know the first several seconds are the most nerve-wracking, and I want to start out on autopilot until I settle into a rhythm.
2. I have a hook. For me, it's typically humor. I’m going to lead with a something to get the audience laughing, and naively thinking they should pay attention to the rest of my talk because it might be entertaining. Find what works for you. Maybe it’s an emotional story or cool innovation rather than joke. But whatever you do, just….

• ...Don’t be boring: It’s better to be bad than boring. At least people pay attention to a train-wreck and you’ll be able to get your point across. So make sure you’re not just reading slides. Modulate your voice. Incorporate some humor, pizzazz or emotional appeal. Remember, you are competing for attention with Twitter and Tinder.
• Set visual anchor points: Identify some “friendly faces” (i.e., people that are smiling and attentive) in a few different spots in the audience. And then as you speak, rotate your gaze across those 3-4 people, and nobody else. Since they’re in different places, the audience won’t figure out your trick. It will help you maintain self-confidence and energy as you speak. Looking at tuned out people does the opposite.
• Know your audience(s): Think about what messages your trying to communicate to what people. And remember it’s probably multi-faceted. Personal example (probably sharing too much), but when I do a CommOps update at Staff Meeting, I’m trying to reach three audiences with three different messages:

1. My Community Operations team: That their work is appreciated by Uber and well represented by me..
2. The rest of Uber: That CommOps is doing cool stuff, and making a difference in the lives of our customers everyday.
3. A few c-suite leaders: That I’m a reasonably competent executive and unlikely to embarrass the company (much).

• Use a clip-on mic: Handheld mics are just one more distraction. And never speak from a stationary mic/podium, as it eliminates your mobility.
• Do a walk-through: Make sure your speaker notes are working and that you understand how the stage is laid out. It's one less thing to worry about at showtime.
• Slow down!: Talk at about 75% the pace you think is normal. I can’t explain why -- some type of metaphysics puzzle, but being on stage makes you subconsciously speed up. Artificially slowing down will actually come across as normal pace. Watch the tape.
• Close strong and then don’t linger: Make sure to close with a key point and something memorable. Then get off the state quick, leaving the audience hungry for more.

Happy presenting!