How to Determine When Your Keynote Speech is Ready

Giving a keynote, speech or presentation can be nerve-wracking. You want to make sure you are well-prepared and that your message is clear. Unfortunately, many executives and entrepreneurs make the mistake of under preparing for their talk. This can lead to disaster. In this blog post, I will discuss one of the biggest mistakes I see people make when offered an opportunity to deliver a keynote, speech or presentation. I will also offer some tips on how to prepare properly and deliver a successful talk!

Think about the last time you were really nervous. Maybe it was a job interview, a date, a keynote or a presentation for your boss. For most people, speaking in public is one of the most nerve-wracking experiences imaginable. And those nerves can lead to debilitating situations.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. With practice, preparation, and coaching, you can become a confident and powerful public speaker.

There is one mistake that I see all too often, when it comes to preparing for an important keynote, speech or presentation. And believe me, it’s not in preparing the content, the slides or knowing the subject.

Once you have your presentation ready to deliver, you are only half-way to your goal!

You need to get your presentation to become a part of you! And this is most likely the biggest mistake that I see executives and entrepreneurs making. If you want to make an impression, deliver with confidence and impact, you need to get to know your presentation so well that you could deliver it in your sleep. That doesn’t mean memorizing it….but making it a part of you!

Think of an actor preparing for a performance, or a comedian preparing to deliver his own show. An actor, comedian, singer, dancer would never enter the stage without first rehearsing to the point that their material becomes a part of them.

As an experienced performer myself, I would say “The hard work is in the rehearsal.. This way you can enjoy your performance.”

As a speaker, the preparation should be no different. Once you have your content prepared…you need to practice your delivery. How do you sound? Where do you pause? How can you deliver with confidence, ease and impact?

In my programs, I teach my clients to become confident presenters and speakers by tapping to techniques and tools from the theatre world.

If you’re speaking at an event, I make sure you get the opportunity to walk the stage the night before or early in the morning before anyone else is there. Make sure you know where you will be moving and transitioning. Look around, and make eye contact with the empty chairs. It will help you feel more comfortable and confident.

In the theatre world they call it “making friends with the stage.”

Test the sound, microphone and any audio visual equipment you will need too.

You want every aspect that you can possibly control to feel comfortable and familiar. This is instinctive for us actors and performers! I would never dream of going out on stage without first having had a sound check and rehearsal.

If you can implement this into your speaking and presentations, it will add to your comfort and confidence.

For more tips on confident speaking get in touch.