The coronavirus chronicles: Great speeches, Great speakers

Part One

Whether you run a company, team, or start-up, effective communication and presentation are part of the job. This has become more evident in recent times as almost everyone has become a speaker of sorts at least digitally through Zoom meetings, podcasts, or even simply posting online.

While speaking publicly can be daunting, there are ways one can improve on this. “Leaders can’t hide from public speaking,” says Katie Burke in an article in Inc.com, “so why not make it a strength?”

And why not? Now is the best time to build up on your speaking skills—the words you use, your message, your presentation style.

We have a little help from Burke as she shares with us 4 Public Speaking Tips every Leader Needs to hear:

know your stuff, not your slides.

While we can get overwhelmed with our slides and video presentations, Burke says that it is important to prioritize substance over slides when preparing for important speeches. With this, “being well versed in the content will show up in your confidence, delivery, and communication.”

This can be achieved by “drafting the messages you want to communicate, understanding the ins-and-outs of the topic, and doing a little bit of research on who your audience in advance.”

That way, we will be able to deliver our messages even if technology fails us.

Be yourself.

While we all want to present like Apple executives, Burke believes that we’re better off finding our own voice. When it comes to communication, “authenticity is queen.”

Burke herself admits that worst presentations that she has ever given were when “I tried to mimic someone else’s style.”

“It’s good to learn from your favorite TED Talk speakers and thought speakers,” says Burke, but the best presenters are authentically themselves.”

play to your strengths.

We all have our strengths and preferences when it comes to speaking. Some are incredible keynote speakers, but not good in panel discussions. Burke is the opposite—she avoids long keynote presentations and gravitates towards panel opportunities.

Find out what works best for you, develop your skills, and build on your communication assets.

find your “at bat” song.

An “at bat” song is the song baseball players choose as they walk up the plate in major league stadiums. In short, it’s a song that that energizes and inspires one as he heads for an all-important game.

Burke notes that it’s not only for athletes, as “every leader needs an ‘at bat’ song too.” This is because “when it comes to giving a big presentation, you can’t control the weather, the technical difficulties or the dynamic in the room, so I focus on what I can control: my soundtrack.”

She adds, there are dozens of ways to boost your confidence before a big presentation, but this small ritual can be a great source of confidence during this critical time. All you need is the right song.”

All in all, “keep on finding opportunities to build that skill, find your style,... and remember practice makes [almost] perfect.”

And we may add, learn from the masters. For some inspiration, we’re giving you a list of what is considered the top 10 speeches of all time. Next week, find out what these speeches are and why they are timeless.

PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the senior vice president for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the former local chairman.

We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.