You get to the venue, get out of your car, walk straight to the podium,
and begin your talk. I’m hoping this is not the typical way things happen
before a speaking event. The important point to consider is what
you, the speaker, are doing ahead of time to maximize a positive experience
by controlling the speaking environment. Are you giving yourself
ample time to gain a comfort level with the room so you feel in
control? Your confidence level will increase when you know that the
stage, the room, and the layout are to your satisfaction.

What about some of the other details that may need to be considered?
Do you know where the temperature gauges are and are you
able to control them? Will you have control of the lights and the seating?
When you have the chance to control the environment, you need
to do so. As previously mentioned about audio-visual aspects of your
presentation, you should check out the equipment, and you should
also understand the acoustics. Is there an echo, and will everyone be
able to hear you? When you walk around, do you find any parts of
the stage that creak and might distract the audience? What about the
lighting? Are bright lights blinding you? Is there a dimmer so that if
the lights have to go lower, the room is not too dark?

Have you walked around the room and absorbed the potential
views from all areas? I remember a speech competition in which there
was an odd, circular row of chairs around one side of the stage. This
forced the outlying audience members to strain to see around poles
if they wanted to see me when I was on certain parts of the stage, and
also impacted where I placed my props. Fortunately, this preparation
allowed me to know exactly where I would set up to ensure I maximized
the audience experience visually.

When you look out into the audience, what do you see? Are there
rows of seats, or are there tables? Is the seating conducive to your
needs? If you encourage note-taking, will tables be more useful? When
you interact with the audience, do you have them jumping out of their
seats? If so, how does this play into the current set-up? Will tables
cause more face-to-face side conversations that may take away from
your presentation? Each speaker has his or her own preference, but
you should set expectations ahead of time and get there early to make
sure the set-up is what you want. As important as it is to arrange ahead
of time with the organizer before the event, I have learned that things
will happen that leave you scrambling if you haven’t gotten there ahead
of time. When you control what you can with the environment, the
experience will be better for everyone.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

There are more ways to start a speech than I can count. I previously
discussed the attention-grabbing opening, and one effective way to do
this is with an open-ended question for the audience to respond to,
such as “Have you ever found yourself in a situation like…?” or “Can
anyone give me an example when…?” Many speakers have an audience
respond to a question in unison, as a group response can be full
of energy if you have the right delivery and the right audience (e.g.,
size, demographics). For example, “When I say ____, you say _____.”
In these cases, the speaker is breaking the invisible wall that sometimes
gets built between speaker and audience. The key is to engage
the audience so that they feel like a part of the presentation. The success
of the presentation grows exponentially when the audience gets
into it from the very beginning, whether mentally or physically or by
having the speaker grab their attention.

Once you have their attention, you must maintain audience engagement
to keep the momentum as the presentation progresses. There are
several ways to ensure that your audience remains committed to your
message through their own involvement. Depending on the type of
presentation, you may want to provide key points or facts highlighted
on a handout for people to absorb and take away. Another way is to
provide a fill-in-the-blank answer sheet for your participants to complete
during the presentation to reinforce the message. People learn
in many ways; however, the more engagement you get early on in a
presentation, the greater the chance of information retention.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

We often think more quickly than we speak. As a result, sometimes our thoughts outpace our intended words, which may result in
using filler words and phrases (e.g., “um,” “ah,” “ya know”). Before we have time to say our intended words, we may utter something of no
value that can create distractions for the audience if they are plentiful. As a speaker, we need to ensure the audience gets a chance to absorb
the intended content and to feel the intended effects. If an audience is hanging onto the words we are saying, imagine how impactful it is
to hold those words or sentences in suspense. The audience will anxiously wait for the next point and have a greater appreciation when it is
delivered. Let the audience take in what you have just said with a well-placed pause. Effective use of pauses allows for punchier delivery and
added emphasis for your keywords and points. Pauses will also allow for effective facial expressions or gestures that may garner more attention
than speaking straight through without pausing.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

As previously mentioned, friends and family are always great
sources of feedback for your speeches. However, nothing beats the
local flavor of a group of people who may not be as close to the subject
as your friends and family. I can’t thank enough the local support I
have received from Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs, Lions Clubs, and the
YMCA. These organizations present a great opportunity for the community
to see what you have to offer and also serve as a networking
prospect for future public-speaking opportunities. More importantly,
I can test out new material or tweak existing speeches and look for different
audience reactions. Testing this way allows me to receive feedback
that I would have never thought of myself—opinions that may be
diverse and valuable.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

Preparation is critical to avoid any mishaps with AV equipment. Do
you have an extra light bulb for your projector? Let’s even take a step
back and ask if you have your own projector. Will you need to bring
one? What about extension cords and screens? You can’t leave anything
to chance, you can’t assume when it comes to delivering the best presentation.

Have you physically been to the room where you are going
to present ahead of time? The preparation is not just walking in a few
minutes before the event. It is crucial that you talk with the meeting
organizer ahead of time and walk the stage well in advance. I recommend
when practicing on the actual stage that you give a large portion
of the speech, if not all, ahead of time using the live AV equipment.
Saying, “Test 1, 2, 3” into a microphone does not count as preparation.

Have you walked around the entire stage to ensure there are no
extra-sensitive feedback spots for the microphones? Your audience
will appreciate not hearing any high-pitched squeaks. I have a loud
voice naturally, so I also invest a lot of time testing the volume of the
microphones. You should also work with the organizers ahead of time
on microphone options. I personally prefer lapel or the ones connected
to the ear with the speaker near the mouth because I like to use
my hands, and for me it is worth asking ahead of time for one of these.
Have you emailed your material to the organizer? Are paper copies
ready and waiting in case of an AV failure, or can the material be
projected in another way? Do you have a thumb drive, just in case
something goes wrong with the organizer’s version? I know I am at
my best when I have tested and prepared for everything I can control;
therefore, my audience’s ability to receive my message should go up.
Finally, expect the unexpected. It is not a matter of “if ” something will
go wrong, it is “when” it will go wrong. Part of your preparation should
revolve around how flexible your presentation is without the audiovisual
equipment in case it doesn’t work.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

“Hello. My name is Tom Dowd. How are you doing today? Today
we are going to talk about (insert boring topic introduction here)….”
How many presentations have you heard with this type of canned
opening? It is a mainstay in business presentations. Don’t lose your
audience before you truly get started. Avoid telling them what you
plan to do until you have already grabbed their attention. We have
most likely been taught to tell audiences what we want to tell them, tell
them and then rehash what we have just told them. Sometimes, we are
so literal that the introduction becomes, “I am going to tell you about
blah blah blah…,” which I have heard too often delivered monotone,
with no voice inflection.

Just dive in with your attention-grabbing introduction. You can tell
them what you are about to tell them, but get their attention first. I have
shocked more than one concerned audience when I’ve broken into a
coughing fit as an introduction to an inspirational speech about a childhood
friend with cystic fibrosis. Start a speech with a song, a bang, a
powerful quote, or a question that demands an immediate response.
There are so many more creative openings than “Hello, my name is….”
Your audience should be in for a surprise. You can give them one from
the start. It will set the tone for the rest of the presentation.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

I have consistently been coached to find my unique and differentiating
factors and to emphasize them during presentations. For example,
I have the luxury of having low-cost, professional posters available. I
was convinced that these posters would become my way to be remembered.
As a frequent presenter with these posters, I was receiving positive
feedback. I found my use of them got to a point of dependency. I
wouldn’t necessarily call it lazy with my writing, but my incorporation
of the props became a focal point, thus a distraction from the main
messages. I learned as a speech contestant that I would receive rave
reviews in the early stages because judges often thought the posters
were a nice touch and separated me from other competitors. As I progressed
further in the competitions, so did the judges. Their experience
level typically increased and they wanted a picture to be painted
vividly with words, not an actual picture. In a key competition, I excitedly
turned a poster around from its blank-white back to the high school
yearbook picture of a friend of mine who had passed away. I
lost the competition.

After losing, I received some feedback that although the poster
was nice, many people thought it took away from my message. Obviously,
I had leaned on my prop as a principle focus instead of just as a
supporting tool. Some feedback also indicated that right from the start
the audience was guessing what was on the front of the poster, so I
was losing their attention before I had even started. At the point when
I turned the poster around, it hit the stand slightly. Although subtle
to me, apparently the distraction was bigger in the eyes of the judges
because they saw the risk ahead of time, and I fulfilled their prophecy.
The most important feedback given to me on that day was that
the line I delivered in the speech before I turned the picture around—
“He was four-foot-eleven with a five-foot smile”— had described in
words everything people needed to envision this person properly on
their own. Unfortunately, I showed them the movie immediately after
they had just read the book. Whatever picture they had in their own
mind was instantly ruined. It was as if I had just stolen the audience’s
imagination. Finally, I was told that the audience at times felt my stage
presence was hindered or even predictable because the props dictated
where I was going on stage. Thus, the supporting props had become a
distraction.

I may have lost the competition, but I guess I really won going forward
if such caring people were willing to provide me substantial,
easy-to-act-on feedback. I learned a lot that day about ensuring that
visual aids and props support the message, but don’t take away from it.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

You will want to emphasize key points with the audience but in the
excitement of the presentation, the risk of leaving out one or more of
these key points is real. Have the messages you want the audience to
remember in an easily accessible spot to review before the presentation,
during the presentation, and at the conclusion, to ensure that all
pertinent points are covered. It is easy to get caught up in a discussion
or even go down a different path based on the interaction with the
audience, so it is important that the points you want taken away are
there to reference, to ensure that they are not forgotten.
These points should be written out, bolded, underlined, and reiterated
throughout your outline and eventual speech. They are the focal
points of the presentation, so you should also have indicators written
out for how you want the points to be made. Delivery of these points
can be critical in how your message is received and retained. Your cue
may be adding it to the story you want the point to support, repeating
the line, increasing your volume, or slowing down intentionally. You
don’t necessarily need to script out every move you make, although
this might be a good habit early in your speaking evolution. The key
is to ensure that your points resonate with the audience. The goal is to
build muscle memory through practice so that the key points become
so natural that the audience will be scrambling for their notebooks,
saying, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Good muscle memory starts with
a good plan.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

I once was in a Toastmasters divisional-level speech contest (for the
state of Maine and parts of New Hampshire), when out of the blue
came the boisterous noise of a jackhammer. The floor was thumping
and rattling, and my concentration was shot. I became flustered and
made several mistakes. After the contest, I analyzed my practice routine
leading up to the event: I would clear the room of any distractions,
put the dog outside, and close the doors for complete silence. In a perfect
world, this made sense. How do you prepare for an unexpected
baby crying (I’ve had this happen, too), papers rustling, or silverware
and glasses clanking? As a speaker, you can only control so much.

I began practicing with distractions everywhere. I have practiced
with the television and radio on. I have invited the dog in and
stepped over him on more than one occasion. I have forged ahead in
my speech when the phone rang. My favorite was practicing while my
ten-year-old daughter began her brand-new trombone lessons. Yes, it
does sound like a bunch of elephants, but the distraction challenge is
beautiful. You will become more nimble in your surroundings if you
prepare for anything. Your concentration level, having been put to the
test, will make you ready for the distractions you can’t predict.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

When I first started learning the piano, at the late age of thirty-eight,
my passionate piano teacher drove into my head that when I
hit the wrong note, I should keep playing through to the end. She
emphasized that if I stopped every time I made a mistake, I would
never make it to the last note. I would suggest the same with a speech,
once it is ready to practice in its entirety. You need to get it ingrained
in your head that you will not be perfect. You will make mistakes, and
that is a fact. When you stop at the point of the mistake, you will hurt
the flow and also probably influence how you react in the middle of a
real presentation if you make a mistake; you may be creating a habit of
stopping where you are and starting over, which will not be good for
you or the audience.

As you go back to certain sections and repeat them over and over,
you are fine-tuning portions of the presentation but limiting your ability
to look at the speech holistically. There is more to a speech than
just content. Flow and rhythm are built throughout, and stopping
each time you make a mistake makes them harder to recognize. In
some of my earlier speech practice habits, I started over again whenever
I made a mistake. This made the beginning of the speech flawless
because I had said it so many times. There have been times, because of
the added pressure of the actual performance, where I lost my place in
the body of the speech that had been practiced less. I surprised myself
with the mistakes I had never made before in practice. I am convinced
it was because I did not take my piano teacher’s advice. I have made
considerably fewer mistakes since I have learned to practice all the way
through.

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books available in softcover, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only):

• Now What? The Ultimate Graduation Gift for Professional Success
• Time Management Manifesto: Expert Strategies to Create an Effective Work/Life Balance
• Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work
• The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World
• From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide received the Gold Medal at the 2013 Axiom Business Book Awards in Business Reference
• The Unofficial Guide to Fatherhood

See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book, eBook, and audiobook (From Fear to Success only) purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com