Public Speaking Myths
By Aileen Pincus, Sat Dec 10th

It's not as though the job isn't hard enough. Getting up infront of a roomful of people gathered to hear you speak canstymie even the most accomplished professional.

Making matters worse is the well-meaning but misguided advice onimproving your public speaking performance. That bad advice iseverywhere and it's deadly, especially for those speakers onshaky ground to begin with.

Here then are the top five pieces of advice you'll want to skipwhen you're preparing for your next public speakingopportunity--followed by some alternatives.

1.) Practice your speech in front of a mirror.

Come on now. Have you ever tried it? Anyone who has knows it'snearly impossible to focus on your performance and avoid beingdistracted by your own image.

Instead, try practicing in front of a colleague, friend or coachwho can give honest feedback. A videotaped performance can alsohelp (provided you play it enough times to be able to begin to"see" your performance the way others might).

2.) Start with a joke.

You may as well start with a dance number. What? Not good atdancing? Well, if you're not someone who is extraordinarily goodat telling jokes, better leave this one alone as well. A jokethat falls flat is difficult to recover from, especially ifyou're trying to establish credibility.

Instead, try a story, a true anecdote,or an attention-grabbingquestion or statement to your audience. If you want to start itoff on a lighter note, try some self-effacing humor...but leavethe canned jokes to the professional comics.

3.) At all costs; move.

Sure we in the audience like to see some signs of life up there,but movement without purpose is called PACING. Walk endlesslyfrom one point to another or move with repetitive motions andyour audinece will begin WISHING for a podium to put you behind.

Instead, try looking for opportunities within the context ofwhat you're saying to add

movement. Got an important point tomake? Take a step toward the audience, but vary your physicalperformance the way you vary the content and practice it thesame way: purposefully.

4.) Wear bright, eye-catching clothes and accessories.

Your audience is sure to notice that huge broach or bright tie,but after they do, are they listening to anything you have tosay?

Instead, make sure your clothes ENHANCE what you say by speakingsubtly of your credibiity and authority. Don't let them speaklouder than you do, lest they drown out your message.

5.) Memorize your speech.

This is as sure-fire a way to give a flat and uninterestingperformance as reading your speech to your audience is. That'sbecause in truth, most of us aren't going to memorize an entirespeech or presentation well enough to actually ACT IT OUT withdramatic conviction, as if it had flowed naturally from ourthoughts. And if you lose your train of thought, finding itagain in a memorized speech gets difficult.

Instead, commit your speech or presentation to memory. There's adifference. Commiting your information to memory means you willhave practiced it enough times to know it thoroughly, in itsessence. It means you know what's coming so well you can ad-libor change it, summarize it or reword it on the spot, withoutlosing your train of thought. It will keep you engaged and thatmeans your audience will stay engaged as well.

Aileen Pincus is President of The Pincus Group, an executivecommunications training firm providing coaching in presentationand speech skills, media training and crisis communications forclients in the public and private sector. She can be reached athttp://www.thepincusgroup.com

About the author:Aileen Pincus is President of the Pincus Group, an executivecommunications training firm providing coaching for individualsand groups. Aileen is a former television reporter, SeniorSenate Aide and Public Relations Executive, now leading a teamof professionals providing on site and customized communicationscoaching services.