By Michael Venzor
Copyright © 2002 Michael Venzor/Fun Facts Publishing  

Do you want to perfect your public speaking skills? Any type of scrapbook entrepreneur can benefit from public speaking. Obviously, if you're an instructor, it's important to brush up on your skills. Consultants should be prepared to give great talks at their sales meetings. But everyone else can benefit as well - giving lectures on the benefits of scrapbooking is one of the greatest marketing tools you have at your disposal.

I have had two and a half years of professional teaching experience, but I have been an avid public speaker all my life. Speech and Debate, Theater, Mock Trial, Student Council - you name it, I've done it. So here are a few things that have helped me cope with the "ordeal" of public speaking:

1. First, try not to think of public speaking as an "ordeal." Think of it as an opportunity to practice a skill that will ALWAYS make you more marketable. No matter what profession, if you have knowledge and experience teaching large numbers of people, you can always demand higher salaries and commissions.

And especially in the Scrapbooking world, the demand for teachers is high. Let me restate that. The demand for *good* teachers is high. Anyone can show me how to use a Coluzzle, but only a few people can teach 30 of us, and do it effectively. Skills like crowd management and utilization of body language are not taught in school, but they should be. The skills needed to be an effective public speaker should be ingrained in each and every one of us. Even if you are not considering becoming a public speaker, you cannot help but benefit from facing your fears, learning how to listen, becoming more authoritative, and everything else involved in the Art. Public Speaking is like a self-improvement boot camp that pays really well!

2. Go over the agenda and the objectives of the class or the meeting immediately after introducing yourself and stating the title of the class or event.  And if possible, display the agenda and objectives on a projection screen, flip chart, dry erase board, or any other outdated visual aid. There is an old axiom that goes: Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em. Then tell 'em. Then tell 'em what you told 'em. It still holds true today. If people know how much longer something is going to last, it is my experience that they are more apt to pay attention and become engaged in the presentation, rather than bouncing their knees, wondering how much longer until the next break.

3. Set ground rules before every speaking engagement. Typically, this will apply to classes you teach rather than events at which you speak, but even at events, there should be some basis for behavior which is spoken aloud in the beginning of the presentation. An example:

"Cell phones and beepers should be turned off or set to vibrate. And if you must take a call, PLEASE take it outside the auditorium so that we can't hear you!"

If you are a teacher, this is a good time to set limits:

"Class starts at 6:00, and I start with new material at 6:15. If you are later than that, you will have to see me after class if you want anything repeated. I don't think it is fair to hold up the rest of the class to repeat everything I just said to the one student who is 30 minutes late."

4. Be tough with your students/audience if you have to. This is a tough one and probably the one I struggle the most with. Everyone wants to be loved by everyone and no one wants to step on anyone else's toes. However, as a lecturer or a teacher, you have the obligation to keep your class under control or your meeting to topic. If the conversation takes a left turn and goes completely off topic, it is your fault. It is a common experience for public speakers and teachers to have a someone approach them after class and express concern that a disruptive audience member or student had not been dealt with effectively:

"You're the teacher, you should be more in control." Don't let  it happen to you!

Also, never apologize for quieting a loud person or refusing to answer an off topic question. Realize that it is your reputation on the line, and take control!

5. Deflect questions that will only kill time, especially if you are under a tight time limit.  People often get random questions that pop in their head, and if they are as ego-centric as any normal person, they think, "If I think this is a good question, then I'll bet my half of the farm that everyone else does too!" Now, whether or not their question is interesting isn't the point. If the answer doesn't fit in with the agenda, and time is wasted, you can bet that at least 80 percent of the room is not going to be camping happy.

Some examples of how to respond:

"Wow, that's a good question, I'm going to write it over here on this board and if we have time today, I'll get into it for you."
"Great question. Unfortunately, it's not in the scope of this presentation. But I would be happy to discuss the answer with you at the break/after class."
"You know what? I don't know the answer to that. Great question, thank you. I am going to look that one up; could I have your email so I can send you whatever I find out?"

Read Part 2.

Copyright © 2002 by Michael Venzor

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