Should a Speaker Apologize to the Audience?

Should a Speaker Apologize to the Audience?

Jan 17, 2023 | Public Speaking

It is accepted wisdom in public speaking that you should never apologise.

But I recently made the case that there are few guidelines for public speaking.

  • Is it a strict rule to "never apologize"?
  • What is the justification? What is wrong with expressing regret to the crowd?
  • What circumstances, if any, warrant an apology?
“I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done.”
Lucille Ball

Is it a strict rule to "never apologize"?

No.

It is not a general rule, but too many speakers make unnecessary excuses for too many things.

What is the justification? What is wrong with expressing regret to the crowd?

This recommendation’s two main justifications are as follows:

  • Apologies typically do not result in much gain.
  • You risk losing credibility.

Think of a scenario where you are creating a presentation. Now that you have gathered a wealth of data, it is time to edit your writing. You must consider whether each element—a slide, a prop, a narrative, or a joke—contributes to the main idea or takes away from it. Is keeping this going to be a net gain?

The same query might be asked regarding whether to include an apology in your presentation. The benefits of saying sorry are frequently extremely little. On the other hand, you risk losing the audience’s trust. For instance, if you apologize for not being an expert, your audience will start to wonder why they should be listening to you.

Pro Tip

Know when you shouldn’t apologize.

What circumstances, if any, warrant an apology?

There is no crystal ball that can predict when you should apologize. Having stated that, you might find it useful to think about the following issues:

First, can the audience really understand what you are sorry for?

  • Never reveal your nervousness to your audience, Norman Wei recently said. Usually, the audience is ignorant of your anxiety. Your butterflies cannot be felt by them. They have no idea whether you slept poorly due to this presentation.
  • The same goes for forgetting to include something you had planned; you do not need to apologize. Only you are aware of the strategy. The viewer will not make a guess.

How to respond:

  • Do not draw emphasis to the bad. They will not do anything but sidetrack you and your audience.
“Never regret yesterday. Life is in you today and you make your tomorrow.”
L. Ron Hubbard

Do you apologize because you truly regret it or just because you are embarrassed?

  • If the latter, it is likely that your apologies will just highlight and magnify the cause of your humiliation.
  • For instance: "I apologize. To put these slides together, I hurried. The caliber of your slides has already been assessed by the audience. They are unlikely to think, "Oh, that's okay. " They do not care that you are humiliated. No issues. They are more inclined to think, "You didn't prepare well enough. My time is being wasted by you.

How to respond:

  • Make sure to thoroughly prepare so that you will not have anything to be ashamed of or apologize for. Additionally, your confidence level will rise, and your delivery will be enhanced.

Action Item

Ensure to focus on the impact of your actions — not your intent.

  1. Are you expressing regret for something that was entirely beyond your control?
  • Example: A very loud air conditioner that has just "clicked on" interrupts your presentation. Others may choose to disregard it. Others can apologize for their own disappointment. Oh, my apologies.
  • For instance, the classroom where you are scheduled to teach a course is too tiny to properly fit your pupils.

How to respond:

  • Act forcefully if there is something you can do that will enhance your ability to communicate your message. "Why don't I come closer so we can hear each other over that air conditioner?"
  • If there is nothing you can do to have influence, you can try using suitable comedy to lighten the tension. Recognizing the issue without offering an apology is crucial.

  1. What if I must make an apology?

  • One of the speakers I coached once told me about a speech where she felt compelled to apologise. She talked about how her capacity to speak was being badly impacted by a deep sense of guilt. Ideally, she would not be affected by these emotions, but for her, that was not the case.

How to respond:

  • If you feel the need to apologize, do so immediately and truly. Do not think about it too much or say it again. Simply continue your lecture. You may or may not lose credibility points from the audience, but there are far worse things you can do.
  • Sincerity is essential. A genuine apology might even win the audience over. Everything depends on the situation.

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Pump Up Your Speaking Voice with a Strength Training Workout

Pump Up Your Speaking Voice with a Strength Training Workout

Jan 11, 2023 | Public Speaking

If you want to take your speaking to the next level, you will be ready with a vocal workout.

Your Spoken Tone

Like the rest of you, the voice is made up of muscles, cavities, tissues, nerves, fluids, etc. At least 325 distinct pitches can be produced by it. Other than the muscles in your eyes, the larynx has more nerves than any other muscle in your body. 

Additionally, speaking involves using three-quarters of your body, and even a stubbed toe can alter how you sound. Therefore, it is not surprising that tension and excitement can have a negative impact on your voice.

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
Mahatma Gandhi

Some people naturally have stronger vocal muscles than others, much like with the rest of your body; nonetheless, some people must exercise their vocal muscles just to maintain their daily vocal needs. Without communicating with the reader, I cannot determine the precise reason for their voice quivering, but it is likely due to anxiety, a lack of vocal power, or a combination of both. Whatever the situation, voice training with the right vocal exercises can significantly improve voice control and stamina.

You might not be aware of the necessary vocal exercises unless you are a voice practitioner or have studied with a voice professional (which I highly recommend!). Here is a little exercise you may do daily to strengthen your voice and stop trembling, quivering, and flipping while you talk.

A Voice Strength Training Exercise

  • Deeply inhale, then let out a hissing sound. Ten times in total.
  • A healthy voice and control over the nervous energy that might cause the voice to tremble are both based on proper breathing.
  • Say, "Mm-hmm (like yeah) Mmm-mmm (as in yummy) " Five times, repeat.
  • By establishing a clear approximation of the cords and a resonance that sounds wonderful and projects easily, this provides mask resonance, which creates a clean and energetic sound.

Pro Tip

Practice your speeches out loud.

  • Say "Mm-mmm. Mm-hmm" ten times, moving up and down your vocal range from low to medium to high.
  • Say "Mmmmmmmmy name is" while turning up the volume a little. Ten times over your voice range, repeat this.
  • This improves the coordination and range of the voice.
“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.”
Thomas Jefferson
  • Ney, ney, ney, ney, ney, repeat that phrase ten times in a loud voice but without shouting.
  • This is extra practice with mask resonance.
  • Make a siren sound using Oooo and Eeeee by repeatedly sliding down your vocal range while beginning higher each time.
  • Again, greater flexibility and coordination are the key points here.

Action Item

Make sure to warm up your voice everyday, but especially before public speaking.

  • Until you experience a buzzing feeling in the front of your face, say "Mmmmmmm." 5. Repetition.
  • Mask resonance once more.
  • Now try some tongue twisters like those below to isolate the muscles used for articulation. Say each one numerous time, but only as quickly as you can, and keep your voice clear, to receive the complete workout. Over time, you can quicken your movement:
  • Blue bluebird blinks in response.
  • 3 free throws are made.
  • When does the watch strap store close?
  • Peculiar strategic statistics.
  • Flying fish and flesh that has just been freshly cooked.
  • Speak a few phrases aloud to tie everything together. Use a speech's introduction or conclusion, a favorite poetry, a lengthy quote, or a song's lyrics.
  • Every effective workout requires a cool down. Take 5 more long, deep breaths to finish.

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Love the Process and Improve Your Speaking

Love the Process and Improve Your Speaking

Jan 9, 2023 | Public Speaking

You undoubtedly feel frustrated as you work to enhance your public speaking abilities. Frustrated… by persistent anxieties. You are irritated by audience queries that give you trouble. Frustrated… by the skill-improvement process, which is more evolutive than revolutionary.

This post teaches us how to stop being frustrated by coming to love the process. Five speaking lessons are taken from an odd source.

“Trust in the process means you are allowing God to handle the situation and moving yourself out of the way.”
Germany Kent

How Does Public Speaking Fit into This?

The lessons that must be mastered are many of the same ones that public speakers must.

Now think about how these five relate to speaking:

  • Improvement comes from practice.
  • Even if you never intend to share it, keep a record.
  • Accept the unpleasant.
  • Push the boundaries.

First lesson: Practice makes perfect.

“Your improvements will typically be small steps. Other times, you will experience a huge leap in your ability to communicate. You cannot just read a book and expect to become a great speaker. 

(Or this website!) Speaking abilities can only be enhanced via practice. At work, speak. Make a speech at your child’s school. address a town hall gathering. At your cousin’s wedding, speak. Speak while driving. 

“Taking a shortcut isn't always profitable, doing the right thing may take longer but just trust the process, your reward is sure!”
Hopal Green

Describe your kitty. Talk to yourself in the mirror. There is no such thing as perfection. But you will get better. Your practice will lead to improvement over time. 

Your improvements will typically be little steps. Other times, you will experience a huge leap in your ability to communicate.

Lesson 2: Keep records even if you do not intend to share them.

Even if you can keep a paper diary, it is usually simpler to retain an electronic record of your talks and PowerPoint presentations these days. Date them so you can reflect on them in the future and be amazed at how far you have come. Assess your progress and keep a record of the areas on which you are focusing. 

Likewise, keep a video log. Individual films will not only point out areas that need work but comparing current recordings to earlier ones will be incredibly motivating. It is challenging to see your own development when you are immersed in the process. Video evidence is unreliable.

Action Item

Ensure to always remember your MVP (Most Valuable Point).

Lesson 3: Be comfortable with discomfort

“It’s challenging to notice your own improvement while you are immersed in the process. A video recording is unreliable.

Accept the pre-presentation butterflies in your stomach.

Accept that when the strain is on, your heart will race.

Recognize that you will occasionally forget a word, phrase, story, or joke.

Recognize that you will experience PowerPoint problems.

Recognize that not everyone in your audience is awestruck or even paying attention.

Accept all these things, but keep in mind that until you let them, none of them will stop you from communicating effectively.

Stretch Your Limits in Lesson Four

Motivational speeches frequently use the adage, “If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get what you’ve always had.”

If you approach each speech or presentation in the same manner, then… If your preparation is the same as mine, if you create PowerPoint presentations in the same manner… If you repeatedly employ the same speech opener… if you always address the group from behind the podium… if you always take speech notes in 12-point type…

Your skills will stagnate if you never try new things.

Look for chances to go outside your comfort zone by:

Pro Tip

Sound more confident by speaking louder and lower.

  • The 1-hour keynote when you have only ever given the 10-minute teaser speech requires trying new vocal styles, including new stories, giving new gestures, adopting a modern style of visuals, finding a new source of quotations, looking for new audiences and new settings.

Lesson 5: Respect the Procedure

There is no peak in speaking ability; rather, it is a process that you go through for the rest of your life. It is understandable if you think the procedure is a chore you must go through before one-day mastering presentations to the highest level. However, that attitude will do nothing but undermine your efforts. 

I adore the method. Set manageable objectives and recognize your successes. You will make a lot of blunders, so laugh them off. The reality is that there is no peak; rather, speaking ability improvement is a lifelong process. I adore the method.

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How to Weave Statistics into Your Speech

How to Weave Statistics into Your Speech

Jan 4, 2023 | Public Speaking

Have you ever experienced this? You have found an intriguing statistic that strengthens your thesis. You reserve it for the end and make it obvious. You anticipate your audience will experience a flood of emotion, yet Nothing. 

No one in your crowd responds at all. Do they not comprehend? You are not alone if this sounds familiar.

In this post, we will look at the value of including statistics in speeches and how to do it well.

“Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it each day, and at last we cannot break it.”
Horace Mann

Why would you include statistics in a speech?

It is crucial to know how to use statistics in your speeches.

  • Your discourse gains realism via statistics. It is acceptable to discuss important concepts in abstract words, but you also need to provide examples. One method to anchor your speech arguments to reality is via numbers and statistics (thus boosting logos). For instance, saying that properly inflated tires can improve fuel efficiency is one thing. It would be far better to say that it may reduce fuel expenditures by $500 annually.
  • Your audience may be affected emotionally by statistics (pathos). By disclosing the proportion of children in your neighborhood who will not be receiving gifts this holiday season, for instance, you might heighten the emotional response during your speech about poverty.
  • Statistics boost your ethos in two diverse ways. First, employing a statistic shows that you have done your homework and are trying to please the audience. Second, citing figures from reputable organizations (like the World Health Organization) increases your authority by association.
  • Statistics have the power to stick with your listeners long after you finish speaking.

How can you pick the appropriate statistics?

One approach to fasten your speech arguments to reality is via numbers and statistics. If you go headfirst into your topic’s investigation, you will soon find yourself awash with statistics. How do you choose which content to use when there is so much info available?

“If you do weave one-liners into a story, you have to have an overall story as well, otherwise it doesn't really count as narrative.”
Tim Vine

Here are a few things to think about when choosing:

  • Which facts would most affect your audience? While it is advantageous if you believe the statistic to be compelling (so that you may talk with conviction), it is more crucial to select facts that your audience will find compelling.
  • Which numbers are the most unexpected? This is also based on the audience. You want people in your audience to leave the room telling their friends, "You'll never believe what I learned in a speech today," so that you might do this.
  • Which statistics support each of your specific claims? Statistics should not be used in speeches because they are merely interesting facts; rather, they should be tightly related to your main ideas or arguments. Your audience may remember the statistic if it is pertinent to your speech, but they will not remember you or your point if it is not.

The skill of incorporating a statistic into a speech.

You must give your numbers a meaningful context, if you just take away one lesson from this essay. Your audience will not be affected by a number if they lack the understanding necessary to rigorously evaluate it. Consider the scenario where I inform you that Six Minutes has 10,000 subscribers. 

You might or might not be impressed. Is that a sizable sum? a tiny amount? You can interpret the data in a more meaningful way if I also tell you that Six Minutes is one of the most popular speaking blogs in the planet (the most popular).

Action Item

Ensure to make your presentation memorable.

The data should be followed by a comparison in relatable, tangible language.

  • By relating the history of one of the "numbers," you can give your statistic life. If your statistic, for instance, is the number of breast cancer cases, you might start by recounting the tale of a breast cancer survivor before stating that "she is just one of 100,000 women in this country who will discover they have cancer this year."
  • Compare the statistic against a previous iteration of itself. Observing how the value has evolved from one year to the next, or from one decade to the next, might be the most impactful component.
  • Do not assume your audience will just "understand it." Describe how the statistic relates to your point of view. Typically, a clear statement like "This is significant because..." works best

delivering the statistic to ensure its impact

One of the twenty-five crucial speaking abilities is an effective use of statistics. Which twenty-four are left? If you followed one of the earlier suggestions for incorporating the statistic into your speech, your efficacy will still depend on how well you communicate the message. Here are a few strategies you can employ to achieve the desired result:

Pro Tip

Leave the greatest impact on your audience.

  • Put a little emphasis on it. Earlier in the speech, you can do this to create tension (for example, "In a moment, I'm going to reveal a startling statistic that will change the way you view civic politics...") or you can use a direct, succinct approach (for example, "If you remember just one thing from this speech, remember this...")
  • To build tension, pause just before the statistic.
  • Speak with clarity and at a slightly slower pace than usual. This will also indicate how significant the statistic is.
  • To allow your audience enough time to comprehend the meaning and "feel" the effect, pause immediately following the statistic (a bit longer than before).
  • Make gestures to convey the scale. One way to project size is to stand with your arms spread wide.
  • To convey the right response, use facial expressions. (For example, express your personal astonishment, sadness, or shock.)
  • You might show a slide that corresponds with your statistic if you are presenting your information using slides. To emphasize the size of the number, you can use a chart. To convey a more emotional message, you might use a picture. Whatever you do, keep the slide as simple as possible! You want your audience to understand the meaning of what you say to them clearly.

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How to Get Started as a Professional Speaker: 6 Key Steps

How to Get Started as a Professional Speaker: 6 Key Steps

Jan 2, 2023 | Public Speaking

How many times have you sat in a crowd and secretly wished you were on stage?

After giving a few presentations, you could realize that you are adept at public speaking. You might join Toastmasters and become the club’s leader. 

After some time, you begin to believe that you could support yourself by doing this. Imagine earning money by speaking!

You choose to move forward. So, what comes next?

You might begin by following these general steps to enter the field of professional speaking:

  • Choose a Lane
  • Establishing a Successful Business and Making a Great Promise
  • Create a marketing strategy.

1. Choose a Lane

You must “choose a lane” as the first stage in your adventure. Based on your area of expertise, you must select a subject matter for your focus. However, you might object, “How can I choose only one speech when I’m quite good at several of them?” 

What do you want your name to be associated with in five years? Continue giving all your presentations if you do not care about getting paid, being recognized for anything, or wanting to be renowned for anything. Pick a lane if you want to be well paid and recognized as an authority on one subject.

2. Be the Authority

Many people make the error of considering themselves only as speakers when beginning a career as a professional speaker. However, in the grand scheme of things, you are the key component in an organization that makes something happen. Your business should have a mission, whether it is to assist clients in time management, leadership, motivation, or economic education. 

You should consider speaking as merely one of the mediums through which you share your expertise. You could also run teleseminars, consult, coach, hold retreats, and publish books.

“Only the prepared speaker deserves to be confident.”
Dale Carnegie

The idea is to envision yourself as the leader of an empire that aids others in your area of expertise rather than just a professional speaker. Do not forget that you cannot fake it. Your knowledge needs to be authentic and dependable. Before going down this road, if you have not developed your expertise yet, go out and do it.

3. Do Well

Winning a speech competition is a positive step toward improving, but it does not guarantee that you will be paid. When someone approaches you after your speech and says, “I’d want to schedule you to speak in six months in Las Vegas,” that is when you will really know your speech has “made it.” 

You can stop preparing your speech when spin-off, which is king in our industry, occurs on average 2-3 times after each engagement. Work on the speech while you can. [Ed. note: a “spin-off” speaking engagement is one that results directly from a current engagement]

Action Item

Make sure to maintain your social media presence.

4. Set Up Shop: Make a Splash into Professional Speaking

Like any business, speaking is a profession. If you lack even the slightest entrepreneurial inclination, you can face difficulties. You require cash flow, or start-up capital, to get going. 

It will be more challenging if you are starting off on a tight budget. Nevertheless, given the state of technology today, things are more likely. You may, for instance, create your own website using a blog. 

If it appears sufficiently professional, you might be able to avoid paying the thousands of dollars it can cost to set up and maintain a website.

Pro Tip

Build your personal brand.

The important thing is to be able to explain your value to visitors within the first 15 seconds of their visit. You do not have much time to make an impression in our ADD online environment. Attention deficit disorder (Ed.) They will leave your website immediately if they cannot find what they are looking for.

5. Making a Magnificent Promise

The promise statement is essential for letting prospects know how valuable you are. It functions as a tagline and would be used in marketing materials and on your website. The promise statement shows prospects what they will obtain by collaborating with you in five to nine words (less is more). 

A promise like “Helping Teams Win in a Competitive Field” might be created by a speaker who conducts team-building seminars, for instance. The actual secret to getting that decision maker to lean in and say, “Yes, we need that,” is to demonstrate the consequence and the worth of your promise. You can focus on making your promise cleverer or more indicative of your personality.

6. Create a marketing strategy

Now that your website is up, you will want to generate traffic to it. Obviously, I am simplifying here. Selecting the right industries to target with your message will help you launch a marketing strategy that will establish you as an authority among those audiences.

“Speakers who talk about what life has taught them never fail to keep the attention of their listeners.”
Dale Carnegie

I frequently advise my clients to develop a 12-month marketing schedule. By getting visitors to sign up for something on your website, the objective is to build a list of followers. After that, stay connected with that list frequently so that you are top of mind when someone needs your skills. Several marketing suggestions are:

  • Creating articles for your intended audience
  • Postings on post cards
  • Email marketing
  • Tele classes using social media and direct mail

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