Jackie Cameron - Coaching and Communication

At the start of the speaking skills training workshop I ran  yesterday I asked the participants to score out of 10 how confident they feel about speaking in public at the start of the day. As is often the case most people will score themselves below 5. At the end of the day I ask them to decide where they would score themselves at that point - and most will move themselves up - at least a few points.

In context of one day of training and in a box ticking feedback format this provides limited information  - but it’s a start.

Speaking in public always scores highly in the top 10 things people dread doing.  At the start of a workshop I am prepared for participants feeling varying degrees of nerves and start by asking them to introduce themselves. When we have done that I point out that they have already “made a speech” - they spoke - the audience listened!

In the next sessions I  lead the feedback but as soon as possible I ask the other participants to contribute so that they all speak - and they are all invited to comment on what they noticed. Crucially this feedback starts with what they thought went well - giving specific examples (” you were great” is not helpful) and then some suggestions for what they might do differently the next time.  I use this feedback model for all of the training I deliver and it never fails to surprise me how few people have used it before - and how much they like it when they give it a try!

The basis for the speaking skills workshops is to  help participants establish  are already doing well and build on that throughout the session - and to choose what to focus on for improvements in other areas. 

In another context, when reading the reflective reports for the management students on the Edinburgh Napier University programme that I teach  I was delighted to see that some had adopted this feedback model when trying out their new learning on their teams and that they were encouraged by the results.

We have loads of sayings which advocate persistence for success eg “You learn from your mistakes” and “You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you meet your prince” and even “If at first you don’t succeed try and try again”. Add to those a bit of focused encouragement and watch that confidence grow!

I would love to hear your stories and/or comments. Please share.

For the first time in a very long time I was really nervous before making my presentation last night. As I was driving to the venue - about 20  miles away I was running through the tips I give others when I am training. At Speakersbank we don’t say that we have the guaranteed way to eliminate nerves. We recognise where they come from , how they feel and what can be done to cope with them. For example

1 Speak about what you know . If you don’t know a lot make a point of finding out more

2 Be prepared. I had ages to do this and got some good back up information for the points I was making

3 Practice - and then practice some more.  I spent most of yesterday afternoon doing that. The more you practice the easier to store more in your head ( and do away with referring to notes)

4 Take your notes as a backup ( just in case). I am often asked what to do if your mind goes completely blank in front of the audience. The chances of that are small. Really. If you have done 1, 2 and 3  then a quick look at your notes should be enough to send you off and running.

5 Focus on positive talk to yourself - I will make a good speech, the audience will be very interested in what I have to say etc. Negative self- talk is never helpful ( in any situation) . Turn what you are saying round to positives.

6 Breathe! - It’s a must.  Slow steady breathing.

When it was time for me to stand up and speak my heart was pounding but I remembered to breathe. I had eliminated the negative self talk and reminded myself that the content was interesting, that I had practiced enough and that - crucially - the audience would want me to succeed.

And I allowed myself a wee smile when someone said that it was good to see that I had real control of my breathing. Little did they know.

I was privileged to spend today at an event hosted by Breakthrough Breast Cancer here in Edinburgh. It was described as a “converstation” and the aim was to hear stories of experiences and gather information to use as a basis for developing their support programme. I met ladies who have had treatment for Breast Cancer, specialist health professionals, researchers and supporters - the role I had today as my friend who had Breast Cancer could not get time away from work and asked me to go as her “Bosom Buddy”!

One of the Speakersbank training programmes I deliver is called Speak Up Speak Out. During the training we ask participants to practice and develop their speaking skills by talking about something that they fell passionate about. The aim is that this will improve confidence and encourage those participants to take the opportunity to speak up about issues that are important to them.

The power of this was so ably demonstrated by the ladies who spoke up about their experiences - good and bad - today. There is enormous benefit to including learning from experiences like those in future planning.

Most of the ladies I spoke to ( and some men) said that they were very nervous about speaking up - but they did.  And we should be grateful for that!

Sometimes you just know at what point you discovered you need to take action to do something better! In terms of getting up in front of an audience to speak this point was at the US Employee Relocation Council Symposium in Los Angeles in October 1997.

At that time I managed the new  international mobility division of an established, successful relocation company here in Edinburgh. The opportunity had arisen for us to provide a speaker and my boss put me forward . I recall I was on holiday when he did this  and so by the time I had come back it was a done deal. I had to have some pictures taken for the promotional brochure and make some travel arrangements. This trip I was to travel with my colleague Kristin, a lovely lady and US citizen who had never been to the West Coast.

I was to be part of a panel talking about aspects of international relocations and I was to cover work permits.  The symposium at that time focused on mobility in the US and the international stuff was still a bit out of the ordinary. 

We arrived in LA - had a good night’s sleep, headed out to network …and then the jetlag hit me. I knew that if I took a nap I would sleep for hours so, as we had a free afternoon before the proper start of the event, we headed to Santa Monica beach. We left just enough time to get back and go to dinner. We were there for 3 whole days. On day 2 I had to give in  and go for a nap as I literally could not keep my eyes open after lunch.  I was raring to go late into the night which is the complete opposite to how I am at home though. I was due to speak after lunch on day 3  - just when I would be at my tiredest. Arrgh.

I had not met my fellow panelists before arriving in LA  but after a quick meeting we decided that we were good to go .

So the big moment arrived I had spoken to audiences before but never at an event of this scale. About 50 or so turned up for this one.  Much of what actually happened is a blur now but I know that each speaker had their own take on their remit and we were not joined up. The topic was really dry. The audience were restless. And it felt as flat as a pancake. I breathed a sigh of relief when I was done.

A couple of weeks later I received a tape of the session - and the audience feedback. I listened to the tape and cringed. My content was awful and it was clear to me - and it must have been to the audience - that I thought so.  I also sounded really tired ( which of course I was).

The feedback I got reflected this though I have to say that the style was not particularly helpful. The comments were more about how the respondent felt about the issue - work permits - and my accent.

One drilled into my brain went on the lines of “Cameron [note ; not Jackie] speaks with a thick accent - she needs to slow down and speak clearly for her audience”. That was  turning point for me. I had broken so many rules on effective public speaking.  No wonder my audience was unimpressed.

1. I could have found out more about my audience and tailored the content which  was new to many of them.
2. If I had rehearsed my speech I could have made changes . I had the opportunity to try it out on Kristin which would have highlighted changes I could make.
3. Speaking too fast is common for many people speaking in public - in this case it was even more important to slow down as my accent got in the way too
4. Speaking to the others on the panel before I travelled and then meeting them could have helped  with my discomfort on where my part fitted with theirs.
5. We all delivered our presentations sitting down - can’t remember why we did that!

I was delighted - and a bit surprised - to be invited to speak at the 2000 symposium in Washington DC and that went really well. I suspect that - apart from being far more professional about it - the fact that I had all but lost my voice got me a sympathy vote!

I was speaking to a local branch of Rotarians on Monday about the work I am doing in public speaking training and coaching young people in business projects. I had been given a 20 minute slot but the other business of the meeting had run over and I realised that the audience would probably prefer if I took only 15 which would leave time for questions.

Ironically one of those questions was -  is there a case for keeping a speech short and to the point?

Personally, having been in way too many audiences when the speakers have gone over time and their content wasn’t that interesting in any case. There are situations and topics where  short and impactful is by far the best option. Of course you need to discuss this with your host first so that they are not left with a gaping hole in their schedule! A while back I was offered the chance to speak for 15 minutes to ask for sponsorship for a charity walk I was doing.  I suggested that 5 minutes would be enough . The host was delighted as he was torn between giving me the opportunity and wanting his team to be back at their desks doing meaningful work! My 5 minutes was fine - I got my message across without unnecessary detail ( which I would have had to use to pad my time out) and I got over £1000 in sponsorship! Result!!

So how can you make a short, memorable speech?

1 It goes without saying that before you start you should be clear about the message you want to get across

2 Start with a great attention grabbing opening statement or quote, explain what you are going to talk about, split the middle chunk into 3 parts  and link your ending to your initial quote/statement

3 Allocate a time to each section - 2 minutes here, 3 minutes there ( and add it up!!) If it is already more than your allotted slot - what can you leave out?

4 When you have a speech that will fill the time allotted look at what could reasonably be left out without changing the impact -  and have that as a fallback.

5 When you are waiting to speak observe your audience. Add something about what you have noticed to link what you are going to say to them. And if they are already restless and yawning think how much more they will enjoy your short and meaningful talk.

6 Remember the audience does not know what you are going to say until you say it - so if you leave something out they will be none the wiser!

BUT, and this is really important, don’t be tempted to start with “I will be quick..” or ” I realise you are keen to get home…” Remember short and impactful….those statements will immediately diminish the value of what you have to say.

A big word of encouragement. For those of you out there who think they  would prefer to stick pins in their eyes than speak in front of an audience start small with a 5 minute spot in front of your own team, family, friends and get some feedback. Then go on from there!