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A frustrated investor asks a difficult question in a stadium packed with 17,000 people.
Warren Buffett slowly sips from a bottle of Coke, then clears his throat to deliver his answer. His words slice through the question with surgical precision. He rapidly crunches the numbers of a complex equation, addresses the investor’s criticism and rebuts with a comprehensive, yet elegant response.
Warren is a marksman. He picks off a dozen more questions from investors and reporters alike. He never falters or hesitates, even though he has no idea which questions will be asked. He’s putting on a Q & A clinic at the 2014
What makes Warren Buffett so successful?
His mental models, investment checklists, years of experience, powerful network, discipline and unconventional diet are well documented. I found a gem in a 2013 interview, where Warren was asked “What habits did you cultivate in your 20s and 30s that you see as the foundation of success?”
Buffett responded “You’ve got to be able to communicate in life and it’s enormously important. Schools, to some extent, underemphasize that. If you can’t communicate and talk to other people and get across your ideas, you’re giving up your potential.” Warren completed a Dale Carnegie public speaking course and it has paid enormous dividends.
In this post, I’ll share ten reasons you should get started with public speaking and three guidelines to remember when you step up to the microphone.
First, let’s get started with why public speaking is a great use of your time and energy. As a public speaker, you will:
1. Inspire and help people
Sharing hard-fought learnings to an audience is equal parts challenging and invigorating. You need to silence your inner critic and put your audience’s needs first, which becomes easier with every speech. When a member of the audience approaches you and thanks you for sharing your story, you will form a real relationship with a person who needs your help.
2. Grow your confidence
Your first speech will be as enjoyable as skydiving when you have a fear of heights. The second time around, your nerves will make way for glimmers of positivity, confidence and excitement. Like running a business, the more you practice - the more you learn. The confidence that you gain from presenting to an audience will carry over to your interviews, meetings and sales calls.
3. Increase your influence
As a speaker, your audience subconsciously grants you a level of trust, so respect the trust you’ve been granted. It’s your responsibility to prepare, practice and present with energy, passion and vigor. People aren't interested in taking a nap during your presentation, so make sure you give your script, slideshow and delivery 100% effort.
4. Build new relationships
Presenting to a new audience will open doors for you. During a recent event, the VP of a high-growth startup offered to take me to lunch to chat further about the ideas I shared. The same day, the co-founder of a popular career advice blog asked to interview me for a leadership profile. This story was was broadcast to their email list - not a bad payoff for a 20 minute speech, right?
5. Win more arguments (and answer tough questions)
Public speakers are forced to ruthlessly edit extraneous content, specify their key message and get to the point. You can use this same process to structure well-crafted responses when your business partner, loved ones or friends challenge you. You can channel your inner Warren Buffett.
6. Reap the rewards
New public speakers earn a few perks you should know about: free entry to the event, access to the speaker’s dinners, VIP networking and sometimes, a small thank-you gift. As your skills improve, event organizers will sweeten the deal with travel, accommodation and maybe even a speaker’s fee. Did you know that Bill Clinton has earned more than $106 million dollars from public speaking engagements?
7. Improve every time
Your audience’s behavior will tell you how interested they are. When they are glued to their phone or laptop while you are speaking, it’s time to work on your content and delivery. When they are on the edge of their seat with their eyes firmly focused on you, then you know you’re doing a good job. Ask each audience member you speak with for just one thing you can improve next time around.
8. Have fun
Once you start to transform your nerves and fear into excitement, you will genuinely enjoy the process of presenting to a live audience. You can tell stories, test out jokes and share your life lessons with a big smile on your face. Public speaking is challenging, but once you clear the early hurdles, it’s also extremely rewarding.
9. Be the life of the party
Have you noticed how the best storyteller is always the life of the party?They know how to entertain and engage people without droning on about themselves. They understand that their audience wants to be entertained. When you improve your public speaking skills, you bring your people skills along for the ride.
10. Set yourself apart
Fear of failure stops most people in their tracks. As an entrepreneur, you find comfort in going against the grain, challenging the status quo and dealing with short-term discomfort to yield long-term rewards. Public speaking is a simple way to put yourself head and shoulders above your competition.
So, you're feeling inspired to take the stage and present, but you don’t feel like an ‘expert’ and you’re not sure what you can present to an audience. Here are three guidelines to keep in mind:
You will start at zero.
Public speaking is simply a skill which can be honed through focus and practice, like learning a new language or a playing a musical instrument. Smart entrepreneurs deconstruct what experts do, then apply it to their own speeches, so check out TED Talks to see what the best in the business talk about.
You will feel nervous.
Even rock stars feel nervous on stage. Instead of panicking on the podium, dedicate time to learning your script, preparing yourself and finding out more about your audience. Practice your presentation without a computer, projector or speakers notes and you’ll feel supremely confident when you take the stage.
You have an interesting story.
You have useful and actionable advice to share with your audience. Instead of struggling to come up with ideas of what you can present about, ask your friends, family and colleagues to help you with idea generation. Once you have a list of ideas, tie a few personal stories into the speech, then sprinkle specific examples of what you learned into the mix. This is the recipe for your first speech.
Conclusion
Learning how to speak in public is nerve-wracking and challenging, just like starting a new business. If you can face your fear and step behind the microphone, then your profile, confidence and business will grow... maybe to a billion dollars or more.
Want to get started with public speaking? Grab my free 3 day public speaking course
