It’s something many of us list as one of our greatest fears — being on stage, in front of an audience, about to deliver a speech — and then freezing. And many of us try to avoid public speaking altogether. But as a finance professional, you may be called upon to speak at companywide meetings, professional panels, board or investor updates, or industry events or conferences. Becoming a fluent, accomplished public speaker is easier than you think. Almost anyone can do it, and what’s more, the benefits may be far greater than you think.
Why do it?
One of the biggest reasons to become good at public speaking is appearances. When someone is up on stage commanding an audience, they seem important, they seem like a leader, and they seem like they’re going places. It doesn’t matter if they are or not — a polished public performance makes a powerful impression and is great public relations. Possibly the best example of this is Ronald Reagan, who famously honed his political skills as a spokesperson for General Electric after his acting career slowed down. He looked the part, audiences were impressed, businesspeople supported him, and eventually he ended up as US president.
Another great reason to speak in public is that it acts as a form of broadcast networking. If you are at an industry event and you want to network, you have to meet people individually. But if you are on stage, everyone in the audience knows who you are — and you come pre-endorsed. If you’re doing it at your own company, it brings you to everyone’s attention — including, potentially, those you would never meet normally but who could help your career. These days, your speech will also likely have an afterlife on the internet. It could appear on YouTube, LinkedIn, etc., and will be something people find if they google you.
Finally, it helps improve your confidence. Not only will speaking be something else you’re good at — but deliver a good speech or moderate a panel and colleagues will tell you that you’ve done well. Strangers will spontaneously congratulate you. We all like a bit of public acclaim.
Everyone starts somewhere
An important point here is that most speakers don’t start out great. Whether we’re talking about Barack Obama or Steve Jobs, they weren’t always as good as they became. A fun, morale-boosting exercise if you have been asked to speak is to dig up video clips of politicians in their early days. Invariably, they will appear nowhere near as polished as they became later on.
What are the pitfalls?
One of the biggest problems with public speaking is that many people assume that because they’re good in meetings and socially adept, they will shine on the stage or podium. But the two are very different. Sitting in a meeting with colleagues you can bounce ideas off is not the same as being the only person on stage. Of course, some people are naturals — but almost anyone can become pretty good. Conversely, because so many people don’t bother, by being merely decent, you will stand out.
The importance of practice
One of the reasons great speakers sound so good is that they’ve delivered their speeches dozens, if not hundreds, of times. You may never be in this position. However, you can still practise. Learn your speech more or less by heart. This will mean you don’t have to read it (although a few notes on cards are OK). Speaking rather than reading makes a huge difference: Your flow will be much better, and you will connect with your audience because you can look at them (rather than your script). Practise in front of friends and family. Practice will make you more confident and less likely to be nervous.
Think too about how speaking is not like conversation. A conversation has two or more people in it. Here, there is only you, and you need to do much more to shape the flow of the discourse. An example of this is stopping to pose questions. In normal conversation, these would be answered by someone else. Here you are both questioner and answerer. You should also avoid “ums” and “ahs” (which are parts of normal speech) and think about how short periods of silence work for you.
Can tech improve my delivery?
Start by watching videos of great speakers on YouTube. Pay particular attention to how they speak. Often, it’s slow and deliberate. They’ll vary their tone to keep the audience interested. Look at their body language: It will likely project confidence and authority. Don’t just watch businesspeople and politicians either — watch comedians and actors, too.
Videoing yourself and rewatching is a good idea (and far more useful than practising in front of the mirror). Artificial intelligence (AI) can also help. There are growing numbers of AI platforms and AI presentation coaches that will analyse your speaking and tell you where you’re going wrong.
What about visual aids?
Less is more. Again, you want to be speaking, not reading off a screen. That said, a few illustrative slides with graphs or pie charts aren’t a bad idea, especially if you need to communicate complex data. In general, a speech that could be delivered without any visual aids is a good goal. Not least because if there is a tech glitch, you will shine.
What about the content?
Tailor it to your audience. Even if you’re delivering a speech you’ve done before, a few acknowledgements of who you’re speaking to will build enormous goodwill. Remember that people like narratives and stories. Have a bit more than you need in case you’re asked for it. And if there’s a Q&A afterwards, think about questions you might be asked. If the aim of the speech is for people to take something away, think of three main points you want to make — as most people won’t remember much more than that. And finally, do some work on the ending. Rather than mumbling, “Well, that’s all,” you want to finish on a strong note that emphasises your message.
Can AI help me?
Yes, it can help you write your speech. Now, it’s tempting to say, “Don’t do this! The speech should be you!” But a lot of the speech is in the delivery, and you won’t be reading it anyway (because you’ll have learned it off by heart).
When writing a speech, AI can be pretty good to bounce ideas off and work out the outline. But you need to work at it, too. AI writing can sound very flat and lifeless, and besides, writing the speech will mean you fully understand it and have engaged with it. Whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of getting AI to write you a speech and then reading it out for the first time in front of an audience. This could lead to you reading something that doesn’t make sense, that you don’t understand, or that is littered with AI hallucinations.
What if I fail drastically on stage?
Most people are pretty forgiving — and they’ll respect you for giving public speaking a go. But also, failure is a great teacher. The worst thing has happened and it’s probably not as bad as you think. So, give it a while and then try again. If you succeed the second time round, you’ll turn your failure into part of your own narrative — and perhaps even something you can joke about in your next speech.
Rhymer Rigby is a business writer and columnist. To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Oliver Rowe at Oliver.Rowe@aicpa-cima.com.
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