Everyone here is on your side
Edward P. Salek, CAE, Executive Director | TLT Headquarters Report October 2019
Calm those nerves! STLE offers a safe place to polish your public speaking skills.
According to an online news source, most people in the audience are rooting for the speaker to succeed.
© Can Stock Photo / halfpoint
What’s the best strategy for getting relaxed before your next technical presentation or other public speaking engagement? Deep breathing exercises? Push-ups? Meditation? Medication?
According to a recent issue of the online business news website Quartz, the best advice for the millions of us who are nervous public speakers is to realize that you are not facing a group of curmudgeons ready to hurl insults and rotten eggs.
“Much of the anxiety about public speaking comes from the basic fear of being harshly judged,” said Anne Quito, author of the Quartz article. “Everyone in the room actually wants to see you succeed.”
Her piece also shares good advice from the book TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking. The book’s author is TED curator Chris Anderson, who advises his presenters to beat the jitters by thinking of a speech or presentation “as a situation where you are simply talking to a group of friends.”
TED is a nonprofit group devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks. TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics—from science to business to global issues—in more than 110 languages.
The skeptic in me says that the image of talking to friends may be a bit simplistic and naïve. However, Anderson’s book offers two other tips that are worth keeping in mind the next time you’re ready to go into panic mode before a talk.
Point one urges speakers to envision a supportive audience because it’s not in their self-interest to waste time and attention on a bad presentation. They are pulling for the speaker to do a great job. But, just in case you do stumble or stutter at the opening of a presentation, tap into that support and acknowledge the jitters. According to the book, “Your listeners will be rooting for you even more.”
All this advice about public speaking points to a benefit of STLE membership that’s often overlooked. This organization is a place where new or inexperienced workers have a chance to develop new capabilities, polish their people skills and advance their careers. It offers multiple self-development opportunities through serving on a committee, being active in a local section or making a presentation at one of our two national meetings.
STLE’s code of conduct for membership meetings states this promise: “We are committed to providing an atmosphere that encourages the free expression and scientific exchange of ideas. As part of that commitment, it is dedicated to promoting an environment that is safe and comfortable for all participants in society-related programs and activities (including local section meetings, activities and social events) and that encourages respect for the dignity of each individual.”
In other words, STLE is the place to grow as a business professional, because everyone in the room really is on your side!
You can reach Certified Association Executive Ed Salek at esalek@stle.org.