Have you ever frozen on a podium in front of an entire audience or witnessed someone else like that? Traumatic it was, wasn’t it?
Freezing on stage terrifies you on another level when you have a whole lot of people staring blankly at you. These early memories haunt most people for the most part of their lives, translating into stage fright later.
Adding to the mix are a few common myths that turn public speaking into an absolute ordeal.
So, when it’s time to pick up the baton again, we are already filled with so many preconceptions (myths) about successful public speaking. And we hold onto them like lucky charms to help us succeed.
But guess what?
Those myths are called myths for a reason. Everything requires practice to become better. And the same is the case here. When we finally begin to separate the wheat from the chaff, the end result is just a lot of chaff we can do without.
In reality, if you do a few simple things consistently, you can become as good as your favorite orator. The article debunks some common myths that hold you back from succeeding. Let’s start!
13 Common Public Myths You Should Stop Believing
1. Introverts Don’t Make for Good Speakers
The myth is pure nonsense. It means literally excusing half of the population from public speaking based on their private time preferences.
You don’t need a charismatic or extroverted personality to succeed as a presenter. In fact, on the contrary, introverts can excel at public speaking as they are good listeners, making them attentive to people’s needs.
And it would surprise you to know that some of the world’s best orators, like Martin Luther King Jr, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Susan Cain, etc., are introverts.
Go through the TED talk by Susan Cain here to realize the power of introverts.
2. Start With a Joke
Humor can be a very personal thing and affects people differently. It is a loaded gun you would want to handle with caution. Including jokes and witty banter in your speech wouldn’t guarantee success with your content and oration. In fact, more often than not, jokes may backfire.
The target is to engage people, and you can do that in a lot of other ways without focusing too much on humor. Also, don’t include jokes that are irrelevant to your content and message.
You don’t have to be funny. As long as you keep people interested, you will be fine with your speech.
You can do that by starting with interesting stats/information, personal anecdotes, intriguing props, etc., rather than taking the help of a corny joke.
Pro Tip – You can close your speech the same way as you choose to open it.
3. Good Orators are Born With the Innate Talent
It is our general misconception of any skill set and talent.
“The secret to genius is not genetics but daily practice married with relentless perseverance.” – Robin Sharma
Being a speaker and orator is a skill set, just the way learning a piano is. Whoever you can think of, irrespective of the profession, has spent hours mastering their skill set to excel in those few minutes they get in front of the audience. The people are built from the ground up and not born with it.
Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the greatest orators of all time. His trusted advisor, Clarence Jones, revealed (Book – Behind the Dream) that the orator used to spend hours imitating the sermons he had in church. He spent a long time practicing, writing, speaking, and delivering the speech, for he had the vision of taking the pulpit one day.
4. Only Novices Get Nervous
What the novices might refer to as nerves (preparing self), pros call it the adrenaline rush. Even the most seasoned professionals (like Sir Richard Branson), no matter the line of work, have their share of pre-speech jitters, glossophobia, or stage fright, whatever you want to call it.
The key is to harness that energy and make it work in your favor.
There are a few things that will help you calm your nerves before you step onto the stage. One is breathing. Deep breaths will help trigger a relaxation response in your body. Practice well to be calm and know your content well. Also, avoid caffeine an hour before your speech.
5. You Might Look Less Competent if You Mess Up
Can we make you recall something? Only you know the next part of your presentation, and nobody else around you. So, if you don’t make it obvious, no one can know if you have messed up a point or a transition.
One of the most common mistakes presenters make is learning their speech verbatim. Doing so, you set yourself up for failure because there are slim chances that you will remember each word. One miscue and things can go haywire and on a downward spiral.
The key is to keep you calm and not panic if anything goes awry.
Prepare the main points thoroughly to have room for improvising in case of any miscues or errors. You can also try methods like asking any dramatic question, taking a pause for impact, recapping points, etc.
6. My Friend – The Lectern
Gripping the lectern might give a momentary sense of relief or comfort, but the clenched fists will give away your nervousness eventually.
And besides, you wouldn’t like a speaker standing beside the lectern like a mummy. It’s better to use the stage (move around) to try to build a genuine connection with people.
Make purposeful body gestures and eye contact to appear confident, comfortable, and effective as a speaker. You would do that well by not hiding behind the podium and lectern.
7. Excessive Practice Can Prove to be Counterproductive
We have heard a lot of times that if you practice the same presentation too often, you might start sounding robotic and unnatural.
How true is this?
And how many is actually too many? How do you decide if your practice sessions were over the normal limit? Is the standard limit 10 times? 20?
According to Forbes, Dr. Jill Bolte-Taylor practiced her TED talk 200 times. With more than 30 million views, it revolutionized her career. Oprah Winfrey invited her to her show.
You should rather worry about not rehearsing enough than over-practicing.
Practice so much that you have internalized your talk, the way you remember rhymes even today.
8. It’s Not Possible to Get Over My Stage Fright
Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Hugh Grant, Adele – do you know what these people have in common?
Famous personalities?
Well, of course, yes. But it is also stage fright.
Did you ever realize that in any of their public appearances and speeches?
Not even a single time. That’s enough proof to debunk this myth that you can never get over your stage fright. If these people could, well, so can you.
All you need is consistent practice and rehearses to become comfortable with the work. And yes, of course, never stop giving speeches.
By practicing and giving more and more presentations, you will find yourself moving away from your fears and maybe start becoming like your favorite orators yourself.
9. People are There to Judge You
Your audience is not auditors who are there to scrutinize your every word and gesture. In reality, they want you to succeed and have confidence in what you want to say. That’s the reason they are a part of your audience, investing their time in you.
Try to connect with people and speak from your heart, and you are good to go.
10. You Should Memorize Your Speech
It’s not a theater performance that should be relayed verbatim. Also, it is not feasible to memorize the entire speech. And even if you do that with great effort and time, you can’t count on remembering everything as it is later.
As we mentioned earlier, you need to internalize the speech with enough practice and not memorize it. It’s actually the latter that might make you look lifeless and robotic on stage.
Another fear that – I will forget everything the moment I get on the stage – stems from this only.
You have the fear of forgetting if you have learned by rote. So, you should rather learn the pivotal points and carry the summary (take cues from the cards) to continue effortlessly.
11. Presentations and Speeches Depend on How Fun the Topic is
You will hear so many people saying – “My topic is boring, so I can’t have an interesting enough speech.”
That’s a myth. I agree that some topics are more challenging and technical than others and could test our creativity, but that’s the whole point of delivering on that challenge.
If you find your topic to be dull, you can do the following to stir up some creativity juices.
- Filter content based on how well it can help people.
- Try to include compelling and creative information.
- Use stories and anecdotes to bring your message to life.
- Involve people and speak with energy and enthusiasm.
12. Being an Expert Beats Research and Good Visuals
Citations don’t make you less of an expert. And if you are an expert in the field, credible research will only provide more strength to your words.
Include valid and relevant research to add support to your work. Also, when you add citations, provide a context by explaining about the person and the organization and why their opinion is reliable.
There is a plethora of information available on the internet, so we are wary of the accuracy of the data you include in the slides.
Similarly, visuals and props will enhance your message, increase engagement for people, and help people better understand your material.
You should include visuals and props that support your message.
If you go through the speeches of reputed speakers, you will notice that they cite a lot, including names, quotes, evidence, props, etc., in their speeches to inform and engage. For instance, Jill Bolte Taylor brought an actual human brain in her TED talk, astonishing her audience.
13. You Need a Perfect Voice or Speak Loudly to Be Effective
A loud voice won’t help you grab attention or command authority in any way. It will only make people want to cover their eardrums. It is actually speaking with clarity and intention that will get your message across in the right way.
Similarly, you need a perfect voice to succeed, is another myth you can get rid of.
We are not taking part in any singing competition, and people are there to listen to your message, nothing else. Be authentic in your message and confident in your demeanor to touch the right chord.
Relevant, effective content and a sincere delivery are all you need to make your speech touch the right chords.
To Sum It Up
Speeches are one of the best ways to communicate your idea to a group of people effectively. However, stage fright, coupled with myths, holds back so many of us from sharing our wisdom and knowledge.
We hope this article helps dispel those myths and sheds light on just the wheat devoid of the chaff.
Regular practice and consistent efforts can help chase away all your inhibitions and catapult you on the path to becoming a successful speaker.
