Become a Performer to Enhance Your Speeches

When you first start your speaking journey, you are focused on giving a speech. But at some point you should transition from giving a speech to giving a performance. And, I believe, you should look at yourself in that vein.

For example, if you are in the corporate arena, you want to put forth the image that you are a leader. If you are in a freelance capacity, you want to look and sound like an expert. If you have your own business, you want to come across as someone who commands attention. And that, in my opinion, involves thinking of yourself as a performer.

How can you advance from simply giving a speech to having a performance mindset?

You want to make your presentation smooth, confident, and professional looking. This can be challenging, but in Toastmasters there are simple techniques that you can develop at the club level that start you on that road.

1. Set up your presentation. Make sure the stage is set up the way you need it before you are introduced. Maybe you need to move a lectern out of the way. Maybe you have props to set up. Maybe you are using PowerPoint that needs to be booted up on the computer. I have seen all of these and more.


2. Hone your introduction. Your introduction should orient your listeners, whether that is about the specific project you are working on, or if there is important information the audience needs to know. The key is to build excitement for your speech through your introduction. You want your audience to think, I can’t wait to hear what they are going to say.


3. Stand to the side of the stage before you are introduced. This emphasizes the professionalism of your speech. Many speakers stay in their seat while their introduction is read. Meandering to the front of the room to begin speaking causes the audience to lose that anticipation factor.
   When I speak, I wait to the side until the introduction is over, then I confidently stride to the lectern, shake hands with my introducer, face the audience, and begin my speech. This allows me to command the stage.


4. Finally, remember your facial expressions. Don’t forget to smile. The speech doesn’t start with your first words. It starts when your audience first sees you, so smile as you walk to the podium.

I once evaluated a member who was preparing for a speech contest. At the side of the stage, she was frowning, and she didn’t smile until she was at the center of the stage. That did not send a positive message.

Remember, you are onstage even before you are introduced.

I know that performance is not what you think of when you are getting ready to speak, but I believe it makes a big difference in how you speak and how you are perceived.

When you walk onstage, think, It’s showtime! Then show them what you’ve got.

EDITOR’S NOTE: If you have a question for The Answer Man, email it to magazine@toastmasters.org for a chance to be featured in an upcoming column.

Questions are occasionally edited for clarity and brevity.

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