Dear Conor, Good day! This is Dr Anshaw.
I am a dermatology trained, aesthetic, anti-aging and organ restorative stem cell physician. Recently I am determined to improve my public speaking skills, and started to learn from different masters.
I came across your videos today in Youtube, and I was so attracted into all the topics you had shared. They were brilliant, concise and practical. I am facing few challenges in public speaking that I need your expert opinion to advise, namely
- I don't know what to speak when go on stage even with scripts prepared
- My mind goes into empty state (on stage)
- As my mind goes into empty state, I have problem to connect sentence to express my thoughts hence speak fluently
- I don't articulate well ( or stutter) - i am learning and trying to improve myself from one of your video sharing
- Unnatural face and body language (on stage)-Greatest problem I have soft voice. Every time I go on stage I will try to increase my voice (not myself), and speak in a more proper manner(not myself). I think I am not used to listen to my own voice in public, and consciously and subconsciously I try to portray good image (perfectionist) to audience with suits and tie( not myself). And I think the audience can feel this is not a real me
Can you advise what should be my approaches in overcoming them? I have no issue for patient- doctor consultation. Perhaps I am more casual and be myself during close door than being on stage. Thank you in advance for your precious time in sharing and teaching.
Warmest regards, Dr Anshaw
I have worked with a number of sports celebrities in the past whose initial concern was "Once we get to the questions and answers, I feel that there is engagement and flow... but the 10 or 15 minutes where I share my prepared remarks feels cold and unengaging. How can I get the same engagement in the prepared remarks as I feel I get in the Q&A?"
Conversation is a Different Skill than Public Speaking
Dialogue, or speaking one-on-one in a conversation, is a different mode of communication than speaking on stage. Those who are excellent conversationalists often struggle to make the shift to speaking to large groups.
In dialogue, there are many clues from the other person that you can adjust to. They will interrupt and ask questions, they will make facial and body gestures that clearly give you an indication of whether you are holding their interest.
From a stage, there are less clues... and you are not speaking to just one person. From a stage, a silence is a sign of power. In dialogue, a silence is a signal to the other to take over control.
There are two separate competencies that you need to work on to become a better speaker to groups:
1) Confidence in yourself on the stage, confidence that you have something valuable to share with your audience
2) Competence in speaking
- How to structure a speech
- How to remember a speech
- How to deliver a speech
- How to have coherent body language, vocal variety, eye contact
- How to transmit emotion and passion
- How to finish a speech
How to do this? That is why I teach courses...
One that I share online is this 10 week email course: Speaking As A Leader
100% agree... they have different rules of what it takes to be effective
