7 Tips on How to Make A Successful SERC Speech
As the host of the SERC Series, and occasional presenter, I have logged a lot of time in the front of the room. I have also watched every presentation, as well as editing the videos afterwards. If you are familiar with video editing, you don’t just watch the video one it is generally dozens of times. In this time I have put together a list of elements that make a great speech. It is more than the content of the words spoken, but it is many elements combined that create a serious impression. This is not an exhaustive list, just items to keep in mind for future speeches. In your next speech you may not be able to incorporate all these elements perfectly, but remember, growth is an iterative process.
Talk Slowly and Calmly
Public speaking can be a daunting task. According to one study the average American is more scared of public speaking than death. Don’t let this discourage you, we have cultivated a great environment where you will be comfortable speaking and the audience wants to hear what you have to say. When speaking remember you have the floor and you are in control of the presentation. If you get nervous, slow down, don’t let your speech get ahead of you. Take a breath, collect yourself, and move smoothly to your next point. If you make a mistake, don’t worry about it. No one in the audience is grading you on your ability to read off a script. Your speech is not the one you think it will be, it will be the one you present.
Use your Hands and Don’t Touch Your Face
When up on stage you will want to be dynamic, body language is important. Using your hands to help make points will help that goal. Think of great standup comedians, they rarely stand still and recite their monologues. Often they are moving on stage and pantomiming characters and stories. For a SERC Speech this may be a little much, but moving your arms and speaking with your hands will be a great way to give a little action to your speech. While you are thinking about your hands there are also some places they should not be. The first is keep your hands in front of you, don’t put them in your pockets or behind you, this can give you the appearance of laziness or untrustworthyness. The second is not to touch your face. It's a natural thing to scratch your cheek or rub your eyes, you’ve probably done it a dozen times while reading this. You especially don’t want to be pulling a Slavoj Žižek and clearing your nose mid speech. While it might feel comfortable, it becomes more apparent on camera and can take from your presentation. If you are already thinking about using your hands you are well on your way to using your entire body to spread your message.
Keep Your Presentation Simple
Most SERC Speeches utilize some form of multimedia element. It's usually a slideshow to add more visual information to the presentation. At this time we ask that you keep that presentation simple, just a few pictures, maps, charts with some bullet points. Adding animations, video or audio can be helpful, but come at the cost of technological issues. A hiccup or a file not loading correctly will disrupt the flow to your presentation and make you seem less than prepared, even if it's not your fault. We do our best to support audio visual elements, but when something can go wrong it will go wrong. If you are doing a piece on music criticism audio may be a necessity. To make sure this works perfectly please reach out early so we can test everything before you present. At this time we prefer presentations to be as follows
-PowerPoint or Google slides
-No audio or video (if necessary please get your files in early)
-Dark backgrounds for slides to keep lighting even
Practice, Practice, Practice
Mark Twain once wrote, “A good impromptu speech takes about three weeks to prepare” Ideally you will have more time than that to prepare your speech, but the only way to ensure it will be ready is to practice. Your speech should feel natural, almost conversational. Usually topics will have a logical progression, so you will want to have your speech planned out before the night of the speech. Even on a subject you are very familiar with there will be concepts or stats you will have to memorize. It's possible to add note cards, but the best speeches will come directly from the speaker. Practice your speech to make sure you don’t get tongue twisted or start filling the speech with ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’. Preparedness will increase your comfort levels and add to the overall effectiveness of your presentation.
Engage the Audience
It's very focused to just focus on your speech. Whether that is monologue or facts that make up your speech. It's also important to think about the people in the crowd. Reaching them is the entire point of the exercise. Start with a question, bring a prop, bring someone up for an example. In the business this is called crowdwork. Some research points to the fact that people can only pay attention to something for 15 seconds at a time. Use this knowledge, break up your speech patterns, don’t stay too focused on one data point, make brief eye contact with people in the crowd. On the other side of the coin you don’t need to be jingling your keys in front of the audience, just be sure you are thinking about them during your speech.
Make it Interesting
When selecting a topic you should do one that you think is personally interesting or important. Whatever you choose to do, and how you do it is up to you. Remember to inject your personality, say things in a way that only you can say them. Add some humor, add your own personal feelings. Use drama or mystique. Anyone could be talking about your topic, make sure to make it your own.
Have Fun
Part of SERC is spreading information, and improving your personal speaking. The other part is engaging in the party. Do the speech to the best of your ability, keep smiling, keep the mood fun and in turn it will be a great night. People want to be wowed but they also want to laugh and have a few drinks. You are also a star of the night, people will love to pick your brain and ask you more questions at the end of the night.
