Talk to me Goose

Do you remember in Top Gun, when Maverick says to Goose, "Talk to me Goose."  I believe that communication is the most valuable tool and for the most part, the top tool for success in life.  Communication both written, verbally, and non verbal says to the world what we are about and what we represent.

At the end of the day, to be an effective person and someone who has the ability to have big success, communication is the key.  Quite obviously, communication can be in so many different venues, but today, I want to focus quickly on public speaking or speaking in front of an audience larger than a couple of people.

For me, the first time I was to get in front of a group in my current professional life was incredibly trying.  I was anxious, nervous, dry mouth, all of the things we can imagine.  What I had, was a solid foundation of my material which assisted me to go on auto pilot once I got in front of the crowd.  Early on, I struggled to even remember what I said when I was done.

I have found, for me, one of the best ways to speak in front of a group, is to design the first couple of minutes of your material.  If you are an expert in the field, or if you are duplicating a sales presentation, the sales presentation should be the same or nearly the same if you have proven it to be affective.

For me, I often find something that has happened in my life on a given day that I can relate to the entire group.  It does a couple of things.  First, as a speaker, it is critical to share something of yourself outside the basic subject matter to connect with the group.  Again, if you are not connecting with the group, it does not matter what you say....they aren't listening.

Let me give you an example of a talk the other day so this makes a bit of sense.

"How is everyone doing today?  Please forgive me for my voice (I was sick the day I was speaking) today.  Does anyone in the room have children?  Great, most of you do, so you will be able to relate to me, especially if you have young kids in your home.  I have four kids, and my oldest is 5....so you can imagine, that if they are sick, I'm sick, so bare with my voice today please!"

I believe giving an anecdotal element at the beginning of a presentation calms your nerves as you are simply sharing a story.  In this case, it is also important to get the crowd in the "yes" before you even enter the actual presentation.  I asked who has kids, in most rooms that I speak I know 90% of the people or more will have children.  I also showed a level of relation, that I have a real life, with real concerns, and when I share the information that I will be covering on that day, they will correlate that I am just like them.

You have probably watched a speaker, who nearly faints in the first few minutes of their presentation and then they find their groove.  Its typically because they have so much pressure on the informational part.  Talk to the group as you were talking to a friend and they will feel that, relate to you, and they will in turn give energy back to you in the form of actively listening and participating.