Katie Karlovitz
Before delivering a speech, what do you do to prepare? Though it is important to fine tune the content of your message, it is just one of many things you should think about prior to speaking. In an interview with IABC, Katie Karlovitz, a public speaking coach for the consultancy On Speaking Terms, recommends approaching your presentation with the entire picture in mind.
To help you deliver a presentation that hits all of the marks, Karlovitz shared a snapshot of what her pre-presentation routine looks like:
1. Prepare and rehearse your content: “Never read off of your slides,” Karlovitz shares, “That is the kiss of death.”
2. Check your wardrobe: Make sure your outfit is ready the night before. Warns Karlovitz: “Your choice of wardrobe will be sending a message before you can say anything.” She recommends wearing a power color (like red) that will help you stand out, and shoes that will help empower you but still make you feel grounded.
3. Fuel up: Eat a good breakfast—but nothing too heavy if your presentation is first thing in the morning, says Karlovitz. And cut back on caffeine, which can mix with your pre-speech adrenaline, she warns.
4. Brush and floss your teeth: This isn’t just about good dental hygiene. “Those are your articulators—your lips, your teeth and your tongue—so you want to make sure that you awaken your mouth.”
5. Get familiarized with the space early on: Make sure you know exactly what your set-up will look like before it’s time to speak. Karlovitz recommends that if you can’t scope out the place early on, at least ask for pictures so you have a visual of what to expect.
“I liken this technique to being an actor on stage,” she shares. “This is more like a performance than it is just talking, so you want to be as ready as that.”
What are the top three qualities of an effective speaker? Listen to our complete interview below to find out.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Thanks for this important article, with some very practical tips. Some of the worst presentations I’ve ever seen are by professional communicators (and sadly, a few of them have been at IABC conferences!). I’ve always felt that if you define yourself as a ‘communicator’, you need to have, or learn, strong presentation skills. We need to model this for our clients. Some other tips I give when doing presentation skills training include:
* never start your speech or presentation with an apology (“I have a cold, I’m not feeling well, I was just invited to speak a few hours ago, the dog ate my homework..” This puts your audience on edge, making them worry that you’re going to flame out!.)
* don’t drink milk products before a speaking engagement or presentation: it coats your vocal cords
* Make sure your clothing fits! It’s so distracting to see a speaker readjusting his or her clothing (ncluding undergarments!!) during a presentation. And it happens a lot
* Be prepared in case of a technology fail. I’m sure we all still spend more wasted time than we’d like in meetings where the speaker is fiddling with the computer, the projector, the cables, getting a Mac to work in a PC office etc. We will never get that time back. Are you ready to deliver an unplugged presentation ?
Yes Lynn, if you call yourself a professional communicator, you have to be able to back it up. And it’s pretty clear when you can, and just as obvious when you can’t. I believe in truth in advertising!
With all due respect to those involved, the “only-7%-of-meaning-is-from-content” myth must be stopped.
It’s not true.
Mehrabian, whose study first produced that magical number, has frequently and loudly protested the misuse of his findings. It was only true in VERY specific sceanarioes, rarely relating to public speaking.
Karlovitz’s recommendations here are spot on. It’s the “stats” in the intro, and their frequency of use that I find troubling. As professional communicators we simply MUST STOP misusing this presumed factoid.
This is all summed up nicely in a brief video here:
While most will agree that body language and voice are critical in a speech, the 38%-55%-7% statistic is incorrect. The original research was done by Dr. Albert Mehrabian almost 50 years ago, and the experiment was not designed to assign weightings to body language, voice, and content of a presentation. There’s been extensive writing on this topic, and Dr. Mehrabian himself has come out with statements to denounce the frequent misuse of his results. There’s great advice in your article, but readers should be aware that these commonly-cited ‘statistics’ are usually applied incorrectly.
Hi Geoff,
I stand corrected! Thank you for posting the Mehrabian video, and I will pull that stat from my talks.
Physiology and tonality convey a lot of info, but the words are the building blocks and the stars of the show. I advise my speakers to use “muscular” vocabulary, and to shun boilerplate language.
Actually, thank you Mark for posting the video.