Speaker Hacks– Part 2
Hi, friends! I enjoyed revisiting your speaker hacks last week and hearing a few new ones too. We’re better together! As promised, here’s a list of some of my personal hacks.
Communicating with Event Planners:
I have an “Event Planner” in a Word doc. form with questions and blanks for info that I use for every event. It’s my brain for that event!
I’ve started sending my “Event Planner” form ahead of my first conversation with event planners so that they can fill out some of the mundane info and know my questions ahead of time. It’s helping to focus the first conversation on vision, which is wonderful.
On my website, I have a page called “For Event Planners” with all the info they’ll need. It’s my favorite thing because it keeps me from sending 10,000 emails. Check it out here.
Getting Physically Ready Pre-Event:
Unlike our fasting crowd last week, I have to eat before I speak, or I feel fuzzy. See how delightfully unique we all are?
I’m very careful about being well-hydrated. After one event when I almost fainted, I realized how important water is before speaking.
Getting “Pumped” Before an Event:
I’ve adopted Amy Cuddy’s advice on body language before I speak with one exception. For me, it’s a worship pose instead of a power pose! Our Creator is just genius, isn’t He? (If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, check out the TED Talk in the link above. Fascinating stuff.)
Battling Nerves:
If you’ve heard it once here on the blog, you’ve heard it a thousand times… SQUARE BREATHING!
Organizing Your Notes:
I print my notes in a large font on both sides of the paper. Then I put them in a 3-ring binder to keep them in place and in order.
I print out the Scripture in large font and put it in my Bible. I want my audience to see me reading from the Bible, but my old eyes need bigger print! Also, I put teaching notes on the printed Scripture that I’ve inserted.
Staying in Your Time Limit:
I put the start time of my session on the first page of my notes and the end time on the last page to remind myself to glance at the clock.
Also, I’m looking for a watch (not Apple watch for me– too distracting) that has an alarm that vibrates. Anybody seen one?
I hope these hacks are helpful! I’d love to add yours to my own, so send away.
I would love to know more about your Word doc for your EVENTS!
Rebecca, thanks for asking! Some of the core “vision questions” that I ask are included in this blog post: https://nextstepcoachingservices.com/communicating-with-an-event-planner/
If you’d like the entire document in a Word doc. so that you can personalize it, my planner is part of “The Business of Speaking” Video Course that you can find here: https://nextstepcoachingservices.com/video-courses/
One thing I’d add to getting physically ready & staying hydrated: bring your own water container. One event I spoke at provided water bottles, but the plastic was so thin it crinkled LOUDLY every time I took a drink. And the talk was being recorded! ?
Bringing your own water is a great idea! Sometimes events planners remember to provide some and sometimes they don’t.
I’m sooooo glad to know you eat before speaking. I have to do that too or I feel weak.
I would like more specifics on notes. I’ve been taught to just write snippets of sentences, but find myself actually writing out the whole sentence.
One more question, about how many times does the average person need to practice before a speech?
Thanks for all the tips!
Stacey, great questions! I’ll blog with some answers soon. 🙂
On getting pumped before an event…I have a prayer team that I update every month, and whenever I have a speaking engagement, I ask them to pray over those days. If I end up battling warfare on my way into the event (happens often) I will send out emergency prayer emails. I’ve also started taking my husband to nearly every event (unless it just isn’t possible with his schedule) so HE can pray over me in the room as I speak and be there during the night (weekend events) if I get hit with warfare. One time I spoke at a retreat out of state, and he wasn’t there, and I was up most of the night trying to pray through some things. I had roommates and couldn’t call my husband without bothering them. I decided during that event that I needed him with me so he could help me combat those moments!
Oh yes! Thank you for pointing us to prayer as THE ESSENTIAL for our events.