𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑰𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓

Public Speaking Tips Inspirded by Music Legends

Learn from Music Legends to Master Public Speaking Pick an artist, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, or Dolly Parton. They are the heart, the soul, the essence of showmanship. Their singing talent isa matched, step for step, by their onstage charisma. Over the years and across different musical styles, some singers have managed to achieve a magical blend of voice and onstage presence that places them in the pantheon of music.

Elvis Presley, Mick Jagger, Freddie Mercury, Luciano Pavarotti, Michael Jackson and Ariana Grande come to mind. I could go on and on, in so many genres.  My point being, we can learn from any of our favorite performers. Here are six public speaking lessons that we can glean from their performances:

1. Stay hydrated
Mick Jagger takes staying hydrated to a new level besides drinking water constantly during his show he has some on hand to pour over his face and neck.  This is probably further than you need to go. You should always have plenty of water on hand, because you never know when dry mouth will strike.
Be sure that the water is flat. The bubbles in sparkling water have a nasty habit of coming back up at inopportune times. Also be sure the water is room temperature; cold water constricts the vocal cords.  Ask any singer.

2. Engage your audience
Interacting with your audience is a great way to keep their attention and stimulate their interest. Musicians do this when they ask their audience to sing along or clap their hands. Lady Gaga was a master at audience engagement during her Monster Ball Tour.
Audience engagement is a subject that merits its own post at some point in the future. In the meantime, here are 3 quick ideas for interacting with your audience:
– Ask a question.
– Invite them to ask questions of you during the presentation.
– Have them participate in an exercise or demonstration.

3. Use vocal variety
Freddie Mercury had an incredible four-octave musical range. And he knew how to use it. He could sing high; he could sing low and he could sing all points in between.
You certainly don’t have to stretch your voice to the extent that Freddie did (and most of us can’t). However, if you speak in a monotone, your speech—and the audience—will suffer. So, vary the volume of your voice; raise and lower the tone at appropriate moments; speed up or slow down to emphasize a point; and pause at key moments to let your audience absorb what you have said.

4. Use the stage
Taylor Swift has a big stage and she uses it to maximum effect. Left, right, front and back, she covers it all.  It’s part of her audience engagement, making everyone present feel she’s happy they are there.
When a speaker steps out from behind a lectern, she shrinks the distance between her and her audience. But the movement has to be purposeful and it has to be balanced with an appropriate amount of standing still. A good rule of thumb is to stand still while making a point, move a few steps during a transition, then “plant yourself” and make another good point. For other ideas on using the stage, check out these tips from my friend, Douglas Kruger.

5. Turn up the energy
When these artists are on stage, their energy is palpable and it is infectious. To get 70,000+ people singing and dancing, they have to give it everything they have.  Did you ever see the non-stop energy of Tina Turner on stage?

Now, you will not likely want the same level of energy at your next presentation and you probably won’t have 70,000 people in the audience, but you will have to turn it up a notch or two if you want to captivate your audience. Here’s a hard truth of public speaking: If you are not into it, the audience won’t be into it. If you do not come across like you are excited to be there, why should the audience even be interested?
6. Have fun
Dolly Parton always seems to have fun. It shows in her energy, her engagement and her genuine joy to be on stage. She makes every member of the audience feel like you’re her favorite neighbor and she’s delighted your there. Her audience feels it, they embrace her engagement. It’s exactly the same with public speaking. And public speaking should be fun. It’s the payoff moment when you get to share your message with a room full of people. It’s a privilege to be able to do so and you should enjoy it. Just like Tina.

Spend some time thinking about why your presentation is important for the audience and then put some heart into conveying your message. You should not try and be anybody other than yourself, but when you are in front of an audience, even a small one, you have to be a bit bigger, a bit more energetic, a bit more enthusiastic than usual.