Entrepreneurs and public speaking: a crucial combination

If you have a business start-up, or are planning to start a business, how are your public speaking skills? If you get a chance to speak before an audience about your business, will you seize the audience's attention and do a masterful job? Is your preference to stand up in front and just "wing it", rambling away your precious 5 minutes?

 Tonight I watched a range of 7 business people talk about their businesses. Only two did a great job, leaving the audience with a powerful image of their products and their professionalism. Five could have given much stronger presentations. Here are five beginning level skills in public speaking that a new entrepreneur should master. 1.Write a "thesis statement" about the one single fact you want your audience to remember about your business. When you outline your presentation, make sure all of the points somehow relate to that fact. This eliminates rambling. 2. Practice your presentation, using key words, until you know it very well. Then practice it a little more. If you are given a time limit to talk, make sure you speak slightly less than the limit. Some groups ask you to stop at their time limit; if you are not quite finished, that might mean you wouldn't be able to give your conclusion. 3. Record your presentation, and try to keep the number of "ums" down to less than 5. More "ums" make you sound unprepared and lacking in confidence. 4. Make sure your presentation matches your audience's level of knowledge of the subject. Speaking above their level of knowledge puts your audience to sleep. 5. If you are offered a microphone, use it! A considerable number of audience members may have a hearing loss. Even if you ask if they can hear you without a microphone, the ones who cannot hear you well will not usually say anything. Speak directly into the microphone; don't turn your head to the side while holding most mikes in front. For many more tips on how to cope with stage fright, write and deliver a powerful presentation, get the e-book  Public Speaking: You Can Do It! from Business Speech Improvement.