5 thoughts on public speaking

I've been consistently speaking in front of crowds for 12 years now. Here's five things I've learned...

1. Never indicate that your rushed or running out of time. If you notice there's more information than time, you've got to cut down or be sure it's worth running a little long. It's rarely worth running long. The moment you let everyone know you are running out of time, the focus is gone. People are packing up and moving on to the next thing. Others begin to feel the rush that your feeling and get stressed themselves.
   
   
2. Be careful with your eye contact. It's key to try to bring everyone in. Make sure your eyes carefully cover the crowd. At the same time, be careful to not lock in on individuals too much. There will be receptive people in the crowd. Active listeners whose eyes are locked on me give me energy. I've got to be careful though, because it can come across to that active listener that I'm talking to him/her only. This can be uncomfortable.
   
   
3. There will be distractions. In the moment, you have to decide whether to use them or push through them. A cell phone goes off. The sound system feeds back. A baby is crying. 3 individuals are sitting in the front row talking. Some of these distractions can be pushed through. If you pretend like it's not there, others will be able to forget. Some distractions can create a moment of pause, laughter, or breath. Utilize them.
   3 Sundays ago I was talking about the Mosquito Ringtone, which is a phone ring tone so high pitched, people over 30 can't hear it. I was using it as an illustration concerning God's voice. As I finished up this section of the message, a cell phone began to ring in the Worship Center. I simply said to the crowd (who could all clearly hear the phone), "I'm betting you wish you had the Mosquito Ringone right now." Laughs insued, and we were able to move right along.
   A note on this... I have learned to be very careful about calling out a disruptive individual or group from the stage. Although it can get someone quiet, it is humilating to the individual(s), takes everyone's attention to the individual(s), and I come across as jerk. If the disctraction & disrespect level is so high, I have called it out from the crowd. If I do that, I make it a point to follow up afterward face to face.
   
   
4. Listen to and watch yourself. It's the most painful thing to do, but it's so valuable. By recording yourself, your able to catch parts of your communication that are strong as well as what needs work.
   
   
5. You can't determine how it went by how it felt. This may be specific as it pertains to communicating from God's word. I've had times where I've been done and been convinced it was a homerun only to discover it just wasn't connecting. I've had other moments where I've walked off the stage, and I hear feedback from individuals who were deeply touched. It's a great reminder that it's not by might or power (or eloquence) but by HIS SPIRIT.