How to make your stage work for you.
So it’s time for the biiiig speech, and you’ve written out your draft, practiced it over and over, have your notes set, your Powerpoint made, and you think everything’s ready to go. So what do you do? You arrive ten minutes late, find the stage to be half the size you were planning on, your laptop has trouble connecting to the projector, and your panic makes you forget half your speech. What could you have done to fix this?
It amazes me how many speakers will prepare their speeches so thoroughly, but don’t give a second thought to preparing their physical speaking space. Consequently, they have to expend a huge amount of mental energy worrying about where they can move on stage, fussing over their slides not working and what will they do now, and then they look out into the room to see that everyone is seated so sporadically that they have to pull an Exorcist to get eye contact with them all (you know, their head spinning in a 360-degree motion?). Consequently, they go from feeling confident and excited to feeling out of control, and when this happens, their speech suffers horribly.
However, with just a little presentation (and maybe a little OCD), you can literally “set the stage” for your speaking success. I’ll give you a checklist of items to review for the next time you speak, many of which might be obvious, others maybe not so much.
Environmental Factors
Back when I was in my early college years, I somehow managed to put together a trifecta of stupid: First, I registered for an 8am class. Second, I did so in winter, and this was in a mid-western state, so that meant bitter cold and quite often trudging through snow. Third, it was calculus. Not surprisingly, I failed that class. Badly.
I don’t know if there’s a teacher alive that could’ve made that class go well, though. The space was cramped, the room was always underlit (to be fair, that could’ve been me trying to keep my eyelids open), it was dirty from all the sloshed in dirty, salted snow, and…it was calculus. Luckily, most of us don’t have to present in this sort of environment, but taking charge of the heating/cooling and lighting is a first step toward setting the stage. If you can’t manage this, talk to someone who can. Lighting especially becomes an issue when you’re using slides or PowerPoint. If the lighting is too bright, your slides won’t show if you have a projector that doesn’t have a lot of lighting power (this is measured in “lumens”, the higher the better).
Another part of that aggravating experience was the seating — there always seemed to be a slight shortage. However, at least when the teacher addressed us, it was in one general direction. The natural tendency of an audience is to scatter, and this is true even if you address just a few people. If you can, arrange the seating so that it concentrates your audience. This will especially aid your humor moments. When people are spread out, laughter is more rare – people often need a sort of permission slip to laugh from their fellow audience members. When people are seated closer together, you’ll get more of these permission slips going around.
Lots of things kill your enthusiasm for learning, but I will always remember how dirty that room was from all the tracked in dirty snow and salt crystals. It was a serious turn off to getting up in the early AM, like getting up to go to some nasty dungeon (and calculus is as bad a torture as anything). Don’t let a dirty room distract your audience. Get things as clean as you can, or let the meeting planner know you want the room cleaned up. Whatever your situation, have the room look good. Slipping in an unobtrusive air freshener might give you bonus points too.
If you’re going to use any sort of sound implements (microphones or speakers), test, test, and test these again. Trying to express an emotional moment to a large crowd without a mic is not going to work. Trying to use laptop speakers for a PowerPoint is also not going to work (without fail, these are always underpowered for the job). Finally, not testing for microphone “hot spots” on your stage is asking for it; no one wants to hear feedback. If you have a sound person available, get with them well ahead of time.
Speaking of the stage area, have you cleared out as much clutter as you can? I’ve seen too many Toastmasters meetings where there were chairs, banners, and what have you completely in the way of the speaker. I’ve seen (and heard) stages where steps would cause loud creaks and squeaks. Know where these are, and if you can, use some red vinyl tape to mark them as danger zones. Get rid of loose wires of any kind; these are invitations to disaster.
When I took aikido classes long ago (don’t worry, I didn’t ever get good at it), the first thing we did before class was to sweep the mats. It was a ritual for every class, and everyone helped. You as a speaker may not get that kind of assistance, but make it a point to sweep your own proverbial mats so you can be fresh and clear when it comes time to speak.
Speaker Material
With the room squared away, there are some items you should make sure you have. The first of these is two printed copies of your introduction. It does not matter if you e-mailed copies of it to the relevant party; always count on them losing it or forgetting it. The introduction is a golden opportunity too few speakers make use of to establish their credibility and build a connection before they even hit the stage. Don’t waste it. Always have one, even if you have to scrawl it out on an index card (speaking of, always have some spare index cards and a large marker. Large, colored ones work best).
If your speech uses props, make sure they’re ready to go. If you’re using slides or slideware, make sure those are ready to go. Know how to toggle your computer display to show on the projector, and test it no less than three times. Even with this testing, be prepared to present without your slides as technical failure is always under the surface, just waiting.
If you’re using slideware, you must have a remote (repeat: MUST). Not having a remote is almost always disastrous – assigning someone to advance your slides will fail all too often, and having to advance them yourself at the computer is incredibly inconvenient in most cases. If you’re considering a remote to purchase, the Logitech Cordless 2.4GHz Presenter has some very high marks, and has about everything a slideware user could want: forward, back, laser, blank screen (very important!), start/stop presentation, built-in timer, and built-in dongle holder. About the only things it doesn’t have are Bluetooth support and a built-in rechargeable battery (though it’s arguable whether these are good features or not). Bottom line: Bring the remote.
If you have handouts, worksheets, or evaluation forms, bring those. Handouts and evaluation forms should not be given to the audience before or during the presentation, though worksheets should be present before the presentation starts. The difference is that worksheets require active participation; usually writing in some answer, and handouts don’t. Toastmasters, please note: Don’t miss the opportunity to make your own evaluation forms for areas you’d like to be rated on. Your manual is a good start, but have your own goals. Newer Toastmasters won’t know what to critique you on, so having your own custom forms will help them focus their reviews.
You should be recording yourself in some fashion, preferably with video. Digital cameras with movie taking abilities are cheap now, so start there (and remember to bring a tripod). You’re the best critic of yourself, so make sure you capture yourself for later review. On top of that, you can use your recordings to promote yourself.
Contacts
In my experience, most Toastmasters aren’t aware of the officers that can help them set the stage. They don’t give an introduction to the Toastmaster, nor do they have the Sergeant at Arms make sure the stage is clear. Don’t be that person! Make friends with these people and get them to help you out.
For pros, knowing the conference planner, emcee, A/V guy, wait staff, and maintenance people (where applicable, of course!) is critical. As above, make friends with these people and get them to help you out.
Just Prior to Showtime
There’s nothing quite like doing a whole lot of work and having it come apart because you weren’t mentally prepared for the actual event. Assuming you get to the presentation location early (as you should!), there’s a few things to consider after you’ve handled everything else here. First, make sure you don’t have any grooming or wardrobe “malfunctions” (yes, it sounds painfully obvious, I know, but do it).
Second, for some stages, you’ll want to sit around a few spots in the room. Make sure you can see the stage from its “four corners”.
Finally, spend time on the actual stage, rehearsing your speech mentally. Get comfortable with being up there. If you’re short on time, mentally rehearse the opening, as this can be the most difficult part of the speech.
Go Forth and Set the Stage
There’s an old saying credited to the Hell’s Angels: “When we do good, no one remembers. When we do bad, no one forgets.” Sure, a clean, comfortable, well-lit room with all your props and tools set up may not be overly impressive by itself, but it lays the groundwork for it. It can be hard to be impressive when you’re tripping over wires or chairs or what have you, and this can ruin what you’ve worked so hard to create. Don’t let this happen. Take the time to set the stage, and your speeches will improve because of it.
