How To Prepare For A Keynote Talk When Your Nerves Usually Get The Better Of You

I think the saying goes "by failing to prepare, you're preparing to fail" (Benjamin Franklin), and no lies are told here.

Still reflecting on delivering my keynote talk Unleashing Your Leadership Potential at the Self Made Speaker Showcase on Saturday organised by Bianca Miller - Cole and Dr Byron Cole . Someone asked me how I prepared for the challenge to deliver my TEDx style keynote at the Self Made Speaker Showcase on Saturday with no cue cards, no slides, no aides and just have to focus on the storytelling.

If I'm honest I’m not sure if I did too much preparation or not enough preparation. I just did what felt right to get in the zone, write, tweak, write some more, run through, practice, practice, practice, memorise and deliver. I also had to keep my nerves under control, which sometimes felt like a bigger challenge in itself.

It was a hilarious, fun, frustrating, exciting process that I guess paid off in the end as it was well received and I survived lol.

On reflection, here's some tips that helped me prepare for the mammoth challenge:

• It pays to know your subject well, but if you are focusing on your story, your journey, your challenges, nobody can question whether you got it right or not as it's yours to tell. Believe in your story.

• Write your speech out word for word, run through it as your writing sections to make sure it flows as you expect it and to ensure it reflects your truth. I began using bullet points and creating a list of things that happened during my transition into a leadership role, which helped to jog my memory of experiences along the journey. Then I started filling in the detail. I planned to start this process at least three weeks before the event, but due to a recent bereavement in my family I was distracted on other things, so in reality it was more like 10 days before as both work and life commitments got in the way.

• Set yourself a deadline as to when you will finish writing your speech and try to resist the urge of tweaking the script to death. You need to get to a point where you are ready to start practising the final version of your speech as soon as possible.

One thing I used to do was leave it to the last minute to practise talks so it was fresh in my mind. Not this time. I started practising properly about a week before (definitely should have started sooner), some times for 2, 3, 4 hours in a day. My original plan was to practise all day every day the week before, but that was not feasible as you have other things to do and your voice will not take it. I realised it was better to do small sessions of 30 minutes to an hour, and take a break doing something else, then going back to it.

I must have practiced this speech 50 plus times, and each time something different would come out. Surprisingly running through your script while you are doing chores, helped to take it in and remember a lot better.

• Once you feel you have got the majority of it in memory, start recording yourself doing the talk, so you can see your facial expressions and body language.  These recorded practice sessions and the outtakes were hilarious, but so insightful.

• Sort out what you are going to wear and make sure you try things on and pretend to deliver the talk so you know what you are working with on the day. If you need to sort out dry cleaning garments for the event, do not wait till the day before as it is stressful running around and trying to get things ready when you should be home practising.

• Find a trusted friend or family member who is willing to listen to your speech 10/20/30 times if necessary and will give you constructive feedback to help you perfect your delivery before the big day.  Repeat until you have it locked down or they throw in the towel lol.

Also prepare to have to deliver your talk in all sorts of weird and wonderful situations.  The practice session I had with my friend pretending to be an audience member who was half listening, half distracted, realised she needed to go toilet part way through and push though the crowd, phone suddenly on blast, and needing to violently cough while I was delivering the talk, was hilarious and very helpful in preparing for handling interruptions and pushing through lol.

• Do some deep breathing and meditation techniques up to the event, in order to help control your nerves. I went through a rollercoaster of emotions during this process, and I nearly called the team to pull out a few times. But just remembering why you are doing it really helps you keep focus and push on.

Hope this helps you prepare yourself to deliver a talk on your favourite topic soon.

Just say yes to the opportunity and work it out later.

Or get a good speaking mentor like Bianca Miller - Cole and Dr Byron Cole to help you work it out faster. DM me if you want an introduction to their Self Made Speaker Academy.

#keynotespeaker #publicspeaking #womenintech #prepartioniskey