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GOOD MORNING! How are we all doing on this fine Monday morning? I have to say that I'm feeling rather fab considering my to-do is as long as my YouTube watch-list of Ryan Gosling talk show interviews, and I think I know the reason why. The past eight weeks have been full of things that absolutely terrified me: Q&A's on stage in front of hundreds of people, live TV interviews, live radio, scripted pieces to camera, meeting Claudia Winkleman (BABE, by the way), all of which the thought of kept me awake all night for the majority of the Christmas holidays. Here's the thing - they were FINE. Doing terrifying things isn't always wonderful (scripts and me just don't get on), but just getting through them without any major catastrophes gives you a confidence boost and a new-found belief in your own abilities. So even if you have got a super long to-do list for the week, you *know* you can get through it or at least try your damned hardest to get there.
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Lesson #17
How To Nail Public Speaking
One thing that has always given me heart palpitations is speaking out loud in front of a group of people. I'm not quite sure what set it off, but if we were made to read aloud in class I'd try to schedule in a loo break so I'd miss my turn, or read ahead and practice the section that I'd have to read. In presentations I'd try and get away with doing the least and hide behind my peers and over the years I've turned down a lot of public speaking gigs because the thought of them turned my stomach upside down.
When I released my book however, I knew that I really wanted to do a book tour. I wanted to say thank you to those who have supported me and after all these years, I also wanted to conquer my fear because it was getting to be a bit of a pain in the arse that was holding me back. A 17-date book tour should sort that out, right? Well 12 events down and I feel a whole lot more comfortable with the concept than I ever have before. In fact, I weirdly... enjoy it. And even more strange... the bigger, the better! Who even am I? Turns out public speaking is quite the thrill once you get over the 'poop your pants' stage, so here are my top tips for nailing it...
Practice makes perfect(-ish). Possibly the most annoying thing with public speaking is that the more you do it and throw yourself into the deep end, the less you find yourself gasping for air at the shock of it all. Of course getting 200 people in a room to watch you practice isn't feasible, so I'd suggest practicing in front of as many friends and family you can coerce into being your faux-audience before you hit the stage.
Know your material. Another reason why practice makes perfect is that you really know your stuff if you've run over it. Sometimes winging it works for people, but personally I like to have marinated on my answers for a while, to iron out the creases and fully form my thoughts. If your presentation is something that you'll be performing repeatedly, then do a quick evaluation after each one and learn from it. Anything go down particularly well? Do the same next time. Was there a line you used that helped to get the audience onside and engaged at the beginning? You know what to do.
Be comfortable. This one is HUGE. Make sure that you feel as comfortable as possible. Wear a lipstick you love, do a face mask the night before, put on an outfit that makes you feel fab and powerful. One time I wore a slightly sheer knit to an event and spent the whole talk thinking about my nipples - DON'T BE LIKE ME. Now is not the time to try something new; do you.
Be calm. I am such a fidgeter. It's one of the reasons why I find it impossible to sit through a film that's longer than two hours (that and my weak bladder make me a terrible cinema companion). But one thing I'd advise when you face your audience is to give the outward signs that you're as cool as a cucumber, even if that's not the case internally. Get comfy if you're sitting, or if you're standing stand tall and try your best not to play with your hands or fiddle with your hair. Hopefully you're inner self can suck up some of this outward confidence, osmosis-style.
Worst-case scenario is not really that at all. Before I began my book tour I believed that worst-scenario was me sitting on a stage with a light beaming down on me and my mouth just being completely unable to form words and my mind going blank. Turns out that three-nights into my tour, that exact scenario happened. In front of the biggest crowd yet. LOLZ. I completely forgot the question midway through my answer. So it happened and you know what? IT WAS OK. We are all human. We all fumble from time to time. When worst-case scenario happens be honest, take it with light humour, dust yourself off, take a breath and start again. No one in the room wants you to fail. You've got this.
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A Point In The Right Direction
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