Words by Theresa Miller
As if public speaking wasn’t scary enough, having a wardrobe malfunction while standing on stage is the stuff of nightmares. And yet I survived and learned an important lesson.
Years ago, while promoting my first book Making Babies – Personal IVF Stories, I was addressing a group of aspiring parents and doctors. I must have been gesticulating wildly because without warning, my wrap-around-dress began to rapidly unravel. I was seconds away from standing on stage in little more than my underwear. It was an ironic twist on the oft-given advice to imagine your audience naked.
Fortunately, my IVF doctor, who was sitting in the front row, alerted me by calling out: ‘No need to undress, Theresa. I’ve already examined you!’ Mortified, I retied my dress and laughed along with the audience and carried on.
From that, I learned that if something goes pear-shaped during a presentation, it’s best to laugh it off and move on quickly. If you get flustered and upset, it will make the audience feel awkward too. In fact, the incident was the perfect icebreaker for an otherwise serious topic. When you own an accident graciously, the audience is likely to warm to you. Mistakes are what make us all universally human.
Unfortunately, fear stops many people from stepping up to the microphone to share their expertise, their experiences and insights, especially women.
According to the recent Women in Media Gender Scorecard, only 30 per cent of expert sources quoted in news stories are women. That figure was less than half when it came to quoting experts in sport, motoring and defence. Men even dominated as media sources in industries where most of the employees were women, such as retail, health and education.
It’s not entirely the media’s fault. The ABC aims for gender parity when seeking expert commentators, yet strangely, when women are asked for their views, they often decline.
An experienced Sydney-based lawyer told me she’d been invited to do an interview on radio about a significant case she’d been working on for months. She was the most qualified person to comment on its wider implications. However, she lacked the confidence to speak on live radio, so she declined the invitation. Instead, her junior male colleague jumped at the chance. The next morning, when she tuned in, she was shocked to hear him covering up sizeable gaps in his knowledge with vague generic statements and outright inaccuracies. But he sounded self-assured and unflappable. Back in the chambers, the young man was heralded as a hero. That senior female lawyer learned a valuable lesson that day and vowed never to pass up another opportunity to speak about her work again
But it’s not just media interviews where women are less visible or audible. When corporate associations hire a speaker or MC for their business lunch or dinner event, they choose men over women around 70 per cent of the time. That’s prompted a few savvy businesswomen to set up female-only speaker directories and bureaus.
So, how do we encourage more women to speak publicly to shape the national conversation?
When I work with women on their presenting skills – whether they’re entrepreneurs, academics, climate campaigners, or not-for-profit volunteers – it’s the WHY they want to share their knowledge or research that gives them the courage to speak up.
Their story could inspire the next generation, or influence policy makers, educate the public, debunk myths or change minds and actions to make a positive difference.
Here are some top tips for being a good presenter:
- have a clear objective,
- understand what your audience wants and tailor your message accordingly
- hook the audience from the start with a question, quote, statistic or image
- use easy-to-follow logical structures
- give relevant examples, statistics, case studies and anecdotes
- bell well prepared and rehearsed
- speak clearly, concisely, and in plain English (no jargon)
- maintain eye contact
- use open gestures
- don’t hide behind your PowerPoint
- pause rather than using filler words
- finish with a strong call-to-action.
The good news is that great speakers are made, not born. Like any skill it takes practice and persistence. But the rewards are high. Speaking publicly isn’t about serving your ego; it’s about serving those who need to hear and benefit from your message.
And even if your presentation doesn’t go smoothly, laugh and recover quickly.
In an era of AI fakes – being human goes a long way!
For an easy-to-use guide – read Speak Up – how to be a successful presenter and media spokesperson by Theresa Miller – published by New South Books.
If you’re in Sydney, Theresa Miller is giving a free seminar on May 7 at Waverley library on nailing your work presentation.
