How to polish your public speaking. Start with these three things.

Polishing your delivery is easier than you might think. I can’t give you the secret to giving a perfect presentation because that doesn’t exist. There will always be people who have opinions on your delivery. My assumption is that messing up 1,000 times is just as bad as sounding like a robot where you recite every word perfectly and every movement is flawlessly choreographed.

If you try to fix everything all at once, you will be overwhelmed by the things that need fixing. Instead, take it in parts. These are the first three things to think about: posture, verbal pauses, eye contact.

Here’s the short version: eliminate distractions. Distracting mannerisms, distracting words, distracting eye movement.

Tip #1: Your stance shouldn’t give people motion sickness.

Do you dance? Shift your weight over and over? Pace around the stage? Some people like walking around the stage because it feels more “authentic.” In reality, they are nervous and this is a way to cope with nerves. Pacing is distracting for a typical audience. If you are on camera, pacing will make your audience experience motion sickness.

If you dance when you stand in one place, stop it. If you sway, stop it. Practice in front of a mirror and look at yourself (you are the hardest audience you ‘ll ever have) or record yourself and play it back. Notice all the things you do that are distracting. Stop it! You will see all the things that distract. Awareness will become action and before you know it, you don’t do those things anymore.

Tip #2: Verbal pauses ruin your credibility.

Um. Ah. So. Like, so … uh.

All of these things are verbal fillers we use when we are trying to think. Have you ever listened to a speaker who said “like” or “um” so many times that you started keeping track? Yeah, me too. The point is that distractions will shift your audience from focusing on your message to your competence. When this happens, you’ve lost them.

This doesn’t mean you need to be perfect. In fact, on the flip side, if you are too polished and perfect, your audience won’t trust you. Your audience needs to know you’re a human being, which is why some verbal pauses are just fine. As long as it’s not distracting, it’s ok.

If you are guilty of too many verbal pauses, just stop yourself when you use them and start the sentence over. If you are having a really hard time, have someone listen and clap their hands or pound the table each time you use a verbal pause. Again, awareness leads to action.

Tip #3: Eye contact connects people to you.

This varies significantly on your context. In a boardroom or small venue, looking people in the eye is important. Eye contact is about confidence but, more importantly, it’s about forcing your audience to hear what you’re saying. If you look at someone, they will be far less likely to trail off and stop paying attention to your message.

If you are in a large venue, pick six spots to look at. Practice looking at those six areas (this is why practicing in a park or big open area is helpful). Get used to how it feels. In a big venue, picking six spots will make it appear like you are looking at the audience. BUT you must get used to looking at these spots, not people. As with anything, you need to get used to how it feels, especially if you are used to smaller venues where you look people in the eye.

Only after you've done work on these three things can you move to the second phase of polishing your presentation: cadence, rhythm, pace, and pause.