News

How does one give a great speech? How do you keep audience members from checking their BlackBerrys, whispering to their neighbours or even leaving the room?

John Miers has the answer. The author of Hit Me Again! ... I Can Still Hear Him! teaches speakers how to feel less self-conscious and more natural while communicating.

Mr. Miers tells the story behind the title of the book, which is a practical guide to public speaking: “Long ago, in an old auditorium, the chief executive officer had been droning on and on delivering one of the most boring speeches. The audience was trapped and could not slip out. .. Suddenly, at the back of the hall, a large piece of plaster from the old ceiling fell onto the head of a man, knocking him to the floor. ... As his colleagues lifted him off the floor they heard him whisper, ‘Hit me again, I can still hear him!' “

Mr. Miers immigrated to Canada with his family from Scotland. Later he joined the Royal Navy, where he rose to submarine command.

Frequently a Royal Navy media spokesman, Mr. Miers founded Black Isle Consultants in 1990 to help organizations improve communication in a business environment. Black Isle since has expanded to seven offices around the world and has worked with senior executives at the world's largest banks and other companies and law firms.

Mr. Miers's approach to public speaking builds on the uniqueness of personality and helps people perform at their natural best in any situation. The key to his approach is the understanding that every meeting, every presentation can be enjoyable for the speaker and the audience.

Mr. Miers joined us earlier to share his knowledge and expertise in an online discussion.

Dave Michaels, globeandmail.com: Hi John, and thanks for joining us today, talking about a skill that many of us could use help with. The first question is mine: What is the major mistake that people make when speaking to a crowd? How can they overcome it?

John Miers: There isn’t really one major one. But high up there is the feeling that they have to be “correct” -- that means smooth and polished. So they lose their spontaneity and stop having the engaging fun they have, in conversation with their friends.

Dave Michaels, globeandmail.com: In the business world, the stakes can be pretty high. How can a speaker connect with business people in particular?

John Miers: Start with the conclusion. Make your main point first. If you get interrupted you have made the point. But you probably won’t get interrupted because they will be interested.

From Carlos Horna, Surrey, BC: Hi John. My question: If you were to summarize your technique into a cooking recipe, what would be the 3-5-7 steps for a successful speech?

John Miers: First, the ingredients.

1. Think of your conclusion, your objective for the talk.

2. Think up a good strong start that will grab attention, but be on topic.

3. Make sure you write down your speaking points as clear, short notes.

4. Design some visuals (pictures, diagrams) to support the points.

Now the delivery (cooking procedure):

5. Take your time. Pause to allow them to absorb every thought.

6. Don’t struggle to talk in complete sentences. Talk in ideas.

7. Keep it short.

From Bill Arsenault, Mississauga: Do you have any suggestions for those of us who are petrified of public speaking? I find myself moderately comfortable with a crowd of 20-25 but tensions increase exponentially after that number. I have no training on the subject whatsoever.

John Miers: There is no quick cure, but if I can show you what you do when you are having a conversation with your friends, then you can be shown how to have a conversation with any number of people. The main thing to remember is not that you have to be correct in the way you speak but that you have to enjoy allowing the audience to think about every idea you say. If you are concentrating on watching and reacting to their signals, the fear of “am I boring them” goes away.

You may have heard of emotional intelligence. This is to some degree what you are applying. Your focus is on the audience’s reactions, not on what you’re going to say next.

It may interest you to know that things like making mistakes, forgetting what you’re about to say and having to think for a bit are both examples of excellent styles of public speaking because you demonstrate that you are a normal human being and you appear to be talking like normal human beings talk to their friends.

In conclusion, smooth and polished are two adjectives to be avoided in public speaking.

From Anton, in Toronto: Hi John, your book is brilliant, I read it in Hong Kong. Where is the book available in Canada?

John Miers: The best way to buy it is online at www.hitmeagain.com.hk or at Ben McNally’s Bookshop on Bay and Adelaide in downtown Toronto. It will be more widely distributed shortly.

From Laura in BC: How do you help executives who are afraid of public speaking get past that?

John Miers: To start with, I need to meet them. Everyone is different, but I have found that it is such a revelation that being yourself is your strongest principle. By understanding how to be yourself in front of a crowd, the executive will develop a successful and relaxed style of his or her very own.

Too many have been frightened by the do’s and don’ts and role model examples of conventional advice that they are terrified of not conforming. Once they understand what being themselves really means, they relax, they enjoy themselves and they are successful.

There’s not enough education in business on the subject of successful speaking. This is amazing because success in speaking and communication is the most important ingredient of leadership. I would advise MBA colleges and other educational institutions to concentrate much more on this or ... even buy my book – it will give you a great start.

From Alex Szabo, London, Ont.: One of my pet peeves when listening to a presentation is when a speaker constantly turns his or her head and by doing so keeps moving away from the microphone. Are there any tricks to ensure that your voice is being heard by everyone? Some people choose not to use the microphone (usually a bad idea in my experience). How do you decide whether or not to use one?

John Miers: Good question. The best technical solution is to wear a clip-on mic. Normally on your tie or lapel. That cures the fading. Personally, if I am certain that the back of the room can hear me clearly I never use a microphone because the electronics tend to take away some of the character in your natural voice. There is a sort of lulling effect in the feedback behind your amplified voice.

From Tony North, Toronto: Your book advocates that 70 per cent of conventional speaking advice is wrong. Can you explain that?

John Miers: Conventional advice tends to look at the speaker -- how to be smooth, polished, not make mistakes. What you should be looking at is what the audience needs. Listeners need a speaker who appears to be engaging in a conversation. A conversation consists of broken grammar, incomplete sentences, in fact the very opposite of smooth and polished. We therefore are not able to comfortably tune in to people who are talking smoothly in correct grammar.

Dave Michaels, globeandmail.com: An effective speaker wouldn’t use note cards, right? How can we get past using them as a crutch?

John Miers: That is the biggest piece of rubbish people preach. There is nothing in life that you do not do while using proper preparation while you do it. So, why speaking? The answer is “bad workmen blame the tools.” Because so many speakers use notes wrongly the notes are blamed. It is the speaker who is at fault. If you use notes well then you will do the best job.

Dave Michaels, globeandmail.com: What if you, as an executive, need to give bad news to your audience? Are there any techniques that can help the medicine go down more easily?

John Miers: There is no simple solution. However, be honest, give them the news straight away, don’t try and hedge for a few minutes. Make sure they know that this meeting/presentation will have plenty of time for them to ask questions. For every question, take your time before answering, give the answer first and then the explanation ... and keep your answers short.

In preparing for your revelation, get help from as many colleagues as possible and try to have as much positive perspective as you can, to make the news more palatable. Also try to think of possible solutions or next steps that your staff may be encouraged to take.

Depending on your own personality, I would suggest that you empathize as much as you can with their predicament. Don’t try to hide behind a mask of impartiality.

I did actually have to help a CEO who was in the predicament of laying off 3,000 people. We rehearsed a short to-the-point announcement and concentrated on his answering clearly and succinctly as many question as we could think of. On the day, at the end of one hour of questions (thick and fast), he was congratulated by the senior shop steward for his honesty and clarity.

Dave Michaels, globeandmail.com: That's all we have time for today. Thank you, readers, for sending questions, and a big thanks to you, John, for spending time with us today. Cheers.