{"id":131386,"date":"2024-09-27T14:44:48","date_gmt":"2024-09-27T18:44:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=131386"},"modified":"2026-04-23T15:04:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T19:04:47","slug":"authenticity-in-public-speaking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/authenticity-in-public-speaking\/","title":{"rendered":"Authenticity in Public Speaking: Give a Talk, Not a Performance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Does public speaking make you nervous? Do you feel like you have to be someone else when you’re in front of an audience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public speaker and coach Mike Acker contends that, when you’re giving a speech, it’s important for you to be yourself. Authenticity in public speaking is crucial because it leads you to feel more relaxed and confident. It also makes you appear more trustworthy to your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to discover how embracing your unique style and focusing on your audience can transform your public speaking experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Authenticity in Public Speaking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Acker advises that, when you’re giving a speech or presentation, just be yourself. In public speaking, too many people try to imitate the styles, mannerisms, and personas of others instead of being their authentic selves. However, this approach just puts more pressure on them\u2014since they\u2019re now trying to give a performance as well as a speech\u2014which inevitably leads to increased anxiety and a lack of self-confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, strive for authenticity in public speaking. Find and perfect your own intrinsic style. Your unique quirks, physicality, speech patterns, sense of humor, and overall personality are powerful assets when communicating,<\/strong> not flaws to be suppressed or replaced. Embrace them, and you’ll gain much more confidence than you could by imitating someone else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rehearse Your Speech, but Not Your Movements<\/strong>

Acker\u2019s third strategy is about authenticity<\/em>. In addition to helping you relax, authenticity m<\/a>akes you seem more trustworthy<\/a>\u2014and conversely, if your audience thinks you\u2019re being insincere or \u201cfake,\u201d then they\u2019re less likely to listen to what you have to say. Furthermore, a great deal of how audiences interpret your intentions comes down to your body language<\/a>, not your words.

Some research indicates that natural, unrehearsed gestures often precede conscious thought and speech\u2014in other words, you actually start moving a split second before you\u2019ve decided what to say. Therefore, over-rehearsing specific gestures and other body language elements can make your overall presentation seem artificial. Audience members are likely to pick up on this subtle inauthenticity and decide that you\u2019re not trustworthy, even if they\u2019re not consciously aware of why they feel that way.

Therefore, striking the right balance between preparation and authenticity is crucial for a public speaking event. Although rehearsing the content and flow of your speech is<\/em> important so that you seem confident, make sure to leave yourself some room to be spontaneous with your body language and facial expressions so you also seem honest.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Supporting Strategy #1: Find a Friend to Speak To<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Acker advises you to be yourself when giving a speech, but it\u2019s much easier to be yourself in front of a single friend than a large group of people you don\u2019t know. That\u2019s why his fourth strategy is to find a friend in the audience\u2014or someone you can pretend is your friend\u2014and imagine you\u2019re speaking only to that person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If possible, mingle with the crowd before your speech. Introduce yourself to a few people, learn their names, and try to form connections with them. Then, when it\u2019s time for you to speak, you can look for those people in the crowd and deliver your speech to them.<\/strong> Doing so will give you some \u201canchors\u201d in the audience; these people can provide specific places you can focus on so you don\u2019t get overwhelmed by a crowd of strangers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: This strategy resembles a focus exercise<\/a> that\u2019s often recommended as a simple, effective way to manage anxiety. The exercise involves clearly and specifically identifying things using each of your senses: taking note of five things you see, four things you feel, three things you hear, and so on. Doing this disrupts your anxious thoughts by forcing you to focus just on the present moment. However, you won\u2019t have time to do the full exercise in the middle of a speech, so identifying specific people in the crowd to focus on can work as an abridged version of it.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, Acker says that your attitude toward your audience will inevitably come through during your speech.<\/strong> If the people intimidate you, they\u2019ll pick up on your nervousness and conclude that you\u2019re not a very good speaker; even worse, they might think that you don\u2019t really know what you\u2019re talking about. On the other hand, if you\u2019re at ease like you would be while talking to a friend, your speech will be much better received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: As we discussed before, how your audience receives your speech depends a lot on your body language. There are several ways you might be subconsciously telling your audience that you feel uncomfortable or threatened. The most obvious of these signals is folding your arms; it\u2019s a defensive posture that puts a physical barrier (your arms) between you and the person you\u2019re talking to. A more subtle signal is holding tension in your face, especially in your jaw and around your eyes\u2014this gives you an angry or annoyed expression, which your audience will interpret as you being angry or annoyed at them<\/em>.)\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supporting Strategy #2: Think About Your Audience, Not Yourself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another major reason you might feel uncomfortable during a speech, and therefore have trouble acting like your natural self, is that you\u2019re too self-conscious. That brings us to Acker\u2019s next strategy: Think about your audience instead of yourself. <\/strong>The more you shift your focus away from yourself, the less anxious you\u2019ll be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acker says that you can do this by trying to empathize with the audience. Think about why they\u2019ve come to listen to you\u2014what are they hoping to gain from your speech?<\/strong> Consider what hopes they might have that you could help them fulfill, or what fears they might have that you could assuage. If possible, ask them questions to see what\u2019s on their minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if you\u2019re presenting your company\u2019s quarterly sales and profits, your audience is probably hoping for bonuses and afraid of being laid off, so think about how you\u2019ll address those concerns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, to connect with your audience<\/a> more effectively, observe them while you speak. Periodically check whether they\u2019re paying attention<\/a> or seem to be getting restless and try to adjust accordingly. If they\u2019re getting bored then it might be time to move to a new topic, break up the monotony with a joke, or wrap up your speech. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t Try to \u201cWalk a Mile in Their Shoes\u201d<\/strong>

You might be tempted to imagine yourself in your audience\u2019s situation in order to generate empathy for them, especially if you\u2019re delivering bad news. However, in her book Atlas of the Heart<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>social worker Bren\u00e9 Brown says that practice is actually counterproductive to empathy.

Brown says that empathy is the ability to truly understand and accept the emotions that another person is experiencing. However, imagining yourself in the other person\u2019s place often backfires because you inevitably bring your own biases, assumptions, and personal experiences into the situation\u2014you start thinking about how you <\/em>would feel in the same circumstances, instead of how the other person currently feels.

The best way to genuinely understand your audience is<\/a>, as Acker says, to observe them. This will help you to better address their actual needs in that moment, instead of trying to manage feelings that might only exist in your head.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Does public speaking make you nervous? Do you feel like you have to be someone else when you’re in front of an audience? Public speaker and coach Mike Acker contends that, when you’re giving a speech, it’s important for you to be yourself. Authenticity in public speaking is crucial because it leads you to feel more relaxed and confident. It also makes you appear more trustworthy to your audience. Read on to discover how embracing your unique style and focusing on your audience can transform your public speaking experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":131406,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,9],"tags":[1605],"class_list":["post-131386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-psychology","tag-speak-with-no-fear","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nAuthenticity in Public Speaking: Give a Talk, Not a Performance - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Public speaking coach Mike Acker says that, when giving a speech, it's important for you to be yourself. 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