3 Tips for Extroverts to be Better Public Speakers

It was a critical presentation that would be make-or-break for funding of my friend's new business venture. I was there when she gave her presentation. It didn’t go well.

I asked her if she wanted help framing her presentation weeks before. Her response was that she didn’t need help because she was extroverted and had given some presentations in the past.

Did I mention that it didn’t go well?

It wasn’t her speaking or passion that was the problem. It was her organization. She was scattered, not focused. She took rabbit trails rather than staying aligned to her core message. She fumbled through note cards and went over her time slot. She was frustrated.

Have you ever had that experience yourself or been in the audience when someone else did?

Extrovert defined

Extroverted individuals are outward oriented thinkers and those most often associated with being social and talking… a lot.  While that is not totally true extroverted people do process information externally. This means that they can talk about what they think or feel and come to grips with their thoughts or feelings through talking. Introverts have to think about their thoughts or feelings before they speak. Extroverts get energy from social activities. Conversely, introverts need to be alone to recharge. If you want to read a little more about introverted behaviors and public speaking read about them HERE.

A common mis-conception is that extroverted individuals don’t need help when it comes to public speaking. Another false-belief is that extroverts don’t have to deal with anxiety in relation to public speaking. Neither of those are true. 

For an extrovert the hardest part of giving a great presentation isn’t the actual delivery. That is where introverts struggle. It’s in the preparation. Prep time is solitary. Introverts dig the solitary time. If you are extroverted… not so much! The following 3 tips will help you become a better public speaker by nailing 3 very important aspects of a well framed presentation. 

3 Tip to Being a Better Public Speaker.

1. Focus

Being focused is a necessity when giving a presentation. Your message should have an overall purpose and be driving to a logical conclusion. Everything should be focused and aligned. If it is scattered the audience won’t fully understand what you are trying to say.

2. Clarity

Another important factor that builds upon focus is clarity. Points, illustration and action items that kind-of align need to be chopped. Only use stories, videos and pictures that bring clarity to your points. Anything else will be confusing. Have you ever been to a presentation where the speaker was exciting but the message clarity? Did you walk out of the presentation thinking that it was good but you had no idea what he or she was actually trying to say? 

3. Concise

Concise… it means being brief. Succinct. Short and sweet. Straight to the point. In public speaking longer is not better. In fact, just the opposite is true. If you are an extrovert, you like to talk… sometimes, a lot! However, not everyone likes to listen that long. At least 1/2 of personalities (S and C in the DISC) are introverted and the other extroverted behavioral style (D) likes things to be straight to the point and actionable. The point of speaking is to deliver a message to people. The audience is always the focus.

Focused, clear and concise is powerful. Scattered, unclear and long… isn’t.

Follow these 3 tips to help you become a more powerful public speaker.