Over the years I’ve learned that there are no cosmic rules in Public Speaking.  There are answers to challenges and speaking problems – and then better answers.  But the mistakes most people make come from silly rules they’ve learned long ago, half-remembered, and applied incorrectly.

That said, there are tips that, judiciously applied, will make your life better as a public speaker particularly when responding to speaking crises.  And particularly around the holidays, when you may find yourself giving the occasional last-minute speech, or toast, or standing in for someone who is unable or unwilling to hold forth.  The opportunities for things going wrong seem to multiply at such times.   

So here, in the spirit of holiday giving, and in no particular order, are some of my favorite secrets from a quarter-century in the public speaking business as a coach and a speaker myself.  Most of these I’ve learned the hard way, through mistakes, embarrassment, and pain – some of it mine.   

1.  Don’t take on a technical problem alone.   If something goes wrong, and you think you alone have to fix it, the seconds it takes to do so will seem like eons.  And if you can’t fix it, you’re toast.  Instead, bring the audience in on it.  “Are there any computer experts in the room?”  That sort of question will get you at least 3 engineers dying to help.  Then, it’s everyone’s problem, not just yours.

2.  If the audience is much smaller than expected, throw away your script and make it a conversation.  Give a brief version of your talk and then go to Q n A.  Talk it up, say, “this gives us a chance to get into a deeper discussion about what’s really on your minds.”  Which leads me to….

3.  Have a 3- and 20-minute version of your talk ready to go, in addition to the long one.  You will run into the situation where your host comes up to you and says, “we’re running a half-hour late and the chef can’t hold the soufflés.  You’re going to have to get done in 30 minutes.”  This is your chance to be gracious and play the hero.  Smile and wrap it up in 20, leaving 10 for Q n A.

4.  Ignore the negative people in the audience.  Play instead to the nodders and smilers.  Most speakers want to be loved, and so they will inevitably try to win over the few negative audience members.  This is the wrong choice, because of those things we have in our heads called mirror neurons.  They fire when we see someone near us experiencing an emotion, especially someone the speaker is focusing on.  So if you fixate on the negative people, the folks around them will feel the same negative emotions.  You’ll actually increase the negative feeling in the room.  Instead, find the nodders and smilers and focus on them – you’ll soon win everyone over.  Which leads me to….

5.  If you have a heckler who won’t shut up, go to him and stand facing the same way as he is sitting, right next to him or just behind him.  This will silence all but the most psycho of hecklers.  And you won’t have to say a word. 

6.  Don’t save Q n A to the end.  Instead, take questions 20 and 40 minutes in, then wrap up, take a few more questions, and finish with a strong close.  The reason for this is that attention spans last about 20 minutes, so it’s a good way to refresh your audience.  And finishing with a strong close means that the last thing your audience hears won’t be some random question, but your stirring conclusion. 

7.  If someone asks a question, the most important response is to repeat the question, clarifying it for the whole audience.  This gives you a little more time to come up with a good answer.  And it means that the whole audience will be involved.  And it flatters the questioner.   If you can (correctly) identify the emotion underlying the question, the audience will find you particularly insightful, no matter what answer you provide.  “What I hear you saying is that you’re frustrated by the lack of organic yak milk available in grocery stores today, is that correct?”

8.  Acknowledge the elephant in the room.  Immediately.  Whatever goes wrong, the audience will be on your side and help you solve it, if you acknowledge the problem right away.  If you don’t, the audience will stop listening to you and start wondering about the problem – how long will it last, how bad is it, how is it like other similar problems – etc.  You’ll lose them. 

9.  Finish a little bit early.  No audience ever wished that a speaker ran long, and many applaud a shorter talk.  Especially as the day goes on, audience’s attention spans wane.  After dinner, and with drinks, you shouldn’t talk for more than 12 minutes, max. 

10.  Close with “thank you” – and wait for the audience to applaud.  A ‘thank you’ signals the end of a speech.  So, if they do applaud – and they will, if you say ‘thank you’ – then acknowledge the applause and wait it out.  Don’t leave with an audience still clapping furiously – they’ll feel cheated.  Clapping is an audience’s way of giving something back to the speaker.   Let them do it. 

What have you learned?  What are your hard-won secrets for success under duress?  Again, in the spirit of the season, I’ll give away a free copy of my first book to the runner-up, and a free copy of my latest to the winner of the best tips you post in the comments or send to me via email.