Never Take Time off Stage Time

I had the honour of meeting Darren LaCroix, 2001 world champion of public speaking, at the Toastmasters International conference in Lisbon. In 2001, Darren LaCroix outspoke 25,000 contestants from 14 countries to become the World Champion of Public Speaking. And in Lisbon Darren delivered a keynote “From Chump to Champ” which was full of great tips and advice on how to become a top speaker. I asked Darren to share some of his experience with us after the event.

One of the main points I took from him is “never take time off stage time” , its all about “stage time, stage time, stage time”. To become a good speaker you need to practice a lot. The same about video – if you want to appear good on video – you need to walk around with a portable camera and record yourself on every occasion you can.
Do not worry about being perfect on stage – I think this is one of the main points of a bad performance – we worry too much some times. “You need to be present, not perfect” – he says. Your mindset is the most important during the presentation. “Skills set without mindset will get your audience upset”
“Be confident enough to be humble” – is my favourite saying by Darren.
Crave feedback – not just receive feedback – crave it!
And finally – Pause. I know about pausing – its important in every speech but I do not always do it enough. Darren says that pause is like a muscle, you have to work on it, try to pause a second longer than you are comfortable (good exercise for me). Pause is made to make people think, long pauses are appropriate at moments when you want people to think – understanding it makes you use pause more effectively.

Later on that day, after the keynote, I asked Darren to give some tips to corporate speakers on how to improve their presentation skills. Here is what he had to say: