Troy Sandidge

A common thing missed in these scenarios that I frequently incorporate is opportunities to continue the conversation. I suggest tagging (or DM) me with your question on any social platform, and I will respond in depth in a new podcast episode or content piece. The experience doesn't end when the talk is over, it's just the beginning. This is beneficial to emphasize throughout and at the end of your talk. Additionally, know your closing line and final reflective question to say at any given time, even if things get cut abruptly out of your control. Having that just makes things easier. But of course, be smooth about it. Don't feel like you're rushing no matter what and leaning on humor or motivation towards the end helps.

Embrace the 3 Vs: - Be vulnerable. - Be visible. - Be vibrant. Lean on DEIBA principles when engaging. When you break down the barriers within yourself to the audience to become more relatable, this creates a thread of connection and shrinks the distance between you and them. Use examples that are relatable, embrace movements and tones that are inclusive, and bring positive vibes with good body language and eye contact to match. Have confidence in your subject matter, your topic, your presentation, and just being you! You get the great opportunity to tell people something you're passionate about that can help them. When you channel that energy, it will reassure you that you belong and then go out there and do your best!

As the speaker, you should understand that video, imagery, polls, and even your presentation are assets. You are the experience. You're the maestro who makes things go. With that said, when you know what you're sharing, even when technical issues arise, you can go "acoustic style" and still deliver something wonderful. To be clear, this is not an if. There's a 100% guarantee that it will happen as a speaker. When it does, confront it head-on. I find that interjecting humor, followed by reassuring the audience that the show goes on, creates an amazing opportunity to win over the audience even more with your poise and professionalism. Most won't remember the technical difficulties as much as they will remember your response to them.

Pregame by asking questions prior to your talk to reflect and integrate within your talk is going to land so much by the attendees! Being heard means so much and is a powerful technique, especially when you make them part of talk. While the talk is going on embrace technology to enhance interactions like polls or multiple choice in real time. You can guide things from there. I always love to have people tag me and ask the question on social after the talk. Makes a great way to keep the convo going and adding custom value long after the talk and event is over providing 1:1 answers. You can even address questions in other mediums post event like your podcast, email, or livestream referencing them. Keep flow as a continuous conversation.

Are you asking the right questions? And are you gaining the right perspectives? I find many times it’s not about consuming all the feedback at face value but layering the feedback with context to identity best parts, isolate the trenches that didn’t land, and innovate to improve story, delivery, tone, pace, emotion infusion, and engagement activation. Negative feedback can be organized by severity and specifics. Doesn’t mean the totality of what you do as a speaker needs work. But the same for positivity. It can be put to specifics with still room for improvement. How to absorb the information matters as well. But embrace contrast. Don’t expect perfection. Let’s get real and consider all sides. Difference of opinion makes you better!

This happened to me at DigiMarCon. I was toward the afternoon and found out that morning I would be the opening keynote to set the tone. You have to anchor yourself that your presentation, how you present, stays the same. At the end of the day, it’s just a time switch. But the prep is less about the essence of your talk and expectations of when you take the stage. It may be less people toward the end of the day, maybe they just came back from lunch or maybe they haven’t had their morning coffee yet… all that factors into the audience if you’re a speaker who needs reinforcement and engagement to feed on. This is where discipline and trusting your craft — think muscle memory — supersedes everything else. Deliver your best and believe it.