Guy Kawasaki always posts great ideas and tips on his web site for building and growing businesses. I met him years ago at one of his Garage conferences and have been impressed ever since. He is a fantastic speaker and mentor.
This post is from a friend of his that is a professional singer and public speaker. I am a huge advocate for public speaking as a way to generate business (promote) for your company. It has always worked for me and should work for you to. This post covers fantastic ideas for making sure you give your best when speaking to groups. I especially like the one about pretending you are speaking for a Queen. Go read the entire post. You will find every tip is excellent and they go way beyond imagining your audience naked.
Circulate with your audience. Before every concert, speech, and seminar, I try to mingle with the crowd, ask questions, and let them know I’m glad they came. This isn’t always possible in the real world, but when it is, I have an opportunity to feel a bond with the people I’m about to perform for and undo some of the jitters that are a natural part of being “on.”
Snarl. If people can’t hear you, they won’t listen to you. Add some nasal resonance to your voice, but keep smiling. Snarl is that nasal sound you get when you speak partially from your nose instead of your mouth. It generates overtones above 2,800 cycles per second that make any room “sing.” Pretend you’re trying to yell/warn a child that’s about to run out in front of a bus—like yelling, “STOP!” This works whether you’re using a microphone or speaking without one
Bite your tongue. If your mouth gets dry in the middle of your presentation, try gently biting your tongue. Opera singers use this all the time to release saliva which moistens your mouth.
Perform for a hero. Several years ago I was asked to sing a command performance for the Queen of Spain. I worked harder on that concert than any I have ever sung. It was very successful and I was proud of my preparation. From that time on I imagined I was about to sing for the queen, it made me twice the performer I had been previously. Pick a hero, and give them your best shot!
Source: How to Change the World
