In the Good Old Summertime...

It’s summertime! Yeah! Today (the day this article is being written) is a beautiful day with the perfect temp, plenty of sunshine, and a gentle breeze. Who wants to think about speaking on a day like today? Well, I do, but that’s because I’m almost always thinking about speaking in one way or another. 

For most speakers though, summertime is downtime. Event planners know that scheduling events during July and August is a recipe for low attendance, so they don’t. Instead, they sit in air conditioned comfort planning their fall events. 

How can you take advantage of this downtime without interfering with your summer activities? Well, let’s put this list in order of the time commitment.

The least amount of time: How about sitting down in a comfy chair with a refreshing beverage and recharging your batteries by thinking about all the people you get to inspire with your message/information when you speak. How cool is that! How great is it that you get to make a difference in people’s lives? I bet you haven’t thought about that for a while—it being summer and all. If you haven’t spoken in front of an audience yet, then take this time to get excited about all the people you’re going to help. Regardless of how much speaking you have or haven’t done, remember, speaking can and does change lives.

A little bit more time: How about heading over to YouTube and checking out some TED and TEDx talks. YouTube is full of them, and they’re usually between 10 and 20 minutes each. Two videos I can recommend are: one by Amy Cuddy and one by Simon Sinek. If you watch other people speak, you might pick up bits of information worth sharing with your own audiences. (Just make sure to credit the other speaker if it’s appropriate.) 

A rainy morning or afternoon amount of time: If you’re a new speaker, how about starting to outline your signature presentation? If you already have a signature presentation, is it time to update it? Every signature presentation can benefit from being updated. I’m not suggesting you should sit down and start rebuilding it from scratch. It’s summer! But, if you find yourself with some extended time and start getting some of your thoughts down on paper… 

Too hot, too muggy, or too rainy to go outside and I’m bored amount of time: Yes, this is when you might have the time to rebuild one of your presentations, but again, it’s summer. So how about catching up on some inspirational summer reading instead. Here are some speaker-related books to consider:

• Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds by Carmine Gallo
• Confessions of a Public Speaker by Scott Berkun 
• Nail It.: Create and deliver presentations that connect, compel, and convince by Debbie Roth Fay

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you should read all these books. BUT, they’re all available in print and as Kindle books. Check these titles out, pick the one that resonates with the speaker in you, and enjoy.

You’ll have to excuse me now…. It’s time to grab a cool drink, turn on the BBQ, and enjoy the day. 

'Til we speak again,

Beth Stoller

At the Podium, LLC

Beth Stoller, founder of At the Podium, helps business professionals develop their public speaking profile, voice, and skill set.