The Podium & You
Whether speaking for a club or as a keynote speaker, you may find yourself behind a podium delivering a speech or presentation (or perhaps accepting an award… if so, go you!). When you finally find yourself behind a podium, there are plenty of common traps we all fall into and mistakes we inevitably make. I want to make sure you are aware of these traps and understand the mistakes often made behind a podium, so you can excite and captivate any crowd you have the pleasure of speaking to.
Over the years, I have seen countless individuals fall into a variety of common traps. When someone takes their first step into one of those common traps, you almost want to yell out “please don’t do what you are about to do!” but you can’t (everyone would think you are either crazy or, at the very least, rude… and they would be right). And while you cannot yell out and stop someone from making common mistakes, you can read about them here so you are not just another victim to the podium’s traps. Below are three common traps I hope you think about (and hopefully avoid) the next time you have to walk up to a podium.
Gripping The Podium - An inherently nervous response to being behind a podium and facing a room full of people, gripping the podium is a common trap that even I fall into. While not a horrible practice, when done excessively and obviously out of nervousness, it clearly shows the nerves of the speaker and detracts from the impact proper body language can deliver. Resting your hands on the podium while you are speaking is not bad; in fact, it is what you should do when behind a podium and your hands have nothing to emphasize. White-knuckling the podium and never moving your hands off the podium, on the other hand, is bad. To solve for this… ensure you use the podium to rest your hands when speaking (key word - “rest”), and regularly lift your hands off the podium to emphasize key words or moments in your speech.
Slouching Behind The Podium - The next big trap is poor posture, specifically slouching. This can be the cause of several things. It could be nerves pushing you to want to hide behind the podium, thus you intentionally or unintentionally making yourself smaller to hide better behind it. It could also be that you feel too relaxed, so you slouch behind the podium (almost like you're lying back in a comfy chair). Or, it could be your regular posture, which could need some work (I am guilty of poor posture and need to work on it too). To solve for this, it is as simple as being aware of your posture. When you get behind a podium (or when you are ever speaking publicly), think of the type of posture your most confident self would have in that moment, then try to match that posture as best as possible. It takes work, but you got this!
Sticking To The Podium - Now, I know this entire blog post is about what not to do when behind a podium, but the final trap I will mention is sticking to the podium. This has two meanings. The first meaning is sticking to the podium with your eyes. When speaking, ensure you are looking out at who you are speaking to or with. Keep your eyes off the podium unless you need to quickly glance at notes. The second meaning is quite literal. It is actually staying behind the podium. You do not always need to stay behind the podium when speaking, even if everyone else has used it before you. If there is no microphone being used, or you can pick up a mobile one, then stretch your legs to better engage the audience and project confidence.
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Till next time,
