The auctioneer syndrome when presenting, aka speed x3

Presenting is a big part of your marketing role - at a conference, to the senior leadership team, to the cross-functional team, to your buyers, to your colleagues, to your boss....

Let me ask you this, then:

• If you feel you're out of breath when speaking in public

• Or that you're swallowing some words and losing your audience

• And how about when others often ask you to repeat what you've just said?

...then you're probably affected by the Auctioneer's syndrome! That's because your natural speaking pace is at double the speed. Have you ever heard a proper auctioneer do his/her job? (It's actually fascinating!)

Whilst your friends may appreciate your voice messages, speaking at double the speed is much less handy when it comes to the boardroom or any presentations you do.

So many things play a major role there - your emotional state, your level of stress, or whether you're tired - your body is trying to release that tension by speeding up your pace (and flee!).

There are easy methods to work around it and learn to slow down without it feeling really awkward or uncomfortable. Remember, most of your awkwardness comes from what you're saying in your head, not the audience.

Here are 3 steps to slow down your pace, gain confidence and consequently improve your impact! 

Step 1 • Inhaaaaaale, exhaaaaaale

Ok, so when you're about to do something where you're being brave, you tend to take a deep breath to calm down and focus, right? Well, it's the same before you start presenting your annual plans to the senior leadership [or add your situation here].

Breathing is the key to having a clear speech that flows well

Take the time to slow your heart rate so you can speak clearly. It's the best way to lower your pace. You'll see, it works every time! You just need to make sure you have blocked 5 minutes before the presentation/event in order to not rush it (counterproductive!!)

Here's how to do it.

1. Inhale for 2 seconds

2. Then exhale for 4 seconds

3. Note if you're comfortable with breathing exercises, you can double the time)

Now that you've calmed your nerves, we're going to work on pauuuuuuses!

✅ Slowing your heart rate: check. Next !

Step 2 • Silence...Diction!

The problem we have with a fast speaking pace is our fear of silence. Emptiness. Blank. Nothingness.

For many marketers, those blanks can be very intimidating. The mind monkeys are out and we start wondering if our point or idea totally crashed and everyone in the room thinkgs we're stupid and shouldn't be in marketing....right?

I used to absolutely hate blanks for a long time , feeling awkward after just 2 seconds of silence, and imagining all sorts of negative things that the people in front of me might be thinking....The last thing I was doing? Being present. Being absolutely observant in the moment of what was going on. Until I realised it was all in my head, my interpretation of the silence. For all I knew, maybe some people needed some self-reflection time? Maybe they needed to ponder my suggestion? Silences can be very, very positive moments. The absolute opposite to emptiness! And until I realised some people use silence in such a powerful way - landing messages with more impact than they would have if no pauses were made.

How are pauses powerful, you ask?

➡️ They make your speech or point more impactful

➡️ They help the audience digest the information you've shared

➡️ They allow you to breathe, stand up straight and anchor yourself in the present to deliver the rest of your ideas.

What's as good as silences? Diction. It's just as importabnt. It helps you avoid swallowing the last words of your sentences. Have you ever heard of the most well-known exercise - the one with a pencil in your mouth? (that's how I've actually learnt to pronounce some German sounds, now that I think of it...)

It's also a technique used by the greatest actors! Why? Because it helps strengthen your tongue muscle and position it correctly for impeccable diction. 

Lastly, but not the least important part: practice making short sentences. The longer your sentences are, the more they sound like justification. No one needs that when presenting your NPD Pipeline to the board.

✅ Reconciling with silences: check. Next !

Step 3 • Practice, practice!

If you want to keep improving, here are 3 exercises across 3 levels!

🌿Level 1: become a slower pace master

➜ Choose a text you particularly enjoy: this could be a paragraph from your favorite book, a speech by someone who inspires you, song lyrics...

Then record yourself reading the text once (normally).

Now, this second time around, practice incorporating silences and slower diction. Record it. 

Compare the 2 versions and see how you could improve next time for your upcoming presentation!

🌿🌿Level 2: become a master of impactful pauses

Use your favorite text again. The first time, at each punctuation mark, pause and say a 2-syllable sound effect out loud (tick-tock, coo-coo, glug-glug, yum-yum...whatever you fancy).

The second time, read the text forming the sound effect in your mind.

Finally, include 2-second mental stops to naturally incorporate pauses.

🌿🌿🌿Level 3: become a master of articulating

Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. If Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, Where's the peck of pickled peppers that Peter Piper picked?

Or pick your favourite tongue twister! There are dozens, and you can even pick them based on a letter you want to improve your diction on !

At first glance, these phrases seem far-fetched. But they're excellent exercises for improving your articulation without swallowing words.

✅ Improving diction: check.

If you've come this far in this article, remember these 3 things:

✔️ Breathing is the key to flowing and clear speech. Learn to catch your breath like in a long-distance race.

✔️Pauses and silences are essential and give power to your message. Make peace with them and simply observe how effective they are!

✔️Better diction helps you speak more slowly. Practice and become a champion of articulating.

Take your time, breathe and above all... Have fun! Because public speaking is above all about sharing your passion and ideas with the world. Even if it involves your innovation plan and the leadership team in the boardroom!!

Speak soon,

Mags

Turning point for overwhelmed marketing leaders seeking confidence and fulfilment • Coach | Mentor | Workshop Facilitator | UPON Community Founder

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