Why the word 'performance' is making public speaking harder than it needs to be. And why I think it's time we gave it another chance.
I’m beginning to think that when it comes to speaking, performance has become something of a dirty word.
Which is a bit odd really, because delivering a good performance is standard terminology in business. We’re constantly talking about sales performance, financial performance, business performance, individual performance… the list goes on!
In fact, performance is so embedded in business that we’ve even got our own acronym for measuring it all. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
And of course performance matters. We measure it because we want to know whether what we’re doing is working, whether we’re achieving what we set out to achieve and, ultimately, whether we’re getting results.
But when it comes to speaking, suddenly the word performance seems to become something we’d rather avoid.
Almost like it’s a dirty word that shouldn’t be spoken. Or, at best, whispered quietly in a corner.
Because suggesting that somebody needs to perform rather than simply speak can change everything about how they feel.
Because performing means PRESSURE. Doesn't it?
The minute I suggest that you need to give a great performance when you stand up to speak, I’m willing to bet a few things start happening.
The nerves start cranking up, the expectations get bigger and that little voice in your head starts reminding you of ALL the things that could possibly go wrong. What if you forget everything you wanted to say? What if you start rambling? What if everyone thinks you’re rubbish? Or, frankly, what if you just call in sick and avoid the whole thing altogether?!
And then there are all the associations with acting. Being fake, inauthentic, unbelievable and not particularly credible. Which is absolutely NOT what we want when we’re speaking, right?!
Because nobody wants to stand up in front of their team, colleagues or clients and suddenly start sounding like a completely different person.
Putting on a strange posh voice, throwing in as much jargon as possible and doing everything they can to demonstrate just how much they know, how much they deserve their job title and why they should DEFINITELY be the one standing up there speaking.
(We’ve all seen it happen!)
So I completely understand why the word performance has been getting a bit of a bad rap when it comes to speaking. We’ve started associating it with all the things that make speaking feel harder, more pressured and frankly a bit horrendous.
But here’s the thing.
I think we’ve got it wrong.
Because when we speak, we DO need to perform.
When we step up to speak, we do need to deliver. Our speaking should make people want to listen, it should be worth their time and, most importantly, it needs to get results.
Otherwise, what on earth is the point of speaking?!
We might as well let everybody crack on with the other million things they’ve got to do instead.
If we’re going to speak with impact when it matters most, we need to know how to deliver something that’s actually worth listening to. Something that goes beyond simply standing up and talking, and genuinely makes a difference to the people we’re speaking to.
But before that, I think we need to get clear about what performing DOESN’T mean, because there are a whole ton of things this is absolutely NOT about.
Performing when we speak is NOT about...
Acting or pretending to be somebody you’re not.
Sounding false or putting on a weird posh accent because you think it makes you sound more knowledgeable. (It won’t!)
Changing how you speak so you sound more like the people around you or the audience you’re trying to impress.
Eliminating every single ‘umm’ and ‘errr’ because you’ve decided you need to be word perfect.
Following your planned speaking points in exactly the right order, even if you’ve suddenly realised there’s a better way to explain something.
Having a work-of-art, state-of-the-art, all-singing, all-dancing slide deck or the latest fancy technology.
Pacing around the room with a microphone like an animated TED speaker.
Standing behind a lectern simply because somebody’s put one there and that’s what people usually do.
Speaking to hundreds of people in an auditorium.
Making sure you get a round of applause at the end.
None of those things is what makes a great performance when we speak.
So what does?
THIS is what a great performance looks like.
Connection.
The kind that happens so quickly that everybody wants to hear your next word, and you’re only five seconds into your speaking.
Empathy.
So powerful that you can almost collectively feel every single person in the audience feeling seen and understood.
Clarity.
A message so sharp you could poke your eye out with it.
Flow and pace.
The kind that makes the whole thing feel as though it’s flown by in an instant, but everybody’s had enough time to follow exactly what you’re saying.
Surprise.
Those lovely moments when people genuinely laugh, react, or become happy nodders because something you’ve said has really landed.
Vulnerability.
The real kind, where people recognise something of themselves in what you’re saying and lean in just that little bit more.
Technology that helps rather than gets in the way.
Slides and fancy kit can be brilliant, but if you had to sack the lot off halfway through, it wouldn’t make any difference to the outcome.
And, most importantly,
Impact.
Sometimes the kind that takes your breath away, and sometimes simply the kind that means everybody leaves the room knowing EXACTLY what to do next. And then goes and does it.
THAT is what speaking with impact looks like.
And it’s what we should be aiming for every time we speak. Not perfection, not pretending to be somebody else and certainly not performing for the sake of performing.
So perhaps it's not performance that's the problem.
Perhaps it’s what we think performance means.
Because when I talk about delivering a great performance when we speak, what I’m really talking about is being prepared. Knowing what makes speaking work, understanding your audience, being clear about the impact you want to have and having the tools to make it happen.
And I wonder whether, if we stopped thinking about giving a great performance and started thinking about being really well prepared to speak, we’d feel a whole lot better about the whole thing?
Just think about the difference between:
‘I’ve got to give a GREAT performance.’
And:
‘I’m going to be really well prepared to speak.’
Doesn’t the second one feel so much calmer? More focused, more in control and less like you’re about to step onto a stage and audition for a part you never wanted!
Because if you understand what makes great speaking, and you’ve got the tools to apply it to your own speaking, you CAN deliver the performance you want to.
Without it feeling hard or horrendous.
But where on earth do you start?
And this is where it gets interesting, because lots of us know we’d like to have more impact when we speak, but we’re not entirely sure where to begin.
Perhaps you’re brilliant when you’re talking about your specialist subject, but put you in front of the senior leadership team and suddenly everything feels harder.
Perhaps you’re great with people you know, but speaking to a room full of strangers sends your nerves through the roof. Or maybe it’s completely the other way around and you’re perfectly happy delivering a prepared presentation to complete strangers, but ask you to contribute off the cuff in a meeting and you’d rather disappear under the table!
Maybe sometimes you speak with real impact and other times, for whatever reason, it just doesn’t quite happen.
So how do you know what’s working, what’s not and where to focus if you want to make your speaking better?
Well, I’ve been working on something to help answer exactly that.
It’s a new speaking assessment that’ll help you understand how well your current speaking is set up to have an impact and get results, and where you’ve got opportunities to make it even better.
Now, I’d hoped to have this ready for you this month.
BUT, as anyone who knows me will probably tell you, I’m not particularly good at putting something out into the world until I’m completely happy with it!
And considering I’ve just spent an entire article telling you how important preparation is, I can hardly start ignoring my own advice now, can I?!
So it’s getting a little more love and attention before I let it loose.
It’s coming in November.
And I can’t wait to share it with you, because just imagine what a difference it would make if you, and the people around you, could speak with impact when it matters most.
In presentations and pitches, where better speaking can mean more wins and more business. In team meetings, where better communication can help people feel happier, more engaged and clear about what needs to happen next.
In client conversations, where understanding and clarity can make problems easier to solve. Or out in the wider business community, where speaking with impact can help build credibility, visibility and relationships.
That’s the kind of performance I’m interested in.
And I reckon it’s about time we stopped treating it like a dirty word.
And if you’d like some help...
If you’d like to have more impact when you speak, whether that’s for yourself, your team or an event, I’d love to hear from you.
You can get in touch using the form below or drop me a line at contactme@jodarby.co.uk or message via LinkedIn.
And if you’re looking to help your team communicate with more clarity, confidence and impact, you can find out more about my group training through Voice in the Room.