7 Essential Public Speaking Tips for Entrepreneurs

As you prepare to pitch your next big idea, read our essential public speaking tips for entrepreneurs to kickstart your career and enable you to pursue your passions.

Being an entrepreneur comes with its distinct challenges, limitations, and countless “make or break” moments. Versatility and adaptability go a long way in uncovering new opportunities but the key to successful entrepreneurship goes far beyond unlocking a set of “essential skills.”

The foundation of success starts with being able to excel in pitching your ideas, regardless of how big or small, to investors, members of the public, and your target customers. By effectively communicating your objective to your audience, you offer important insights into your business and its potential. Public speaking is a valuable asset that enables this and although it does not come naturally to all, this skill can be learnt and perfected over time.

Hive Life has put together foundational public speaking tips to empower entrepreneurs to ace your next big pitch.

1. Start with a Memorable Opening

An opening is the most crucial part of one’s speech, and often the hardest to execute. Entrepreneurs recognise and value its significance, and often spend hours attempting to outline and articulate an exemplary opening statement. First impressions can make a lasting impact.

Nothing attracts the attention of an audience more than a personal anecdote or thought-provoking question. While one gives your pitch a meaningful edge, the other hooks your audience. Deliver a memorable opening to set the scene for a gripping narrative.

2. Believe in Your Material

No one knows your product better than yourself and when articulating your ideas, assemble pinpoints and draft a presentation based on the takeaways you want your audience to have. To reinforce your compelling narrative, remember to practise and prepare beforehand. Regardless of how well-scripted your presentation is, your delivery is what truly matters.

3. Be Prepared

Investors and potential clients may seek to better comprehend certain parts of your presentation, and throw questions your way to clarify some information. Speakers need to be ready for anything, and simply memorising a speech will not suffice. Complete thorough market research, prepare supporting statistics, and provide real-time figures to back your points. When it comes to potential challenges, make sure to address them during the presentation, and propose a counter plan to mitigate those areas of concern.

4. Invest in a Good Narrative

Whether your distinct encounters in an industry, or the path that led you to your entrepreneurial career, audiences crave a story. Humans are natural-born storytellers, and expressing your genuine passion will help to build an emotional connection.

Most successful speeches are delivered in the form of a narrative. By bringing your story to life, viewers will be able to connect more closely with the ideas you are sharing.

5. Get to Know Your Audience

To be able to connect with your audience, you first need to understand their needs, and how your product could potentially benefit them. Invest your time in learning about your clientele, investors, and prospective customers. Conducting thorough research on your audience will not only equip you to grasp their interests, preferences, and nature, but also give you the upper hand in forming an effective communication approach and delivering your message better.

6. Create a Motivating Mantra

Reaffirming yourself is the best way to slow down your nerves, especially before making an appearance in front of a crowd. Having a personal mantra or a grounding chant can help clear one’s headspace, and allow them to reconnect with their surroundings. Taking a step back and repeating your mantra not only brings a sense of clarity, but also conditions our minds to feel more empowered and inspired.

A positive mantra could be as simple as “You’ve got this,” an inspiring message, or even a quick meditative chant that will help you relax and confidently deliver your big pitch.

7. Deliver Actionable Value

Whether or not your point gets across, creating real impact, greatly depends on how well you have communicated your message. This goes back to the rudiments of your speech- draft a bullet point plan to evaluate and deliver the value you hope to bring through your presentation.

Simple action words are ideal for echoing your message better throughout your speech. Keep it short and simple, yet impactful, as it makes your brand story easier to follow. As Steve Jobs once said, “Make it simple, and you can move mountains.”