Public speaking for PMs

8 years ago, I, a newly minted Product Manager, stood in a room full of a very intimidating crowd - about 30 C level executives and department heads, expectantly looking at me to share my very first product roadmap. I had my slides ready, but as I willed myself to speak, I found myself totally and absolutely paralyzed with fear. With sweaty palms, my heart beating out of my chest, and suddenly a very dry mouth, I managed to run out of the room uttering something to the effect of "I don't feel so well, please excuse me".

That night, as I reflected on my first royally failed attempt at public speaking, If I was gonna be a kick-ass Product Leader, I HAD to get better at Public speaking. And so the journey began.

Dozens of public speaking books, multiple speaker coaches and 3 years later, I delivered the Product Keynote to an in person audience of over 5000 and millions watching online. I do it every year since, and I enjoy every second of it!

Hence, I write this post for any PMs out there who want to take the fear out of public speaking and in the process, get better at it. So you can establish yourself as a Product Leader, who can not only execute and build products, but also can inspire and influence your stakeholders and customers with your vision, strategy and roadmaps.

Key pillars of successful public speaking for Product Leaders

1. Craft your Content: Content is key. Always start there. Make it crisp, clear and concise. A few questions to ask yourself:

• What is the key message you are trying to deliver? What are the 3 key takeaways that you want your audience to walk away with, cause they are not going to remember everything you say. Emphasize those and repeat them as necessary.

• Who is your primary audience? Think about what's important to them, and craft your content so you speak to them in the language they understand. Example: Are you speaking to IT admins? They are likely driven by ease of administration, management and troubleshooting. Are you speaking to the C level executives? Educate yourself with their goals and drivers so you can align your plans and proposals with them.

• Keep it simple. Less is more. The goal is for your audience to understand you. Adding unnecessary words can cloud your message.

2. Manage your emotions:

Most of us have the content down. But as soon as we step up on the stage, isolated and away from the herd, the fight or flight responses get triggered. The story of fear, written into our genetic code for thousands of years, is that we must be part of a group to survive. This deep, often subconscious, fear leads to public speakers today in a completely safe environment, standing up in front of a group of smiling audience members, but shaking as if their lives were in danger.

The key to managing the anxiety of public speaking is two fold:

i) Awareness: Being aware that it's biologically normal and evolutionary for one to feel nervous on the stage is the first step. It’s ok to have an elevated heart rate and sweaty palms. Convert the nervous energy into excitement. Handle the negative feelings with positive action. Which brings me to...

ii) Focus on your role as a messenger: Your job as a speaker is to deliver the message. The message that'll inspire your audiences and make their lives better, even if by a little bit. Focus on your purpose - your content. And you can't deliver the message if anxiety / nervousness get in the way. Take the pressure off yourselves. It's not about you - it's about the value you are creating by communicating your plans, thoughts and ideas.

3. Practice, practice & more practice:

i) Practice: There's no way around this one. Practice your message by yourself - while driving, walking the dog; practice with a friend - grab them and speak to them for a few minutes. Practice and record yourself - and as painful as it is to watch yourself, do it, and you'll learn so much about how you come across - and how you can improve it.

ii) Visualize yourself delivering the talk. Imagine how it feels to be on the stage, and normalize the feeling. So on the day of, it's not a completely new and alien feeling.

iii) Prepare: Know what you are wearing, and set it aside ahead of the event. Make sure its comfortable so you can be focused on being in the moment that fiddling with your outfit.

And finally, on the day of, enjoy the spotlight. You have an opportunity to influence, inspire and communicate to your audience. Give yourself the permission to feel nervous. It's ok. It's normal. And then, go out there, and be in the moment. Cause you've already practiced the message delivery to the point that you can do that... be present with your audience. You have a 1000 people in the audience? Great, have a 1-1 conversation, a thousand times.

Do it for them.