Michael Rossié - Good speakers have routine

Good speakers have routine, everything runs smoothly, and I don't notice that they are concentrating. The actor Martin Benrath once said in response to the question of why he doesn't go to the theater: I don't watch other people working. We all know that a good speech is hard work, possibly taking weeks or even months. But the audience doesn't want to know that, as strange as it may sound. When I watch someone who is highly concentrated at work and is putting in a lot of effort, it diminishes my enjoyment. For me as a viewer, it should appear as if everything is easy and effortless. The speaker may sweat, may forget everything around them, may jump and run if that suits their nature and the topic. It can be exhausting, but it must never look exhausting. This also applies to stage fright. Nervousness on stage is fundamentally normal. And it only bothers me when it bothers the speaker as well. If they turn red and start stuttering, I unfortunately can no longer enjoy it. I feel sorry for the poor guy up there, and I stop listening. Don't make an effort! Don't strain yourself! (We don't like that in private life either). And if you have to make an effort, then practice until I can't see it anymore. It doesn't matter if you are making difficult drawings on the flipchart, memorizing complex numbers, or have no idea how your PowerPoint presentation was exactly animated. If I'm worried that you won't get it all right, the pleasure is immediately gone. This is especially true when you use any effects or tricks. A good magic trick is undoubtedly a great way to get attention. But it must come across as easy, casual, and natural. If you are pulling sentences minutes before because you are preparing everything for your trick behind your back, you can almost hear the groans in the audience. Another problem arises when we focus intensely on something and tense muscles that we don't normally use when speaking. This blocks parts of your thought center. Try talking to someone while clenching your fists tightly or holding onto a bar. It will be very difficult for you. That's why suitcases and dumbbells on stage are temporarily really heavy for rehearsals. When the play is performed, the suitcase is empty and the weights are made of styrofoam, and therefore feather-light. If everything were really heavy, the actor would completely forget the text as soon as they tense their muscles. Many speakers already enjoy mingling with the crowd before the event. When you start your speaker career, I advise you to withdraw shortly before. Think of something nice, maybe move around, maybe meditate. Make sure you are reasonably relaxed. It's too late now to go over the speech again and count the punchlines. The last half hour before the speech is for mental preparation. You are about to deliver a peak performance, which is best compared to flying in a supersonic jet. For this, you need all your attention and concentration. The longer you work in this profession, the better you know what can happen. Professionals know that they need to keep their focus now and only have one thing in mind: a positive and relaxed mood. The technical aspects will make you nervous soon enough. Entertaining someone well is a matter of preparation.