I finallly landed my first multi-national account. After much preparation, I was excited to present my seminar to 40 MBA credit trainees in the financial services industry. I had been preparing for weeks and I was looking forward to my first workshop with this group. At 4:00 p.m. the day before my presentation I received a phone call from their manager. He told me the department had scheduled their first major exam the day after my training. They mistakenly thought I would deliver a 2-hour workshop but it was actually scheduled for a full day. That meant they wouldn’t have a study day to prepare for the exam. He reported that the MBAs stormed into his office threatening to boycott my class. The manager’s parting words echoed in my mind, “Diane, I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes tomorrow.”
Yikes! Psychologically, I did not feel safe.
When a person feels psychologically safe they know they can take risks or make mistakes without fear of judgement or criticism. Many public speakers feel unsafe because they fear rejection or appearing foolish.
Psychological safety is essential for speakers to project confidence, presence, and connection.
According to Amy Edmondson. professor of leadership at Harvard Business School, psychological safety is the ability to speak up or express oneself without fear of humiliation or punishment.
What Threatens Psychological Safety for Public Speakers
Just the thought of public speaking can trigger a fear state in many people. In addition to that initial fear there can be other threats that threaten psychological safety such as:
Fear of Being Judged. The speaker seeks audience approval.
Perfectionism. Being a stickler for the highest standard and overthinking the details.
Imposter Syndrome. This is a common situation where the speaker doubts their own credibility.
Tough Audience. The speaker may look out and see closed or even hostile body language from the audience and immediately feels threatened.
Past Trauma. The memory of a speech that bombed could still be haunting the speaker.
Negative Self-Talk. The internal critic judges the performance.
Comparison to Other Speakers. Measuring performance by the success of another speaker especially when following a speaker who crushed it.
Gender or Cultural Bias. This is another aspect of feeling judged or unsure. There’s an uncertainty around how to behave.
How Speakers Can Create Psychological Safety
Here are a few internal and external strategies:
Internal
Reframe Fear. Tell yourself you’re not nervous. You’re excited!
Empowering Rituals. Deep breathing, body movement, and saying affirmations.
Preparation. Practice out loud and time yourself.
Befriend the Audience. Don’t give them so much power. They want to hear your message. They’re not the enemy.
Service Mindset. You’re there to serve the audience. Come from a place of service and you’ll lose your self-consciousness.
External
Find a Friendly Face. Look at one person who is smiling and nodding and speak to them.
Take Charge of the Room. Arrive early, meet the Audio Visual people, do an equipment check.
Open with a Bang. Get their attention with a story, strong statistic, or question.
Engage the Audience. Shake hands as they enter the room. Smile. Create interactive exercises. Get them moving.
Manage Expectations. Let them know what to expect.
Protect Psychological Safety During the Presentation
When things go wrong there are still ways to feel psychologically safe.
Plan Recovery Lines. Have a one-liner to say if the technology breaks down, the lights go out, or you trip and fall. Humor is the best antidote. Even Oprah fell when she walked across the stage in heels. What did she say? “Wrong shoes.”
Use micro pauses to help you breathe.
Hydrate. Always have water nearby and take a sip. If there is no water, gently bite on the sides of the tongue to combat cotton mouth. (This will create saliva).
Back-up Plan. Send slides in advance to the meeting planner. Print slides as a back-up hard copy.
Create Checkpoints. Refer to an outline and have a buddy give you signals to manage timing.
Psychological Safety begins internally. It doesn’t mean there’s an absence of nervousness. It means the presenter is self-secure and can handle difficult situations.
Public speakers who are psychologically safe, make the audience feel safe.
Start by assessing your own level of psychological safety in front of the room. What will you do to feel safe? How will you carry it with you?
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