Tee Up Your Speech: Golf is Like Public Speaking Tips 17-20

Let’s talk about more tips that parallel golf with public speaking.

Tip #17: Visualize Success 

Often, when we focus on a successful outcome, it becomes a reality!

When playing golf, think about what you want to do. Focus on hitting the ball straight! How often do you hear people say, "I better not hit it in the water!" or "I always hit it to the right,” or “I hope it doesn’t go into the sand trap."?  Our brain often hears the words “water,” “right,” and “sand trap” and that affects the performance. If you simply focus on the good outcome, you will be more likely to get better results.

With public speaking, we often worry about what can go wrong or we focus on being nervous. Again, don’t think about the potential mishaps. If you have prepared and rehearsed, the final step is to visualize your successful outcome. You'll be surprised how much that helps! So, get up there and give your speech!

Tip #18: Don't Think About What May Go Wrong 

Golf and public speaking are so similar in this regard!

In golf, when you worry about all the sand traps, lakes, creeks, topping the ball, and wind, they become the distraction. Don’t even think about this! Set your thoughts on where and how you want to hit the ball, not what you want to avoid. When we worry about negative outcomes, they often become our reality.

In public speaking, if you worry about saying "um,” “ya know," "like," losing your focus, forgetting your points, tripping on the stage, having technical problems, and whatever other mishaps come to your mind, you cannot remain present and connect with your audience. Know that if something goes wrong, you'll adjust and deal with it. 

When negative thoughts enter your mind, let them go!

Tip #19: Deliver with Proper Tempo

Timing is everything; be conscious of your pace. We never want to be too fast or too slow.

In golf, we can look at this two ways:

1. If you play too quickly, the people behind you may be happy, but you may not give yourself time to focus. If you play too slowly, you will frustrate the people behind you. Keep your pace on the golf course. No one wants to see you moving slowly and not respecting the people behind you. 

2. Your golf swing should have an even tempo and you will have a better outcome. My coach recommended thinking about “tick-tock.” Some say, your swing should be “1-2, 3-4.”

In public speaking, you do not want to speak too S-L-O-W-L-Y or too FAST! If it's too slow, you will put your audience to sleep; too fast and your audience may not understand you. Focus on speaking at a comfortable pace and alter it for impact.  

Tip #20: Remember to Follow Through and Follow Up

In golf, make sure you have follow-through in your swing. If you stop in the middle, the ball will not go toward your intended target. This is often a problem with beginning golfers.

In public speaking, it's not over when you end your speech. After a presentation, follow-up is important. Think of some ways that you can follow up with your audience afterward. Are you collecting an evaluation from the audience? Can you get their emails to continue to communicate with them? Be sure to set up a debriefing session with the person who hired you. A polished and seasoned speaker knows that follow-up is important.

Reach out if you have any questions about public speaking. I may be a speech pro, but I certainly don’t claim to be a golf pro! Join our 2-hour Master Class in Public Speaking. Learn more about it.

Stay tuned for more tips. Until then, hit ‘em straight!

Lynda

Lynda Katz Wilner, MS

Speech and Communication Trainer/Coach

410-356-5666