A public speaking teacher said, “A few people like to show off before the boss. But most speakers are apprehensive if the boss is present. Even I feel less sure of myself if the president of the college is in the audience when I’m making a speech. So don’t play up the presence of company officials. It makes your speaker less sure of himself.”

Give a pep-talk prior to the meeting. Rendezvous with all speakers shortly before kick-off time, to answer any last minute questions. Inspire them by telling briefly of over-all plans. Let them know there’ll be a sequence of subject matter. Tell them a variety of events will be staged. Assure them there’s no duplication of material. Then close on an encouraging note. “Let’s top all previous meetings. We can do it—let’s go get ‘em!”

“I’m no Knute Rockne,” said a Monroe, North Carolina sales leader. “But my pep talks inspire confidence, if nothing else. Give ‘em a try. You’ll be glad you did.”

Make speakers take a few deep breaths. Deep breathing relaxes the respiration system and reduces tension in the right places.  While a “pro” is being introduced, watch him closely.  You’ll see him breathe deeply three or four times before taking the stand.

This reduces symptoms of fear, which, in turn, reduces fear itself.  A speaker from Kansas City does push-ups before taking the stand!  “They relax me,” he said. “I get behind a screen and do a few push-ups. As someone once quipped, ‘Don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it!’”

Let speakers do a solo. They can’t feel comfortable when you seat people behind them while they are speaking.  It’s bad enough to seat people on either side.  A St. Paul merchant said, “When people are sitting behind me, I become conscious of them. I try to look at them from time to time. When I do, I lose contact with the rest of the audience.  It’s no good!”  If at all possible, put the total audience in one place.  Any speaker will be less apprehensive. He’ll be more capable, too.

Bring speakers on with a bang.  See that they are introduced in an enthusiastic way. Let everyone know they are a great person. Explain why they are qualified to handle the subject. This gives them that last-second certainty. Also, the emcee should wait for the speaker to reach
the stand.

A handshake and verbal pat on the back are encouraging. “I’ll never forget the moment I got up to speak,” reported the owner of a greeting card company. “The emcee gave me that last moment boost that I needed. He acted as if the sales meeting would finally be a success now that I was about to speak. It helped!”

Sales Meeting Planning

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Check the need for “refinders.” Occasionally the speaker will leave his notes for a few minutes. He may walk to the chalkboard, or step aside for a demonstration. Any such break in the routine throws him off pace. When he returns to the lectern, he finds it difficult to resume the use of notes and takes several seconds to find the proper place. This delay is embarrassing and causes him to lose poise. To avoid this, advise him to use “refinders.” That is, have him mark his notes so he can readily find his place again. A star in the margin of his notes will do the job.
Then he won’t lose time and confidence after each departure.

Have the speaker get the feel of the rostrum. Anyone not familiar with the speakers’ stand should visit it before the meeting. They can determine how to handle their notes, can see if they’ll stay in place.  They get an idea of how the room looks from the platform.  They can
visualize the audience. Then, when they jump up to make their talk, they are acquainted with the surroundings and much more sure of themselves.  As a consequence, they will have less fear.

“This has done more to help me than anything else,” a Wichita man declared.  “I realize now I had been afraid of the speakers’ stand. I didn’t want to visit the stand . . . not even before the meeting. But now I have no fear at all.”

Sales Meeting Tips

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