Guest Post: Outsider Presentations - 6 Tips For Getting Inside
This is my first guest post! I’m on vacation! Kris is from the Czech Republic, and we connected about public speaking stuff via Twitter a couple of months ago. He asked me if I’d write a guest blog for his website: 5 Rituals to Prep for Public Speaking. He developed a cool Virtual Reality system where you can practise your speech in front of virtual people. Check it out here.
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Outsider Presentations - 6 Tips For Getting Inside, by Dr. Kristopher J Blom of Virtual Orator
There are many situations where a speaker is different from the audience. Invited speaking opportunities are often based on differences; they are what make you interesting. Being different is a great advantage as everyone will be engaged from the start. What happens, though, when differences are blatantly obvious?
Human psychology starts to affect the situation. We have a strong tendency to prefer familiar things and can have negative associations with those that are different. This also can shape our perception of other people. Obvious differences, like gender, age, and race, are clear examples. When the audience is similar in some way that is obvious to them, and the speaker is clearly not the same, a challenging situation can emerge.
As a speaker in this situation, you have an uphill battle. The audiences’ perceptions of you as an outsider could make you seem less trustworthy. The audience will tend to be less receptive to your message and possibly less friendly. You will likely sense the reluctance of the group, which may put off even seasoned speakers. Turn your differences back into positives with these 6 tips.
1. Create or adapt your content to your audience
Do your research. Gather what information you can about the group to whom you are presenting. Ask the organizers if you have questions. What you are trying to understand is what makes the audience into a group. What are their collective beliefs and interests?
Once you know the audience, you can start to tailor your content to their needs or interests. This helps you assure that they get what they need from your presentation.
Another payoff is in the ability to connect with the audience. Consider how you might adapt the flavor components of your presentation; the ones designed to build a connection with the audience. Do you have any stories that can fit? Do you know anyone that would identify with that group you can pump for stories, tips or content?
2. Test your speech with a group member
You are not part of the group you are targeting, and, therefore, you can’t really know how they will react to your speech, particularly your efforts to adapt to how you perceive them to be. It is very easy for it all to go wrong. What you think is targeted and helpful, may be confusing, patronizing or even offensive.
The best way to steer against this is test it with someone from the group itself or at least someone who identifies themselves as part of that group. If you don’t have someone in your own network, it’s time to expand. Ask the organizers. Ask your network.
3. Meet and greet beforehand
In the case of an outsider presentation, this gem of a speaking tip carries with it multiple benefits. Just like in the case of a fear of public speaking, by doing this you can gain a few recognizable and hopefully even friendly faces in the crowd. Seeing those faces will help balance out the less open faces. In the best case, those few individuals scattered through the audience can provide a growing wake of positive attitude to you. This works because when some in a group approve, other will follow simply because ‘the group’ does.
If you are quick on your feet, you can use this meet and greet to get more information about the group expectations for your talk. Ask questions that help you refine the preparation you did previously in tailoring your presentation to the audience.
If your speech allows it and you are very confident you will not be divulging anything sensitive, you might even be even be able to bring in comments by those people directly. Even when anonymizing the source, it will suggest you have an existing relationship with this group. Particularly with closely bound groups, which are often the most closed to you as an outsider, this will burst open the doors for your message to be at least received.
4. Use Virtual Reality to Prepare
With a VR product like Virtual Orator (link https://virtualorator.com) you can prepare for your future situation by creating it virtually. This allows you as the presenter to be psychologically prepared to confront the situation. As an example, you can practice presenting in front of a group that is all men or women. You might also use a setting to have the audience be generally more closed to your message, so that you can practice presenting with high energy and enthusiasm, even without positive feedback.
5. Adapt phrases and/or speaking style to the audience
Sometimes what makes you different from the audience is punctuated by how you speak rather than appearance. An obvious case where this occurs is with age differences, but inter-cultural, international and even regional audiences are other examples.
With audiences for whom the language or your accent might be challenging, slowing down and choosing phrasing that is more universally understandable is highly recommendable.
If you are gifted, you can adapt your speaking style to your audience. This can be very challenging to get right; minor shifts instead of going overboard is advisable. For most of us, it’s better just to throw in a few phrases. Even if it is a bit transparent, the gesture will usually be appreciated. Now is a good time to reread tip #2.
6. Dress for Success
Almost all of the factors that lead to this being an outsider presentation are not things you can do much about. Your attire is one thing you have full control over. You should try to match the general attire of the group, particularly the formality of that attire. In many situations, being just slightly more formal leads to an impression of authority, which can be helpful.
The power of this should not be underestimated. Psychologists have shown putting people into groups by using only the color of t-shirts can create strong in-group and out-group ties. Within very short periods this can even override otherwise strong groupings like race. Just think of sports teams. (https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201012/in-groups-out-groups-and-the-psychology-crowds is a good introduction on this topic)
The outsider presentation can be a challenge, but also very rewarding. Your different viewpoint means what you have to say will be interesting, as long as you can reach the group. With these 6 tips you will be well on your way to opening the door for the audience to hear your message.
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Dr. Kristopher J Blom is a Virtual Reality expert, working in the field since 1998. His research career moved from hardcore computer engineering and CS to applied psychology using VR. He founded Virtual Human Technologies with the goal of helping avatars help people. Their flagship product is Virtual Orator, a VR tool for training Public Speaking. Virtual Orator exists because it is the tool Kris wishes he had had, instead of the trail by fire he experienced in his public speaking journey.
For more information on Kris and Virtual Orator, please visit the website https://virtualorator.com. Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts!
