To some travel agents planning and booking a group of 30 or more on a tour or a cruise is a satisfying, even fun experience. It's what they are in the travel business to do. But standing in front of a group to give a presentation is different. It can often be a stomach-churning, panic-inducing act that's avoided as much as possible.
Don't panic and don't turn down offers to speak in front of groups, whether it's the local Rotary Club or at a cruise night event, says Stuart Cohen, a travel industry sales and marketing trainer who conducts regular “Ask Stuart Hour” coaching sessions for agents.
During a recent coaching session, agents fretted about public speaking, asking for tips to make their presentations less worrisome and more effective.
Above all, Cohen advised, remember that the audience is there to learn from you.
“The whole idea of speaking in front of an audience, no matter how many people, is to remember that your No. 1 goal is to help those people in the audience. They have come for answers, solutions, ideas and motivations. Your mission is to connect with them and give them the answers they've come to hear. It's not about you, it's about them.”
Cohen, who often gives talks and workshops at industry events, has his own routine before public speaking.
“I quiet myself before I take the stage, say a little prayer, and take deep breath. I remind myself that this is not about me, this about the audience, why they are here and what they want to hear from me.”
Focusing on giving the audience what it wants to hear instead of your nervousness will make you less fearful and more effective, he said.
In an email interview after the coaching session, Cohen elaborated on his advice about public speaking.
He said that agents have to make sure that they connect with an audience by providing relevant information and not deliver “a giant sales pitch” that puts off people.
“Speakers that connect and influence their audience will have great success sharing ideas and inspiring action. When I approach an audience, I know their expectations and fears. Travel professionals will not connect nor influence an audience if they approach a speaking event as a giant sales pitch.”
Cohen said that it's important for speakers to look at individuals in an audience and create a connection.
“A speaker can view an audience as a singular big blob of people or as a group of individuals. When we see them as individuals, we take time to look at eyeballs — no different from a one-on-one conversation with a friend. It creates a more personalized conversation for me, which effects my speaking pattern. This method is also highly beneficial for the audience members. Trust me that the audience will be more highly connected and influenced when they feel personally engaged.”
Other tips for public speaking are to start on time and end on time, immediately lay out the agenda for the talk and never to read a speech but deliver a talk from bullet point notes in a conversational tone and style.
He said to learn some history of what the audience already knows and, if possible, speak personally with people who will be in the audience beforehand to understand their needs and what they would most like to hear.
Finally, the more that agents give presentations the better and more relaxed they will become. Local Toastmasters groups, which are devoted to improving public speaking skills through practice and feedback, provide excellent opportunities to hone those skills, he said.