WordPress Creator Matt Mullenweg Gives Tips on Public Speaking

I enjoyed watching a video recently from WordPress creator Matt Mullenweg, in which he gave some great public speaking tips. Along with breathing and knowing your topic inside and out, Mullenweg says that one of the best tips he received was to remember that people are there to see you do well. “If you mess up… [the audience is] gonna laugh right along with you, they’re not laughing at you,” he says. That connection with the audience provides him with the energy to keep going, and it removes a lot of his nervousness about making mistakes, “’cause if you mess up, it’s not bad.”

I really think this is a great tip, because the audience sees you as the expert, and they’re interested in what you have to say. They’re probably glad that they’re not up in front, and will be sympathetic of tongue twisters, technical glitches and other fumbles, as long as you keep your sense of humour too. Showing a little bit of your human side can create a bond with the audience, as long as it doesn’t stop you from giving great content.

Mullenweg is the 25 year old founder of Automattic, the company behind the open-source blogging tool WordPress and a handful of other software projects. He travels the world giving frequent presentations to the many users of WordPress, when he’s not coding enhancements to the blogging software. He says he receives the most positive comments when he presents while feeling relaxed, and because he’s lived and breathed WordPress for seven years, he certainly doesn’t have any trouble talking passionately for hours about his favourite topic.

Watch the video here. It’s just over a minute long

Ben Wilson wrote this post from his small room in his small house near the ocean. If you enjoyed this, you might like to sign up for his free communication tips. The newsletter also has less talking in third person.

Let Your Guard Down

When you step onto a stage, you are stepping in front of a crowd of friends. This is sometimes hard to believe, when the adrenaline is surging and you’re in the grip of a fight or flight response. But each person in the crowd looking up at you is actually willing you to do well. Each person has come to listen to you, and that probably means that each person thinks you are a brave expert in what you are about to tell them.

Remember the last time you were sitting in the audience, watching a nervous speaker. You probably felt sorry for that flustered presenter. You probably felt warm thoughts of encouragement and empathy. Most people empathise with an uncomfortable speaker and silently cheer them on.

Up to a point. There is an invisible line where the audience gives up cheering for the man or woman at the front, and just waits out the the end of the ordeal, feeling increasing uncomfortable, and missing the information that is being presented.

If you step out on the stage with your guard up, with the expectation that the audience will be hostile, you’ll cross the Discomfort Barrier much sooner. When you’re on stage, let your guard down. Trust the audience. Believe that the audience wants you to succeed. With the support and encouragement of an entire room, your presentation will sparkle with increased energy. You’ll start to feel you’re having a conversation with the audience, rather than giving them a sermon.

When you learn to trust the audience, and know they support you and want you to succeed, you’ll find your stage fright will evaporate.

Ben Wilson wrote this post from his small room in his small house near the ocean. If you enjoyed this, you might like to sign up for his free communication tips. The newsletter also has less talking in third person.