Do you manage your space when you speak in public? by Pilar Ortiz
November 12, 2020

Have you ever spoken in public? Were you aware of the space, where you could walk and where you could not? Do you remember any person, table, any distracting door that did not allow you to fully unfold?

Managing the space where we are is very important to communicate effectively. We must recognize the space where we are going to talk, as much as possible, in advance. For example, if the space where you are going to speak is a stage, or a high platform, you must take into account that the people you are going to speak to are going to be sitting below you. These types of events can be galas, associations, large lunches. In these types of spaces I try to arrive the day before, or even the same day, 1 or 2 hours before I start talking.

And what do I do? I recognize my space, I get on the platform, I walk in a cross, in circles, I move as if I were talking. And what does this do? Well, it gives me confidence, it lets me know if, for example, there’s any damaged board, cables on the floor, a door where traffic is high and many people come and go, etc. I look at where I can stand on. You won’t believe me, but I've seen many people fall, speakers, fall on stage by taking wrong steps. When you're in high spaces, like stages and platforms, you have to keep in mind that you'll have people below you, so it's good to center your gaze on the 4th or 5th row, so that you can handle the whole space.

When you walk and recognize the stage you will know if you can stand in profile, diagonally or in front. You will get an idea of how big the stage is, the audience, and so prepare yourself mentally for what is coming up. In the end, you will decide where to place yourself on the stage, not randomly, but from the energy you feel, the confidence, and the space itself. You must allow the light to illuminate you, but not to dazzle you. Never stand in front of a door, it will distract you. Every time a person moves, it could make you think things like, "Oh, this guy stood up from his table, did he not like my presentation? Did I say something that he didn't like?”

What do you do when there is no stage? If, say, there are about 30-40 people? You are going to follow the exercise of recognizing space. If you have the option of choosing where to stand, you should do so. If there is no stage, and there are tables, the best thing is to walk between them, going all the way down to make eye contact with the people further away.

Another fairly common question is: To have or not to have a podium? Generally, if you want to connect with your audience, you're not going to want it. The podium is a barrier, it limits you just like a television camera. On the podium you will have to focus all your energy on your voice and your eyes, but without raising the volume too much, because you will have a microphone. Important, you must not grab the podium! Let go of your hands and move them as if you had a camera in front of you.

That said, it is really important that you know how to handle the space. A speaker who does not know how to handle it will start walking like crazy, back and forth, nervous and avoiding making eye contact with his audience.

When you walk through the space, it is advisable to do it in diagonal direction through a rectangle. No matter where you are on stage, you must direct the movement in diagonal shapes. If you want to get closer to your audience, one thing you can do is walk 2-3 steps towards them when you want to ask them a question, and then go back to release tension. If you are going to walk backwards, do so while facing the audience. You want everyone to feel included, so you can also address the people in the background by raising your head and stretching your arm.

To be most effective with your audience, you must speak to everyone. You must sweep the audience away with your eyes and your head. One thing I highly recommend is to do a Z-sweep to include everyone, especially when there are a lot of people and you can't make eye contact with everyone. If there are less than 20 people, you can make eye contact with everyone.