"Know the people" - When Shark Tank's Robert Herjavec shared 4 secrets to mastering the art of public speaking

In a LinkedIn post from June 7, 2018, Shark Tank investor Robert Herjavec stated that it was normal to get nervous while presenting in a team meeting or pitching a business to a room full of Sharks.

Since Robert has good experience of speaking in front of large audiences, he shared four of his "secrets to mastering the art of public speaking." One of the tips he shared was knowing the people in the audience. He explained that by having a better understanding of one's audience, an individual would be able to convey their message in a way that they could understand.

"Know the People," one of his four secrets read.

Robert also cited Jerry Seinfeld's joke about public speaking. Seinfeld had pointed out how most people were so terrified of public speaking that they would rather be in the casket at a funeral, than deliver the eulogy.

Building on Jerry's point, the Shark Tank star noted that a person could not live in the fear of public speaking forever. He added that everyone had to speak in front of a large audience at one point in their professional lives.

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Shark Tank investor Robert Herjavec's four tips to get over the fear of public speaking

1) Know your purpose

Shark Tank star Robert Herjavec pointed out that most people struggled with finding the purpose behind their public presentation or pitch. He emphasized the importance of establishing or recognizing the purpose, noting that it would help in determining "flow and structure" of an individual's presentation.

Robert added that after finding the purpose, the individual would be able to recognise the message they wanted to convey to the audience and the lesson they wanted to give from their story.

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2) Know the people

The Shark Tank star shared that an individual should have a fair understanding of their audience to give a good presentation. He noted that by knowing one's audience and identifying what stakeholder role they played, the former could better understand their expectations and find the best way to deliver their message.

"Do your research beforehand – speak to the organizer of the event to get an idea of the level of knowledge the audience has on your topic. Find out the audience’s expectations, and really narrow down who they are. You have to put yourself in their shoes and identify what the audience wants," he added.

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3) Prepare more

Robert believed that the most important thing to do before a presentation was to practice. He suggested getting comfortable with the content by rehearsing the presentation or pitch in private or in front of someone else.

However, the Shark Tank star pointed out that practicing did not just mean having full knowledge about the content, but also knowing the room they were presenting in.

"From a tech perspective you should know if need to have a slide deck or if it’s a panel. Who is bringing the AV equipment? Have we tested it? How long do you have?... You’ve got to be diligent in your preparedness to ensure the message is effectively delivered," he added.

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4) Show your personality

As his final advice, Robert suggested people to just be themselves. He noted that an individual needed to command the attention of their audience, and that they would not be able to do it if they were pretending to be someone else.

Robert cautioned that the audience would easily recognize if someone was pretending and suggested rather to focus on finding the right balance between being "captivating and informative".

"At the end of the day, you can’t avoid public speaking. Practice and be confident in your knowledge and abilities ! The more you work on a skill, the better you become. And trust me, public speaking is one skill you’ll benefit from having in your professional and personal life," he concluded.

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New episodes of Shark Tank season 16 air every Friday on ABC.