The Art of Professional Eloquence: Theatrical Techniques for Impactful Public Speaking

Agathe, after managing sales teams and then becoming a professional actress, what do you think are the most common mistakes professionals make when speaking in public?

In a nutshell: a lack of sincerity and hiding behind the content of a presentation.

In a business context, everyone has integrated and shaped (on LinkedIn, among other places 🙂 a “professional” version of their personality and image. However, this professional mask tends to erase some of our instincts for sincerity and authenticity. Yet these are essential to eloquence. Many presentations are very robotic and recited, because the speaker is not really addressing their audience. They are not trying to engage them: they are simply delivering a presentation, behind what they believe to be a protective “professional mask”. To put it bluntly: they are not making themselves interesting, so their subject is not interesting.

We rely too often on the brand and content we represent. Consciously or not, we make the mistake of thinking “the content will speak for itself”. Not only is this false, but hiding behind the content, brand or product is detrimental to them, as they are not being showcased. 

You have hosted events for audiences ranging from 50 to 1,000 people. How do you adapt your communication to suit the size of the audience, and what techniques do you recommend for maintaining the attention of a large audience?

In both cases, the challenge is to connect with the audience, so you need to be attentive (and not try to get through your presentation as quickly as possible!). In a smaller setting (even in a meeting room with three people), it is easier, even necessary, to make eye contact with each person, whereas with a large audience this is impossible. In the latter situation, the “classic” technique is to imagine a “W” across the room and, throughout your presentation, address people at each point of the “W” (back right, front centre right, centre, front centre left, etc.). This takes practice. 

In both cases, you should never address only one person, as this can make others feel excluded (and make the person you are addressing feel uncomfortable). You should also avoid letting your gaze wander off into the distance or down to the floor. 

Finally, and this is the most difficult part, we must work on silences that create renewed attention and moments of information assimilation, as well as movements that aim to energise our words, not simply to relieve our stress.

You use methods borrowed from professional actors. Could you share with us some specific theatre techniques that can immediately transform the impact of a professional presentation?

In theatre, as in a presentation, the rather vague concept of “presence” is essential to making an impact. However, ’having presence” is something that can be worked on physically.

A preparatory technique that positively transforms any presentation is a warm-up of the voice and upper body that allows the speaker to be clearer, to “carry” to the back of the room, and to reason more clearly, both literally and figuratively. 

I also enjoy working with »active theatrical listening" – this involves practising total presence in response to audience reactions. We actively observe non-verbal cues and adjust our presentation in real time, creating a silent dialogue with the audience that builds a strong connection and improves perception of the content.

Finally, I will discuss the technique of cold reading, which involves learning how to deliver a text written on a sheet of paper or PowerPoint presentation to an audience while maintaining continuous eye contact with them and without giving the impression of hiding behind the material. The aim is to learn how to make the audience forget about the material in order to keep their attention. This is all the more important as it can be applied on a daily basis in all our meetings and sessions, not just at conferences.

Stress is often the number one enemy of public speakers. What are your personal tips for managing stage fright before an important speech, and how do you teach them to your participants?

Years ago, when I was about to go on stage for a conference, someone gave me some very good advice: “Your stress symptoms are useful: they tell you that you're ready for battle.” In other words, there's no point in trying to get rid of stress (it usually makes things worse...), but we need to reinterpret it as a physiological symptom of our nervous system preparing us for a challenge. Since then, like everyone else, I get stage fright, but I make it my friend, and I teach my clients to do the same: breathing exercises that allow us to become aware of our heartbeat, to refocus on our physical selves, our anchors, so that we can be more physically present and less intellectually anticipatory of what might go wrong. 

There is nothing revolutionary about this, but I think we tend to be too afraid of our bodies, their reactions, and the looks they attract, when in fact it is precisely by focusing on them that we can calm our anxieties, be more present to others, and become more eloquent.

There is a lot of talk about storytelling in corporate communications. How do you structure an effective story for a sales presentation, and what impact does this have on persuading your audience?

There are some important lessons to be learned from acting: in theatre, actors are asked to consider, for each line, “What is your action?”, i.e. “What is your character trying to do to the other person by saying this?”. In all communication, we try to have an impact, i.e. to change our audience in one way or another. 

I work a lot in training on this concept of intention: behind every presentation, there must be a very clear overall intention, which is an action verb. For example: “I want to motivate our new recruits” must be the “beacon” that keeps us on course. Then there are several intentions within the presentation (“I inspire, I justify, I challenge, I rally, I project, etc.).

There are many elements necessary for good storytelling, but in my opinion, nothing is more effective than the speaker's clear intention about what they want their audience to feel.

Beyond words, body language plays a crucial role in communication. What aspects of posture and gestures do you prioritise when working with your learners to enhance their charisma when speaking?

I begin all my training courses by teaching and practising public speaking posture. This is the foundation. I would say that the most important thing is to anchor yourself to the ground, particularly to avoid distracting, unwanted swaying or swaying movements. To achieve this, we work on foot spacing, knee flexion (counterintuitive but essential), and neck relaxation, which also allows air (and the voice!) to circulate.

My other obsessions are silence and eye contact. We underestimate the power of silence and avoid it because it makes us uncomfortable: we try to fill it so we don't feel observed and judged, when in fact there is nothing more eloquent than well-placed silence.