What I Learned From My First Keynote Talk on PAC™

What started out as an email to introduce myself as a Certified PAC™ Trainer to my local Alzheimer’s Society, quickly evolved into a discussion about their upcoming conference in two weeks’ time. I reached out because I thought there may be an opportunity to facilitate a workshop for the Society support group. The CEO had something different in mind. “Can you speak at our conference to 140 people?” she asked. “Yes!” was my reply, with a big gulp.

Here is what I learned:

1. I can do this… and so can you! I’ve done public speaking over the years but never to a group that large. When an opportunity presents itself, I try to live by the motto of: “Say yes. Figure it out later.” We grow and learn by stretching our comfort zone. Speaking to 140 people was definitely outside of my comfort zone but I knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. So I said yes and figured it out.

2. People need what we have. Not that I have ever doubted this. It really hit home though because I felt like a bit of a celebrity. The CEO was so excited to meet me and to have me speak at her conference. It definitely validated for me that now that I have this training I have to use it! I have to put myself out there so people can learn from my experience and what I have to share. The topic is too important to be too nervous or afraid to do it, even though we may have those feelings.

3. Preparation is key. We have all heard the expression that you can never be too prepared. That is another motto that I live by. I rehearsed several times so that I could speak without looking at my notes and that it would sound natural. I also like to ask questions such as: Will there be a microphone? A stage? A podium? What will the seating arrangement be? Will someone give me time signals?

4. Get on the same page as the person who invites you to do the talk or workshop. I met with the CEO the day before the conference. We discussed what would happen during my 30 minute presentation. Initially we had a different vision of how the Hand-Under-Hand® demonstration and practice would take place. It was quickly resolved but I was glad we had the opportunity to talk about it beforehand. My partner for Hand-Under-Hand® had never heard of this technique so I demonstrated with her the day before as well. Although practice ahead of time may not be necessary, I think it put her at ease knowing what I was asking her to do and she would not be experiencing it for the first time in front of the audience. As a social work student, she was very excited to learn the technique and could immediately see the value. The next day, she was more than eager to get on stage with me!

5. Scope out the room ahead of time. I arrived to the room early on the day of the conference. I stood on the stage and imagined the room full of people. I channeled positive energy and smiling faces looking up at me. I practiced advancing my slides using the laptop that was provided.

6. Practice where you will hold your hands as you’re speaking. A mentor of mine recently told me that great presenters always hold their hands above their waist. As they want to emphasize a point, they raise their hands higher. I think this works because it provides the audience with a visual cue that says “this is important, take note.”

7. Don’t judge yourself too harshly. When it’s all over, pat yourself on the back. Don’t worry about what you didn’t say or if something didn’t quite come out perfectly. Only you will know. I’m also a firm believer in looking for opportunities to improve so part of my process for any project that I work on is to spend a few minutes to think about how it went and what can I do differently or better next time.

8. I can do things I never imagined I would do. In addition to speaking in front of a large group, I also sang Teepa’s Gems. I am not a singer and I can only imagine how awful it must have sounded. However, I remember the impact it had on me when I first heard Teepa sing it and I wanted to give my audience a similar experience. I felt very vulnerable but isn’t that how people with dementia are made to feel every day?

Do you have any tips for public speaking? What has worked well for you? Any great experiences that you would like to share? Let’s all learn from each other’s experiences as we work to spread the PAC™ philosophy!