Step Away From The Lectern

A ship in the harbour is safe.

But that's not what ships are designed for.

A speaker behind the lectern is safe.

But you ain't designed for that either.

The good old lectern is the default at pretty much every conference or event you'll ever speak at.

Kind of makes sense as well.

The microphone is there.

Your AV is there.

It's a place to store your notes.

It's pretty easy to set up and you can customise the outside of it to the event branding.

It's a very familiar place.

And yet it will really undermine your connection with the audience.

Think about those big screens that we had in shops during lockdown.

Glass and perspex barriers designed to protect us from the coughs and sneezes spreading diseases.

And also creating a huge disconnect.

Remember how weird it felt trying to have a normal conversation through one of those?

In many ways that's what a lectern does.

It creates a physical barrier between you and the people you're trying to reach.

For a start people can't see what's going on below the height of the lectern.

Given the importance of body language in speaking, it's all hidden.

And then there's what people do with the lectern.

They lean on it.

They rest on it.

Or they just grip it for dear life.

I find lecterns deeply frustrating.

When I'm put behind one I almost feel like a caged animal.
Trapped and unable to get out.

And everything I know about connecting with an audience, the movement, the presence, the ability to work with the room becomes so much harder from behind that box.

At a conference last year, I was hosting a panel session.

The default setup was a table on the stage, chairs behind it, and a lectern to the side.

I could've sat the panel members behind the table where they each had an individual tiny microphone.

Instead, I grabbed a handheld mic, pulled up three chairs to the middle of the stage where everyone could see them, and we worked from there.

It absolutely changes the dynamic.

It means that I can go into the audience and be the person who is gathering the questions.

I can change the energy of the room.

And the audience can be involved.

A table and a lectern would never have allowed that.

A challenge I quite often give my clients is to step away from the lectern.

At first, they feel absolutely exposed.

But then they notice that they connect with the audience in a very different way.

And because everyone else is still using the lectern, they stand out.
(quite literally)

Using a lectern gives you somewhere to hide and gives you that illusion of safety.

The key is to be able to find that safety in your own delivery style.

And using the space to connect with the audience as much as possible.

Now, there are times when a lectern is exactly the right choice

A formal delivery where word-for-word accuracy is essential.

An awards ceremony, a graduation speech or a political address.

Then it's there for a reason.

Just don't use it by default.

Because it's easier.

You didn't think you could move.

Or because stepping away makes your bumhole twitch.

We need a bit of tension, right?

The next time you are speaking, ask yourself "is this lectern useful for me and my audience?"

Or am I just keeping things simple and easy?

If it's the latter, step away from it

You might be pleasantly surprised what can happen when there's nothing between you and the people you're speaking with.

And if you want to have a conversation about what else you can do to increase the connection with your audience, give me a shout.