Before You Speak, Walk the Room: The Hidden Habit of Great Presenters

Why knowing the technical set-up of the room is a secret to helping you be a better public speaker.

The Chippo Hotel during my advance

Public speaking isn’t just about words. It’s about environment.

Great public speakers and performers know that how a room sounds, feels, and functions can dramatically affect how your message lands.

And one of the most powerful tools you can use as a speaker is often overlooked: knowing the technical set-up of the room before you speak.

So if there’s one thing you do differently before your next presentation, do a tech rehearsal or at least get to the event early so you can reduce variables and increase your confidence.

How It’s Done in Diplomacy and Politics

Years before my work in comedy, I specialised in running high-profile events for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), such as the G20, trade negotiations, bilateral meetings and countless press conferences.

This kind of preparation had a formal name: advancing.

It involved going venues before the Minister arrived, often multiple times, and walking through literally every element of the venue and planned event.

This ensured the Foreign Minister looked great, and that the translators, cameras, and press photographers were positioned perfectly.

When the event began, everything had already been tested and timed down to the second.

And this is what professional presenters do - they remove the variables and unknowns.

From Diplomacy to Comedy

That skill from DFAT became one of my biggest advantages as my career advanced - and one of my strongest assets in comedy.

Yesterday, I did a site visit at The Chippo Hotel ahead of one of a new show there.

I’m going to have 12 brand new performers at a stand-up comedy grad show on Sunday at the venue, and everything must go like clockwork, to ensure that they feel confident and secure.

They’re already going to be nervous doing a comedy show for the first time. So the last thing we need, is for the tech or for the venue to be a problem.

I learned from the site visit that the mics we’ve been using for our practice are different from the venue, and that the lighting is not what we are after.

In response, I’m bringing my own lighting, some mic adapters, and - most importantly - we are getting to the event an hour before the public so that we can do a tech rehearsal ahead of the show.

Applying This in Professional Settings

This same discipline guides my work for all of the workplace events that I do.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been meeting with the AuScope team ahead of their Annual Conference, which I’m hosting next week.

We’ve discussed every element of the event from timings of every speaker to the audio-visual set-up in the room.

Every great public speaker, from a stand-up comic to a CEO to a diplomat, to the Foreign Minister knows this: confidence isn’t magic.

Confidence is strong preparation.

So the next time your manager asks you to give a presentation, give yourself permission to pause and ask them about the technical set up.

And if they don’t know, build it into the preparation, so that you can better understand your environment and increase your confidence when you deliver your message.

This isn’t over-preparation - it’s smart preparation.

That’s how professionals do it.

And you can do it too.