Any Tips on Public Speaking?

[xyxxic]

Hello everyone. This is my first post on the forum! I was browsing around the threads a couple days ago and everyone seems super friendly!

On to the topic at hand though, I realise that one of people's top fears is public speaking. Even more so than DEATH (.....or atleast so I've heard....)!

One tip that someone I had recently met told me was to gather up as much of your energy as you can and psyche yourself into becoming really excited to go up there. And once you're up there, be SUPER enthusiastic!!

For the first speech I did in my public speaking class (last week), my knees were LITERALLY and NOTICEABLY shaking. I had done my second speech today (literally 30 minutes ago) and I would have to say I have actually improved a GREAT deal. I put the previously mentioned tip into use and it DID help me a GREAT DEAL! I wasn't as enthusiastic as I'd like to be, BUT STILL, it was improvement!!

Some of my tips:
1) Actually PRACTICE your speech OUT LOUD, it really helps to practice on someone too. I know it seems like a really obvious step but I feel that not many people do it.

2) Before you start your speech, if you're nervous, once you get up to the front, give yourself a couple of seconds before you start your speech and take a deeeeeep breath while skimming/surveying your audience. (THIS REALLY HELPED me today. My knees weren't shaking this time!!)

3) Take your time with your speech and enunciate. But don't go too slow. (I had [still somewhat do, BUT I've made a lot of progess] this inferiority complex where I always felt that nobody really wanted to listen to me, so if anyone ever asked me a question, I'd answer as QUICK and as FAST as I can because I felt like it'd be a burden for them to listen to what I had to fully say so I wanted to make it as quick as possible, in the meanwhile tripping on my tongue MANY times because I didn't have the ability to actually talk really fast). It makes you look calm and collected. And it also helps a LOT when you're not rushing yourself to finish the speech because when you're taking your time you are less likely trip on your words or forget certain points.

Public Speaking is one of my greatest fears but that's MORE reason to improve on it. I feel that public speaking skills are a very valuable asset (especially since many people are afraid of it)!!!

I'm now actually pretty excited for my next speech!!
ESPECIALLY now that I've seen noticeable progress!!

Does anybody have any tips that they'd like to share when it comes to public speaking? KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

[mlj]

Hi - xyxxic

I think one of the best ways to get the correct mindset for public speaking is to watch how the experts perform their speeches.
I think paying attention to detail like their styles and habits, will give you great ideas about how to structure the perfect presentation.

This is actually good for any successful task. Just copy the styles of the pro's.

[xyxxic]

@mlj I do agree with this method! I've never done it with public speaking but I'll make it my goal to watch some speeches from TED and learn from them! Thank you!

[neilpage]

Hello There!

practice in mirror with your point of view... and believe it.
Believe as what you speak is vital information
Dress professional
and last... Stop worry about perfection, just be you and the Ideal you want to convey/believe...
you are over worried about something that is not there.

So ... so to speak pull your pants up and tell everyone what you hear.
you will do fine oopp's ,better yet you will be grate!

[xyxxic]

@neilpage OH that sounds like a great idea, thank you! I have yet to use the practice in the mirror technique for public speaking. But I did once to give myself a pep and motivation talk, and it worked WONDERS!!! It felt kind of awkward talking to myself at first but I actually got myself really pumped up from it!

[Clint Cora]

I'm a professional speaker and if there are two things I could suggest for folks who want to improve in this area, it would be;

1) consider Toastmasters especially if you are a new speaker
2) speak often, to as many different audiences at as many different venues as you can

These are the top two tips that will take you to the next level in speaking. If you want to get some ideas by actually listening and watching, do check out my free 3-part video series in my signature below. They are actually videos from my live keynotes in front of audiences. These videos show pretty well the present form of my keynotes as they have already been modified several times since the original version.

[splok]

I've done quite a bit of what most people would consider public speaking (though I'm not sure I do... but mostly 20-60 people audiences, and a few instances of a few times that many). The most important thing, imo, is to make it sound more like a conversation than a speech. Try to imagine sitting on your couch across from a close friend who knows nothing at all about your topic, and then tell him about it. That's what you want to do to your audience.

No one wants to be "spoken at" (which is what most speeches/presentations end up being), but most people are happy to engage in a conversation. With 20 people, you can still involve people by soliciting questions and feedback if it is appropriate for the setting, turning it into an actual interactive discussion, but even with too many people for that to work, you can still talk with your audience just like you would a friend.

[Derelle]

Originally Posted by xyxxic

Hello everyone. This is my first post on the forum! I was browsing around the threads a couple days ago and everyone seems super friendly!

On to the topic at hand though, I realise that one of people's top fears is public speaking. Even more so than DEATH (.....or atleast so I've heard....)!

One tip that someone I had recently met told me was to gather up as much of your energy as you can and psyche yourself into becoming really excited to go up there. And once you're up there, be SUPER enthusiastic!!

For the first speech I did in my public speaking class (last week), my knees were LITERALLY and NOTICEABLY shaking. I had done my second speech today (literally 30 minutes ago) and I would have to say I have actually improved a GREAT deal. I put the previously mentioned tip into use and it DID help me a GREAT DEAL! I wasn't as enthusiastic as I'd like to be, BUT STILL, it was improvement!!

Some of my tips:
1) Actually PRACTICE your speech OUT LOUD, it really helps to practice on someone too. I know it seems like a really obvious step but I feel that not many people do it.

2) Before you start your speech, if you're nervous, once you get up to the front, give yourself a couple of seconds before you start your speech and take a deeeeeep breath while skimming/surveying your audience. (THIS REALLY HELPED me today. My knees weren't shaking this time!!)

3) Take your time with your speech and enunciate. But don't go too slow. (I had [still somewhat do, BUT I've made a lot of progess] this inferiority complex where I always felt that nobody really wanted to listen to me, so if anyone ever asked me a question, I'd answer as QUICK and as FAST as I can because I felt like it'd be a burden for them to listen to what I had to fully say so I wanted to make it as quick as possible, in the meanwhile tripping on my tongue MANY times because I didn't have the ability to actually talk really fast). It makes you look calm and collected. And it also helps a LOT when you're not rushing yourself to finish the speech because when you're taking your time you are less likely trip on your words or forget certain points.

Public Speaking is one of my greatest fears but that's MORE reason to improve on it. I feel that public speaking skills are a very valuable asset (especially since many people are afraid of it)!!!

I'm now actually pretty excited for my next speech!!
ESPECIALLY now that I've seen noticeable progress!!

Does anybody have any tips that they'd like to share when it comes to public speaking? KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

That's pretty funny that you said you speak so fast, that you trip over your tongue. I thought I was the only one that did that. Yeah, I can concur with that rushed feeling. You never tell the story how you see it or hear it. When it's rushed, it kinda takes the sail off of it. I didn't know Public Speech could help slow your speech to improve on that.

Yeah, I'm sure many people suffer from this issue. I had to do it for a College class. I was nervous myself because my topic was controversial but after a while, I stop worrying about how I would be preceived and just on the speech.

I think you should try to focus on certain individuals in the audience. I think this helps, especially when you find someone with whom it doesn't hurt to gaze at. This allows for more concentration on the words and what's about to be spoken next.

This might sound silly but you can picture everybody either nude or semi-nude. This way it will be them who looks more embarrassing, than you think you do. You can have a laugh at their expense and help you relax at the same time. If you take the edge off, you can relax not be so tense and give a more concentrated focused speech. Instead of tunnel vision, you have peripheral eyesight.

[ZephyrusX]

I would agree with this. So many people just read presentations in my classes. Sometimes, they will not read, but you can tell that they have memorized a script and are merely rehashing it (actually, I do this admittedly - I'm not sure how obvious it is ). The better you can make your material sound conversational and welcoming, the better, in my opinion. Depending upon the presentation and audience, I will deliberately build in questions or small activities not only to include the audience, but to get the attention off of my self for a brief moment so that I can relax. If you are going to pose questions though, you really want to watch how you construct them. It doesn't work very well when you pose unanswerable questions to the audience.

I think body language is important to. Some people will hide behind the podium and sort of cling to it for dear life. If you are visibly tense, you make the audience tense as well. Stepping out beyond the podium seems to help for some reason. At least, I got better feedback for doing so. May be it has something to do with making the audience more relaxed and welcomed?

Originally Posted by splok

I've done quite a bit of what most people would consider public speaking (though I'm not sure I do... but mostly 20-60 people audiences, and a few instances of a few times that many). The most important thing, imo, is to make it sound more like a conversation than a speech. Try to imagine sitting on your couch across from a close friend who knows nothing at all about your topic, and then tell him about it. That's what you want to do to your audience.

No one wants to be "spoken at" (which is what most speeches/presentations end up being), but most people are happy to engage in a conversation. With 20 people, you can still involve people by soliciting questions and feedback if it is appropriate for the setting, turning it into an actual interactive discussion, but even with too many people for that to work, you can still talk with your audience just like you would a friend.

[xyxxic]

@clint cora I friend of mine had recommended me Toastmasters also! It must be a sign for me to try it out since another person is recommending it to me also! Thank you! I'll check out your video series!

@splok I agree that "no one wants to be 'spoken at'"... Nobody likes to feel like they're being lectured. I've seen people who've done the "conversing with your audience" type of speech, and it does sound and look a lot more appealing, I will try to have my speeches be as interesting as those by the end of the public speech class that I'm taking. Thank you!

@derelle I hear about the "imagine people nude" tech a lot! But I don't think it would help me much because then I'd get distracted... Ahahahah! But yes Derelle you aren't alone! I notice that quite a load of my classmates trip on their tongues when they are talking to fast in their speech! Thanks for the tips!

@zephyrusX Oh! One of my classmates stepped away from the podium today and it did seem a lot more welcoming and more personable! Ahahaha, I've also seen a person cling onto the podium for dear life also too! I'm going to try that out (the stepping away from the podium, not the clinging AHHAA) Thank you!

[ZephyrusX]

Have you tried anchoring techniques in order to condition your self to enter a more confident and relaxed mindset while presenting? I'm sort of experimenting with it my self in other areas of my life. I think it basically involves remembering a past event in your life where you felt confident, relaxed, at peace (or whatever happens to suit your intended outcome) and conditioning your self to experience those emotions on cue. I've heard other people say that it works well during presentations.

[starlequin]

I recently was prescribed propanolol for performance anxiety. I was very skeptical at what the results might be for me because my doctor explained that it wouldn't eliminate the anxiety, but more or less the physical symptoms of it. I was willing to give it a try though because no amount of preparation or confidence would eliminate my severe physical reaction to being in front of a crowd.

I was amazed at how effective it was in boosting my clarity of thought without all the physiological issues bombarding me (pounding heart, shallow breathing, trembling, etc.) I was able to communicate everything I wanted to communicate and was even able to relax enough to be more natural and pepper in some humor. I was nervous, but not to the point that I was crippled and unable to perform effectively. I was pretty ecstatically happy with how well I was able to do and even better, it's not something I have to take every day, only when I know I'll need it.

[Brutha]

But don't go too slow.

Erhard Tolle draws massive crowds while speaking slower than most people speak when they feel like they are talking too slow.

I think paying attention to detail like their styles and habits, will give you great ideas about how to structure the perfect presentation.

Perfection isn't the goal. People who try to be perfect by copying someone elses style don't look authentic.

@clint cora I friend of mine had recommended me Toastmasters also! It must be a sign for me to try it out since another person is recommending it to me also!

Let me add a third recommendation

Sometimes, they will not read, but you can tell that they have memorized a script and are merely rehashing it (actually, I do this admittedly - I'm not sure how obvious it is ).

The solution is to have no fixed script.

You are at home and stand in your room. You brainstorm a bit and write a few tag phrases for the ideas that you have.
Once you have ideas you start speaking.
You might have liked some things about your first trial. You might have disliked other things.
You repeat your speech.
Everytime you repeat it the ideas become more clear in your head.

If you repeat it often enough you reach a point where you know your speech and can give it to your audience.

[Clint Cora]

Originally Posted by Brutha

You repeat your speech.
Everytime you repeat it the ideas become more clear in your head.

If you repeat it often enough you reach a point where you know your speech and can give it to your audience.

I will confirm that this works as well. I don't go 'live' with any speech until I have physically delivered it at home at least 20 times first. The beginner speakers I've seen who forget parts of their speech simply did not practise their talks enough to have them totally immersed into their systems yet.

Even today, after I have delivered my keynotes hundreds of times now, I still like to do them in my car during long drives to and back from the ski slopes. It just keeps me sharp because I noticed that if I don't do this and if I go into a seasonal period where I'm not doing many live talks, I might forget the odd part or two. So even in my case where I've delivered the same talk many times before, I still find it valuable and necessary to rehearse it on a semi-regular basis.

[Nick Connor]

There is some great advice here but one thing that seems to be left out is addressing the elephant in the room, which is the fact that 99.9 percent of the audience already views you as an expert because you are on stage. Most of your listeners want you to Succeed.

I speak to high school and college students and make it a point to be self deprecating, you audience will appreciate the honesty. Combine the "expert speaker status" with "hey this guy is pretty cool" and you will truly feel the tension lift away.

Give it a shot, let me know how it goes.

NC

[Apresto]

Originally Posted by mlj

Hi - xyxxic

I think one of the best ways to get the correct mindset for public speaking is to watch how the experts perform their speeches.
I think paying attention to detail like their styles and habits, will give you great ideas about how to structure the perfect presentation.

This is actually good for any successful task. Just copy the styles of the pro's.

I don't think copying styles of either pros or newbies would do anyone good. In front of the public you're kind of exposed and there's little that can be hidden to the naked eye. Copying should go only to the degree of learning what to do and how but when you do it by yourself it's easier to do it your own way than to copy others. By copying you make it harder for people that are listening and looking at you to believe that what you're saying is true. I'm saying this from personal experience.

[MrProductive]

Originally Posted by xyxxic

3) Take your time with your speech and enunciate. But don't go too slow. (I had [still somewhat do, BUT I've made a lot of progess] this inferiority complex where I always felt that nobody really wanted to listen to me, so if anyone ever asked me a question, I'd answer as QUICK and as FAST as I can because I felt like it'd be a burden for them to listen to what I had to fully say so I wanted to make it as quick as possible, in the meanwhile tripping on my tongue MANY times because I didn't have the ability to actually talk really fast). It makes you look calm and collected. And it also helps a LOT when you're not rushing yourself to finish the speech because when you're taking your time you are less likely trip on your words or forget certain points.

Thanks for sharing this bit with us. I have to admit, I had the same inferiority complex. It still comes us from time to time, depending on who Im speaking with.

One thing that really helped me out was joining Toastmasters. Its very inexpensive (I paid 10$ a month) as well as its a very welcoming group to help people improve their confidence with public speaking.

One tool that they used in our club was a video camera to record our speeches. As difficult as they are to watch, they can be very valuable to see what the audience is seeing.

Best of luck!

[peloton]

Over the past few years I've gone from being absolutely terrified of public speaking to being absolutely terrified of public speaking but giving packed keynotes at the most prestigious conferences in my industry.

The key for me has been rehearsing. It's embarrassing to admit how much I rehearse my talks but for a typical hour long talk I'll rehearse it in its entirety 2 times a day for about 2 months before hand. It sounds crazy but it's the only way I can deliver a good talk.