Public Speaking Tips

Glenakin

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I have a story about speaking to the American Psychological Association on my blog today (link at bottom).

Suggestions . . . while some advocate writing a speech, I suggest learning to speak off the cuff with no notes. That way, you are more natural and more flexible.

Stand in the open, not behind something.

Be dynamic.

Easy for you to say, mate, you're a pro! I've seen some of your speeches on youtube. Great stuff.

I hate absolutely loathe speeches. Can't escape them, yes, yes I know, but I wish I could :(
 

sindy9001

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Insist is the most important. Never give up. Repeated practice.
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Yathrib

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I think public speaking is a very important skill for anyone to have, so I teach it to all of my classes, regardless of grade level. For the most part, I get more argument from seniors than any other grade level about it.
Due to the fact that most of my students have never had to stand in front of a class and speak (not read) to his or her peers, I try to limit the things I throw at them. I've got it limited to 4 elements:
1) Fidgeting: Don't do it. It distracts your audience from your words, like doodles on the side of the essay.
2) Dead-space: This is the point in any speech when people say the inevitable "um" or "like." Worse, it's when the speaker repeats his or her words. Even worse, it's when the speaker doesn't say anything at all. The best weapon against "Dead Space" is preparation.
3) Chew words: actors call it chewing words because they shape every part of every word with their mouth, and when they do, it looks like they are chewing peanut butter and three sticks of gum at the same time. You don't need to go that far, but make sure you enunciate your words fully and slowly enough that everyone can understand what you're saying.
4) Project: Not "project" like a book report, but like an overhead projector. You want your voice to fill every corner of the room. This does not mean shouting; it means pushing the air out of your lungs with more pressure. It is the simple difference between talking to two of your friends, versus an entire class of your peers.

I have them practice projection with the famous line from H6 part 1, "Between two hawks, which flies the higher pitch / Between two dogs, which hath the deeper mouth." I make them stand in the hall outside the classroom, and I go all the way down to the other end of the hall to make sure I can hear them clearly. It works wonders.

I just thought I'd weigh in on public speaking tips. Of course, there are tons of other great tips, many of which have already been mentioned in this thread. I just wanted to cover the beginning basics. I like the K.I.S.S. method.
 

shevchenfai

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Start or End a presentation with an inspring quote. Makes people remember your presentation.
 

trirae

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I'm a college professor of communication, and I'm just in love with this thread. So many of the most important lessons have stated.

At the end of the day, one of the things I try to instill is that audiences forgive almost anything provided the speaker is competent and passionate. You don't have to be the best speaker with the most amazing delivery. You can say um, ah, or you know. You can have a technology glitch. You can freeze for a second. None of it may matter if you deliver a good message with conviction.

Happy Speaking!
 

Fruitbat

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Picture everyone in their underwear!

Um, unless you're a boy.

HelpfulBat
 

dgiharris

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I used to deliver BIG presentations to Senior government officials and military officers at the Colonel and General level. I was often told I was a great speaker because I did the following....

Regardless of the audience, I always took a GROUND UP approach to my presentation.

My presentations took place on 3 levels, each occurring simultaneously.

Level 1: Layman, no real understanding of the subject matter
Level 2: Competent, understands subject matter
Level 3: Expert, top of the field in subject matter.

At first glance this may seem impossible. how can you simultaneously reach all audiences? Well, think of the animation house Pixar, they do it in pretty much every single film.

Laymen: kids, they love the cartoon and don't even notice the stuff that goes over their heads
Teens: They get most of everything and enjoy the cartoon
Adults: Marvel at how well everything comes together and truly appreciates all aspects of the cartoon.

My presentations follow a very similar format.

I start off with a very clear and concise theme/thesis, identify the problem and the solution

As I progress, each problem and solution is communicated at both the layman and expert level

At the end I sum everything up at both the layman and expert level

I find that having a clear thesis, problem/solution enables me to hit all levels simultaneous. However, I notice that if I don't have a clear thesis, problem/solution then I have problems communicating effectively.

Anyways, that is my technique and has worked wonders for me.

lastly, can't say enough about eliminating flimflammery and pretentiousness (is that a word? :) ) from your speech. Some people think that adds to their legitimacy but it really detracts from it and the thesis/argument you are making.

Mel...
 

MTaillard

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Public speaking/writing a speech is NOT the same as writing an essay or article. You're absolutely not supposed to sit there are read the entire thing word for word - it will just come across like you're reading it. You write speaker's notes. Head each one with the talking point you want to talk about, then write little notes like specific statistics or facts that are relevant, and include quotes that are particularly powerful as well as for your walking-away points (the things you want your audience to remember despite forgetting 90% of everything else within a week). Don't read your speech, per se, but read your notes so you don't leave anything out and be sure to sound conversational and knowledgeable.
 

She_wulf

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I've been writing personal speeches for my weekly Toastmasters meetings, I've found that mind-mapping before even putting down words is very helpful.

For a basic five to seven minute speech there is an introduction where you tell the story of how you decided on the topic or why the topic is important to listen to (what the listener's will gain if they listen) then you describe at least three supporting topic/concept/facts that assist your point, then wrap it up reiterating why your topic is a good thing for the listener.

Mapping puts everything out there, allows me to move concepts from one tree to another and see what doesn't fit in that structure and doesn't need to be in the presentation.

The software is free through web or phone apps. Mind Meister and Simple Mind are two examples.
 

She_wulf

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One more thought/bit of advice.

Visualize yourself giving the speech successfully while you practice. It works better than the old underwear trick. Even when you stumble in practice, think of how smoothly your are going to make a quick laugh at your expense, make yourself seem more human to your audience and quickly recover your train of thought and move on.
 

Userc16

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As Soccer Mom said, practice. I've seen friends do presentations who barely knew what they were talking about which their own company they started up. Just a bit awkward.

Also know your slides. You should know what your slides look like and what each one is about just by glancing at it. Reading from a slide is never a good idea.

Finally, speak slowly. It's painful as the speaker, but being nervous, I always speak at a million miles per hour. Not great for an audience which knows nothing about your subject of discussion.
 

dantefrizzoli

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Something I learned while in speech and debate was- and this will work best with a full room- breaking down the audience into left, middle and right, and constantly (but not too quickly!) making eye contact with one section at a time, and it doesn't have to be left, middle, right. It can be right, middle, left, or middle, left, right- just so it seems like you are scanning the entire room, and not focusing on one person or section. It also helps with keeping your eyes off the paper or the floor, because the audience does not appreciate that.
Another tip is to fake it until you make it. It sounds very cliche, but it's true! If you're trembling and nervous, slap on a smile and project your voice. Walk tall, shoulders back, head lifted high and nobody will know you were throwing up in the bathroom an hour earlier. (kidding.)
And if you are being judged by a panel, make sure you make eye contact with them in the beginning and end of the presentation, and throughout as well. They want you to acknowledge their presence, and they want to sense the confidence in your eyes as well. It's not easy making eye contact, it can often times be fairly scary, but definitely worth it, and it will help with your presentation.
 

Bufty

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If you want to learn what not to do, attend any funeral where family members slouch up to a stand, pay no attention to acoustics or microphone position and mumble on, head down, into their notes. It doesn't take much to check folk at the back can hear what you are saying.

Flow, clarity and eye-contact win every time.
 
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