Public speaking advice?

[jaydnul]

For some reason, I have always had an abysmal public speaking ability. My brain will randomly deny me certain memories that I know like the back of my hand when not in front of a crowd. I also forget how to simultaneously breath and talk, taking deep breaths and not being able to find a pause in my sentence to take another. I realize public speaking is a vital tool in a person's toolbox, so I want to perfect it.

 

For those of you who were once like me, what were some of the steps you took to improve?

 

Thanks!

[iNow]

Practice. A lot. Then, when you think you've practiced enough, practice more... Like double what you did the first time. Then, when you're absolutely worn out from practicing, start over and triple the amount of time you previously put in.

 

You can also take video of yourself and watch yourself speaking. Look for things you want to improve, then work on them. If it's a speech you need to deliver for work or class or a trade show or a seminar etc., do it in front of a mirror, 10 times. Then, take a 30 minute break, and come back to do it another 10 times. Rest a few hours, then do it 10 more times in front of the mirror. Do it in your car. Do it while you're walking. Do it in your head.

 

Make it a point to always speak up and say something when in a group, just to practice and get more used to it. Look for opportunities to speak, and ever larger groups where you can speak. Recognize when you make mistakes that you're not failing, you're learning.

 

Try to start with material you're most comfortable with... a book, a game, a system, a tv show... When you talk about what you know, it comes naturally and builds confidence so you are better at talking about things you know less.

[Delta1212]

Practice speaking. It's common advice that sounds kind of stupid, but it's common because it works. Even if you just sit in front of a mirror and practice speeches/conversation/whatever with yourself, it'll be easier to speak more fluently when you need to.

 

As far as keeping yourself from shutting down portions of your brain when you get in front of a lot of people... I find that it helps to address one person at a time (even if no one else realizes you are doing so) or in my case, though I don't know how helpful this will be for most people, to address the air and not worrying about the people who happen to be listening (you need to remind yourself to make eye-contact more with this one than the former one where it tends to take care of itself, though).

 

Edit: And yes, knowing what you're talking about is immeasurably helpful. During college I could give 20 minute presentations to a crowd of people with minimal prep time if it was a familiar subject or I was speaking about a project I'd spent a lot of time on, but still fall flat on my face when expected to speak for two minutes on a subject that I hadn't been given adequate time to familiarize myself with.

Edited January 16, 2014 by Delta1212

[hypervalent_iodine]

What the other two have said is spot on - practice. That's the bulk of what there is to it. I myself get incredibly nervous when I have to speak in public, despite being quite vocal in group meetings and whatnot. The best way I found to be successful in it was never to write a speech and to practice it until you could recite it in your sleep. My process is to put together lecture slides where appropriate, or a small page of bullet points with how I want to cover my argument and then just sit in front of that page or those slides and talk until it's over, fix any errors in my speaking along the way and making things more concise, and then go through it again and again until I could repeat it without having to think too much about it. At that point, I often record it and listen to it the next day to see if I need to make changes and go through the process again. I still can't get rid of the nerves when I initially get up there, but having my talk completely memorized beforehand means that I don't lose track and I can progress at a regular speaking pace without anyone noticing how badly my hands are shaking.

 

One other piece of advice if you are presenting lecture slides on something is to make sure that you fully understand every single thing you put on your slides. Even if it's just a mundane graph, you should make sure you know the ins and outs of what the graph means and how the data was acquired. Question time is where people screw up a lot and some people can be quite nasty with their questioning. Another trick is to be deliberately vague about certain, incidental things in your talk to lead people into asking you questions that you are well prepared for. Learning how to be confidently evasive when you don't know an answer is also fairly important.

[zapatos]

Join a local Toastmasters club.

 

A Toastmasters meeting is a learn-by-doing workshop in which participants hone their speaking and leadership skills in a no-pressure atmosphere.

 

There is no instructor in a Toastmasters meeting. Instead, members evaluate one anothers presentations. This feedback process is a key part of the programs success.

 

Meeting participants also give impromptu talks on assigned topics, conduct meetings and develop skills related to timekeeping, grammar and parliamentary procedure.

 

Members learn communication skills by working in the Competent Communication manual, a series of 10 self-paced speaking assignments designed to instill a basic foundation in public speaking.

http://www.toastmasters.org

[CharonY]

Except for the advice already given I would also add that while putting together a talk, distill the salient points and organize your talk accordingly. Assuming a presentation type of talk, you do not do yourself a favor by reciting one slide after another (though it may be the easiest thing to do) but to use those only to convey a point.

 

To give an example from a academic viewpoint: Many students construct a presentation about their work by showing one experiment after the other and finish with something like:" and these data indicate that gene X is involved in Y". While this approach may highlight that you did a lot, no one is really interested in that.

Instead, you should have a story ready and tell them what you are going to tell them. For example:" In the following I will show that gene X is indeed involved in Y" then use the data to support your point "assays bla and bla showed that it does indeed Y but not Z".

 

This has at least two important aspects. The first is that you do not get lost that easily while talking, because you have the main theme in your head and you already arranged your talk to support it. There is less risk of getting lost in small, unnecessary details that no one is interested in. Second, the audience can follow you easier and you will sense less negative feedback e.g. in body language that may arise when they have to concentrate too much (or just get bored). That reduces the anxiety for already nervous speakers.

[ajb]

If this is an academic talk to a wide audence then my advice is to pick only a few ideas to cover and have a modest overall message. Go slow and give people time to absorb what you have said. Simple examples can also help.

 

The thing to remember is that you will never be able to present as much material as you think you will in a given slot. To combat this keep your goals modest and you can skip some, but not all, details.

Edited January 18, 2014 by ajb

[Ringer]

What the other two have said is spot on - practice. That's the bulk of what there is to it. I myself get incredibly nervous when I have to speak in public, despite being quite vocal in group meetings and whatnot. The best way I found to be successful in it was never to write a speech and to practice it until you could recite it in your sleep.

 

I do the exact opposite. I may have bullets or slides with a little bit on them to remind me what to cover, but I never have an actual speech. As long as I feel like I know what I'm talking about I will just look at whatever point or topic I want to mention and talk about it. I feel like I come off more naturally and I'm far more comfortable just talking about the things I know. Whenever I've had a script I have to follow I think more about if I'm reciting my script correctly and less about whatever topic I'm trying to cover.

 

To the OP, my advise would be to be as comfortable with your topic as you can. The more comfortable with your topic the more comfortable you will be talking about that topic. I also try to not think about talking to a large group of people, I look at one person and act like I'm talking to them for a short period then look at one other person. It makes it feel like I'm having a discussion instead of speaking in front of a lot of people.

[Marshalscienceguy]

For some reason, I have always had an abysmal public speaking ability. My brain will randomly deny me certain memories that I know like the back of my hand when not in front of a crowd. I also forget how to simultaneously breath and talk, taking deep breaths and not being able to find a pause in my sentence to take another. I realize public speaking is a vital tool in a person's toolbox, so I want to perfect it.

 

For those of you who were once like me, what were some of the steps you took to improve?

 

Thanks!

I actually can not present myself speaking either. I think you have to just practice and get use to speaking in-front of people do you don't panic or forget anything. A lot of people get stage fright. I had to practice all year just to be able to present myself ONCE.

[hypervalent_iodine]

 

I do the exact opposite. I may have bullets or slides with a little bit on them to remind me what to cover, but I never have an actual speech. As long as I feel like I know what I'm talking about I will just look at whatever point or topic I want to mention and talk about it. I feel like I come off more naturally and I'm far more comfortable just talking about the things I know. Whenever I've had a script I have to follow I think more about if I'm reciting my script correctly and less about whatever topic I'm trying to cover.

 

To the OP, my advise would be to be as comfortable with your topic as you can. The more comfortable with your topic the more comfortable you will be talking about that topic. I also try to not think about talking to a large group of people, I look at one person and act like I'm talking to them for a short period then look at one other person. It makes it feel like I'm having a discussion instead of speaking in front of a lot of people.

 

Our methods are different, but I think the result is the same. I don't write speeches either; I instead speak as I naturally would while going through my slides so that I don't sound rehearsed, even after hours of going over and over it. I can ramble a lot - especially if I find what I'm talking about to be interesting - so it's better for me not to leave that aspect of it too much to chance.

[Ringer]

Our methods are different, but I think the result is the same. I don't write speeches either; I instead speak as I naturally would while going through my slides so that I don't sound rehearsed, even after hours of going over and over it. I can ramble a lot - especially if I find what I'm talking about to be interesting - so it's better for me not to leave that aspect of it too much to chance.

I apparently completely missed the word 'never' in the text I quoted. I feel this is probably part of the reason I should never try to read a speech.

[Kh112]

Here are a few tips:

 

- (like everyone else said) Practice a lot. Practice at home. Practice in a large empty auditorium. Then practice in front of friends and people you feel comfortable with.

 

- For me, I always have to remember to speak slower. If it sounds super slow in my head, it probably sounds about normal to everyone else. Even though you have heard it 100 times and want to rush through it, it is your audience's first time hearing it. Slower is better. Faster is confusing.

 

- Don't use a lot of words on your slides, but visual cues to guide you through your slides and transitions are helpful in keeping you confident.

 

- Start strong. If you know your first few slides and nail them, you will feel very confident with everything that comes after. Early mistakes make you very self conscious.