Tips for becoming an excellent public speaker?

Will · 01-01-2008, 06:52 PM

I'm helping a friend prepare for a speech tomorrow. I did a little debate in high school so I remember a couple of tricks like:

Always be prepared. But when you forget something, don't get flustered. People are a lot more forgiving than you think.

Consciously slow down. We always talk faster when we're nervous, so most of us speak way too fast when we're doing public speaking.

Have open body language. If you have your stuff memorized, walk out from behind the podium. Don't fold your arms, play with your index cards, or put your hands in your pocket. Use natural hand gestures. That's what Bill Clinton did best.

Test your jokes out on your friends. Trust me on this.

Take long and deep breaths from your stomach.

Leave a bottle of water on the podium. If the speech is long you might need to take a drink. It also works as a great prop if you forget your lines.

Put things in perspective. I remember reading somewhere that people are more afraid of public speaking than dying. So everyone in your audience recognizes how brave you are for just getting up the stage. They sympathize with your plight and most likely if you just do an even halfway decent job they will be satisfied.

I never tried that "picture your audience naked" tactic, though.

What are your tips for public speaking?

soupkitchen96 · 01-01-2008, 07:09 PM

Speak really loud. I'm serious.

A loud voice conveys excitement. It gets me excited and my audience excited too. Good posture is also important. Overall, a loud voice and excellent posture gives people the sense that you are really into the topic.

Greg · 01-01-2008, 07:25 PM

Some people recommend talking to the back wall of the room. I think that's a bit unnatural and makes the speaker seem robotic.

I suggest talking to each person in the audience. Make eye contact with one person. Express a thought. Look at another person. Make another statement.

Let your eye contact drift around the room. The key is to make eye contact with your audience like you're actually talking to them.

If looking at your audience makes you nervous, remember that they're normal folks too. Pretend you're just having a conversation in a coffee shop. It would be rude to continually stare past the person you're talking to, right?

arcadian · 01-01-2008, 07:31 PM

i turn red whenever i speak in front of people i don't know. i also have a pretty soft voice that doesn't project well. what can i do to compensate for that?

sloria1 · 01-02-2008, 12:01 PM

I hear Toastmasters is a great way to become a better speaker. You can go to the website and find a club in your area. Unfortunately, there are very few where I live.

Greg · 01-02-2008, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sloria1

I hear Toastmasters is a great way to become a better speaker. You can go to the website and find a club in your area. Unfortunately, there are very few where I live.

there was a toastmasters club at my old job. They would meet in a conference room weekly over lunch. According to some old coworkers, they really loved it.

The Honest Dollar · 01-02-2008, 06:44 PM

A lot of good tips already.

Eye contact: don't just make eye contact with everyone in the room. Hold it for 10 seconds or so, or hold it for the length of a sentence. This is more effective than sweeping your eyes over the audience.

Don't move around too much (if you have room to pace). Move when you change points by taking a couple of steps in one direction. Any more than that, it becomes distracting.

Practice in front of a mirror, or better yet videotaping yourself. Sometimes we make the same hand gestures over and over again, which make them less effective and more distracting.

Even if you can't videotape yourself, try to record your speech. Sometimes we have subconscious vocal patterns that make us inflect every sentence the same way. It gets sing-songy but you don't realize it until you hear it yourself.

I think the best tip is one Will's mentioned: consciously slow down. As in, to the point that you think you might be going too slow (you won't be). This not only allows you to catch your breath and speak at a good rather than hurried/nervous pace, it also gives you time to think of what to say next, thus enabling you to eliminate the "um" factor.

I guess really practice. I used to be a good public speaker (also an ex-debater), but then I stopped speaking and now I'm not sure how I'd do in a public speaking situation.

glick · 01-02-2008, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Honest Dollar

Practice in front of a mirror, or better yet videotaping yourself. Sometimes we make the same hand gestures over and over again, which make them less effective and more distracting.

That's a good one. I had to make a presentation for work once and got my girlfriend to videotape me practicing. My performance made me cringe. I didn't realize how much I say ummm and how stupid my jokes were. So yeah videotape yourself. it won't be pretty but it will help.

Annie · 01-14-2008, 11:45 AM

Don't write down everything you're going to say, verbatim. Instead, work with bullet points or little notes. Of course, practice is required beforehand, but I find that writing down each and every word tends to fluster me while I'm speaking. Like, if I trip up on one word, the whole problem seems to snowball from there and I get more and more frustrated and end up looking rather silly. So, instead, I put down the most important points in my notes and kind of go from there.

I find that people pay more attention that way too because it sounds like I'm talking rather than reading to them, which triggers instant "Zzz"s.

boba1212 · 01-15-2008, 05:26 PM

Ha, one anecdote about the water bottle tip:
During graduate school, I was accused of taking too many pauses during my talks to take a sip of water. One of my humiliating moments was when one professor asked if I needed to use the restroom prior to my question/answer period after one talk. Ugh.

I'm not an expert at public speaking but one of my pet peeves are people who overuse those laser pointers! I'm talking about the people who point at a million things on the screen, or worse, use the beam to underline the words on the slide as they read them. Just my .02.

01-01-2008, 06:52 PM	#1
Will Administrator Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 339 Reputation: (19)	Tips for becoming an excellent public speaker? I'm helping a friend prepare for a speech tomorrow. I did a little debate in high school so I remember a couple of tricks like: Always be prepared. But when you forget something, don't get flustered. People are a lot more forgiving than you think. Consciously slow down. We always talk faster when we're nervous, so most of us speak way too fast when we're doing public speaking. Have open body language. If you have your stuff memorized, walk out from behind the podium. Don't fold your arms, play with your index cards, or put your hands in your pocket. Use natural hand gestures. That's what Bill Clinton did best. Test your jokes out on your friends. Trust me on this. Take long and deep breaths from your stomach. Leave a bottle of water on the podium. If the speech is long you might need to take a drink. It also works as a great prop if you forget your lines. Put things in perspective. I remember reading somewhere that people are more afraid of public speaking than dying. So everyone in your audience recognizes how brave you are for just getting up the stage. They sympathize with your plight and most likely if you just do an even halfway decent job they will be satisfied. I never tried that "picture your audience naked" tactic, though. What are your tips for public speaking?

01-01-2008, 07:25 PM	#3
Greg Administrator Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Sunny Southern California Posts: 160 Reputation: (47)	make eye contact Some people recommend talking to the back wall of the room. I think that's a bit unnatural and makes the speaker seem robotic. I suggest talking to each person in the audience. Make eye contact with one person. Express a thought. Look at another person. Make another statement. Let your eye contact drift around the room. The key is to make eye contact with your audience like you're actually talking to them. If looking at your audience makes you nervous, remember that they're normal folks too. Pretend you're just having a conversation in a coffee shop. It would be rude to continually stare past the person you're talking to, right? __________________ Admin / Tech guy Wise Bread, Parenting Squad, Healthcare Hacks

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01-01-2008, 07:09 PM	#2
soupkitchen96 Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 51 Reputation: (11)	Speak really loud. I'm serious. A loud voice conveys excitement. It gets me excited and my audience excited too. Good posture is also important. Overall, a loud voice and excellent posture gives people the sense that you are really into the topic.

01-01-2008, 07:31 PM	#4
arcadian Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 33 Reputation: (10)	i turn red whenever i speak in front of people i don't know. i also have a pretty soft voice that doesn't project well. what can i do to compensate for that?

01-02-2008, 12:01 PM	#5
sloria1 Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 56 Reputation: (10)	I hear Toastmasters is a great way to become a better speaker. You can go to the website and find a club in your area. Unfortunately, there are very few where I live.

01-02-2008, 06:44 PM	#7
The Honest Dollar Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: New York Posts: 90 Reputation: (63)	A lot of good tips already. Eye contact: don't just make eye contact with everyone in the room. Hold it for 10 seconds or so, or hold it for the length of a sentence. This is more effective than sweeping your eyes over the audience. Don't move around too much (if you have room to pace). Move when you change points by taking a couple of steps in one direction. Any more than that, it becomes distracting. Practice in front of a mirror, or better yet videotaping yourself. Sometimes we make the same hand gestures over and over again, which make them less effective and more distracting. Even if you can't videotape yourself, try to record your speech. Sometimes we have subconscious vocal patterns that make us inflect every sentence the same way. It gets sing-songy but you don't realize it until you hear it yourself. I think the best tip is one Will's mentioned: consciously slow down. As in, to the point that you think you might be going too slow (you won't be). This not only allows you to catch your breath and speak at a good rather than hurried/nervous pace, it also gives you time to think of what to say next, thus enabling you to eliminate the "um" factor. I guess really practice. I used to be a good public speaker (also an ex-debater), but then I stopped speaking and now I'm not sure how I'd do in a public speaking situation.

01-14-2008, 11:45 AM	#9
Annie Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 57 Reputation: (10)	Don't write down everything you're going to say, verbatim. Instead, work with bullet points or little notes. Of course, practice is required beforehand, but I find that writing down each and every word tends to fluster me while I'm speaking. Like, if I trip up on one word, the whole problem seems to snowball from there and I get more and more frustrated and end up looking rather silly. So, instead, I put down the most important points in my notes and kind of go from there. I find that people pay more attention that way too because it sounds like I'm talking rather than reading to them, which triggers instant "Zzz"s.

01-15-2008, 05:26 PM	#10
boba1212 Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 71 Reputation: (10)	Ha, one anecdote about the water bottle tip: During graduate school, I was accused of taking too many pauses during my talks to take a sip of water. One of my humiliating moments was when one professor asked if I needed to use the restroom prior to my question/answer period after one talk. Ugh. I'm not an expert at public speaking but one of my pet peeves are people who overuse those laser pointers! I'm talking about the people who point at a million things on the screen, or worse, use the beam to underline the words on the slide as they read them. Just my .02.