A Nervous Speaker (picture from St. Edmund’s College)
-Jean de la Bruyere
“Why doesn’t the fellow who says, ‘I’m no speechmaker,’ let it go at that instead of giving a demonstration?”
-Kin Hubbard
Someone the other day asked me about public speaking and I remembered once again how terrified most people are of it. I got used to speaking in front of groups back when I was in high school and I’ve always found it fun. I’m hoping to create a subsection of my Corporate Advice category which I will dedicate to this topic. I will use personal examples as much as I can to illustrate what works and what doesn’t work so well.
I know there are a few people who read this blog who have participated in commerce games and other competitions. Most of them are excellent speakers and presenters. I’ve learned a lot of things from them and I think it would be great if they could contribute to some of the topics I will discuss. I quickly brainstormed a list of key points I will [hope to] go over in the next few days:
- Knowing Your Audience
- Knowing Your Material
- Appearing Professional
- Sounding Professional
- Explaining Theoretical Concepts
- “Uptalking”
- Making Jokes
- Breaking the Ice
- PowerPoint Tips
- Timing with PowerPoint
- Presentation Time Limits
- Fielding Questions
Any other suggestions are welcome and hopefully I’ll be able to get through all these!
“According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that seem right? That means to the average person, if you have to go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.”
-Jerry Seinfeld
Public speaking is like anything else; practice makes perfect. The more you do it, the more you realize it’s not that bad afterall! 