Your Experience with or Advice on Public Speaking
 

I am preparing a presentation for monday right
now...i have held presentation to smaller groups
in the past, but the next one is to like 50+ people...

This to me is quite scary...

Do you have any experiences or advice
you would like to share?

Things to loosen things up, nifty fillers or...?

Thanks:)

don't throw up!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=H59Jwqbm43g

Take it easy. Speak as you would speak to anyone. Oh, and be yourself. :winkwink:

aw shit...i should manage that:1orglaugh

If you believe what you are saying, it will be easy.

I hated public speaking in the University, heh

Ya... I'd agree with baddog.

Familiarity and passion for subject-material can go along way to helping ease any woes.

If you're still worried, rehearse the speach until you're not.

Do not open with a joke! you set your self up for disaster....lol

I use to do speech and debate so i'll give this shot.

- Don't stand behind a podium
- make eye contact with your audience
- don't put your hands in your pocket
- use pauses in your speech to emphasis points and let them soak in
- stand up straight but relax
- watch the volume of your voice so its not monotone.
- If you are trying to break the ice try not to do it with a generic joke, what do the audience have in common - perhaps something funny about the industry you are in that everyone can relate to.
- if you are doing a power point presentation, don't defer all the attention to that - it should only supplement your speech.
- try not to use notecards, if you have to - just write a few main points down but you really want to be walking around and making a connection with your audience.

some good points there..

might have a problem in believing in this and feeling some passion
could be quite hard

i'll be speaking on operating figures in the automobile industry:Oh crap:(

50+ is cake. Open with a joke making fun of yourself, they'll either laugh at you or pity you, but either way you got their attention and you've managed to break the ice. :Graucho

aw nice:)


i always try not to ...but i always end up with at least one
hand in my pocket and when I make pauses i mostly lose
my train of thought...:(

If you have the time, take a video of your practice speeches. It's a *huge* eye-opener. Keep practicing and video'ing until you're comfortable.

And, I'd second wdsguy's advice; those are all key points. I've found that walking around while talking helps me relax, and seems to make it more interesting for the audience.

so how would you make fun of yourself as an ice breaker?:)

I remember a speaker say this, and it has helped me be much more comfortable in all my public speaking:

"There are hundreds of people, maybe thousands, that know more about this topic than ME." (he scans the audience, looking at everyone) -- "But I don't see any of them here, so you are going to have to settle for ME!"

oh good one i'll video a practice run tomorrow...thanks

Very good points but you forgot one...


picture the audience naked... :)

that might just give me a boner though...and cause even more problems:)

That certainly depends on the audience, but a good idea is to take a shot at your human traits, such as relate something funny (true or fictional) that happened to you the same morning. It can be totally unrelated to the topic you're gonna be talking about, in fact it's recommended that it is. That way you take focus away from people waiting to punch a hole in your story/topic right away.

Just be yourself and be calm when speaking and you should know what you're talking about so that people hearing you might believe and agree as to what you say.

Toastmasters
 

Try the following site:

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Toastmasters is an organization dedicated to making people better public speakers. There is a free download of thier Top 10 hints as well as more information for those who want to develop public speaking skills.

Cheers, AR+

thanks all...didn't expect this much...:thumbsup

was expecting a few lame jokes...gfy style

Yes, Toastmasters is probably the best thing for anyone who has to deliver public speeches and isn't comfortable doing it.

Rule #1
KNOW YOUR STUFF inside out. Especially if it's serious talk to serious people. No matter how uncomfortable you are, if you project the image that you KNOW what you're talking about and not just faking it, you'll do just fine. Keep it as simple as possible, relate the facts, numbers, etc., don't try to impress with big words or elaborate vocabulary.

Rule #2
KNOW your audience. What are they there for? What do THEY want to hear from you? It's not so much what you say that is important, it's HOW you say it and how it is perceived by your audience.

Rule #3
Speak loud and clear, but don't shout. :) Nothing better than a monotone voice to put the whole room to sleep, and fast. Try not to hesitate too much or look for your words, make sure you're well prepared but don't give the impression that you're babbling from memory.

Rule #4
Make eye contact with people in the room, most importantly those you want to impress, do business with, etc.

Don't just talk and talk and talk, try to incorporate images, graphics, or a slide presentation. Make it colorful with vibrant or vivid colors without looking like a rainbow or fireworks.

Ask questions, make people think for a few seconds, then give the answer. Try to interact with them, bring them into your speech indirectly.

I would leave generic jokes completely out of your speech, you never know who you're going to offend, there's always someone who's going to take something the wrong way.

Best of luck with your speech!

Missie

thanks :)

If you can hold a boner in front of 50+ people you should be proud.

I've found that when you're on stage people give you an air of respect. They're there to see you. They want you to be good. They are secretly rooting for you not to be bad. So just be confident, do your bit on stage and get off. Answering questions is different because then people are trying to show how smart they are. Thats when things get annoying.

Good Luck!

I don't have vast experience with it, but thus far a couple of things have gotten me through okay

a) Know your material inside and out, front and back. That doesn't necessarily mean just memorize it, but *know* it.

b) Looking out at an audience can be overwhelming; like a vast sea of faces. Put the human factor back in it. When you first take your place, find about three people spread out through the crowd, and look directly at them. As you talk, visually 'touch bases' back with those faces.

Best of luck!

yeah, the top thing is to know the subject you're going to speak about. If you know it inside and out, you can speak with conviction, authority, and comfort. Once you can do that, it really doesn't matter if you stumble a few times. You also don't need any type of written help past a single note card with reminders of topics you want to hit.

I don't often public speak (therefore I'm always a bit nervous when I do it) but when I do, its about things I really know (I've given my thoughts on traffic, the state of the internet, etc. a few times over the years and my style was always hidden by my knowledge.

Know the topic! Then speak with your hands to keep them out of your pockets. If there is a podium, pretend there isn't and walk around the stage engaging the audience.

oh, and be yourself. if you're funny, be funny, if you're not, for god sakes don't try to be for the first time on stage! it will not work!

:1orglaugh :1orglaugh :1orglaugh

thanks again...some more great advice:thumbsup

I took a course in school about public speaking. The one thing that really helped was.....

Know your conclusion word for word.

Practice it more than anything else because the conclusion is what people remember more than anything.

and if you really start to bomb, you can jump into the conclusion early.

take a couple shots of vodka 20 mins before going on stage.

nice one..thanks

i have warmed up with a beer before....but that was when i presented
things i knew alot about..

No problem

Good Luck!

OMG, I couldn't stop laughing cuz i knew it was coming.
Was that white russian?

Most Important tips: Be prepared have confidence and believe in yourself!Good luck! :)

One thing--you don't appear as nervous in the eyes of the audience as what you might think.. Therefore, just keep thinking that you're doing good with your presentation. :thumbsup

finally going to aa, lc?