Public speaking

crystaline

crystaline

crystaline

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Ok, I recently started university in the US and although I am somewhat older than regular starting age I am still having difficulty with this subject.

The cliche is that Americans are loud, and yep they are- the education is also quite different, with more basis on class discussion and presentations (which i hated in school)

We are already a few days in and I'm having difficulty. I have worked in a professional environment before and am not generally a very shy person, but I have to take whole semester of public speaking plus presentations in all my other classes with over 50 people.

I was just wondering if anyone had any tips for confident and concise public speaking?

Thanks!
 
I am one of the most shy people you could meet, but I can stand up and talk to a crowd really easily.

  1. They want to listen to you
  2. They will take in what you say
  3. No danger of them being spiteful or aggressive towards you as you can pre-guage the response
  4. If you mess up, not the end of the world ever so no real pressure on you

The main thing is, and what I am trying to highlight is it is not the end of the world, the crowd listening to you is not about to start ripping you apart but should be orderly and polite, you can shape what questions you will get asked aswell if you prepare well enough.

As long as you are prepared and keep your cool it is easy, the two go hand in hand. Prepare, prepare and then do some research.

When I have ever in my life had to present something infront of people I usually have a relevant story that I can warp into what I need if I do not know an answer.

If I was being asked about cases and I did not know the answer, rather than stalling I would start a mini story about the question for a minute or so placing the same situation into soemone elses shoes, and then giving the source to answer the question for them. Getting round the problem.

Just be prepared, know your subject well and it is as easy as anything. I only get worried if I am talking about something where I have to think on my feet, as its then that you look a fool.
 
Yewen said:
[*]If you mess up, not the end of the world ever so no real pressure on you


The main thing is, and what I am trying to highlight is it is not the end of the world, the crowd listening to you is not about to start ripping you apart but should be orderly and polite, you can shape what questions you will get asked aswell if you prepare well enough.
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Click to expand...

I think this is a really important point. I really messed up badly today and think I made quite an arse of myself.
I just keep telling myself nobody will remember it in 6 months :p
 
Practice. In my experience there is no sure fire way of overcoming nervousness, I still get quite bad before a presentation - and have done it many times now (often to a fair number of people and senior colleagues).

I found the best way to get used to it was to practise in a more non-threatening environment, like doing it to a bunch of mates, who will heckle, but ultimately be supportive. I also built up my confidence by speaking to people who wanted to hear what I had to say (I do regular talks at my old school about getting into uni/med school - which is to a lot of people).

I also find it is a lot easier if you know your subject matter inside out and/or are passionate about it, as it will allow you much more scope for improv (so you don't have to worry about what you are saying/what's next in the presentation)

:)
 
Take time to think through exactly what you wish to talk about, if you have the opportunity.

Just write little pointers down on a piece of paper to structure your talk, DONT write your entire speech and read it verbatim. Even if you've not got long to prepare your speech, you should be able to get an outline of the way you want the talk to go written down.

Take your time, avoid any tendancy to talk fast, make a concious effort to pronounce your words clearly, no slurring between them.

Try and regularly catch the eyes of people in your audience. I can't stress this point enough. If you can keep peoples eyes, it draws them in to what you're saying. Hitler was an infamous orator, and one common thing people said of him was that you often felt like he was looking right at you (some say it was a quirk because his eyes were slightly wider than normal, a lá Mona Lisa.)

Don't be afraid to let your sense of humour shine through, but avoid set piece jokes, unless you know other people find them hilarious. Nothing worse than a speaker who thinks he's funny when he isn't, but nothing better than a speaker who is funny and skillfully uses this to add character to his speech.

One of the best preachers I've ever heard is a guy named Mike Pilavaci, who is one of these natural comedian types. I've sat on the ground in the middle of a huge marquee and listened to him talk for nearly 2 hours on a subject and not even been aware of the time passing because he manages to keep the audiences attention a mix of humour and insights. Conversely one of the worst I've heard had me squirming in my seat within 2 minutes, as he started dull, carried on dull, lost the plot, didn't seem to be speaking to anyone at all and didn't seem to know where he was going with the talk.
 
Take your time and dont stall. You will notice little mistakes when your talking, but it doesnt mean they have too, dont let it knock you. Ive had to do one in front of ~250 people before and it is a bit nerve wrecking, but youll get used to it.

-Go up confident, remember everyones doing this, its not just you so you wont be alone by being nervous
-Talk in a voice that can be heard by everyone
-Dont mumble
-Talk to the audience, not a piece of paper in your hand or the floor
-Try to add a bit of comedy to keep people interested
 
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