I love speaking in public. I know it is a nightmare for most people. They freak out about having to think one step ahead of the words coming out of their mouth. I’ve given many speeches and coached others to better presentation skills. Here are some tips I use to keep my talks focused and interesting.
- While being introduced, rub your hands together or pinch the inside of your palm. I find this takes my mind off my nervousness. The audience never notices these actions and you’d be surprised how much it can energize you and get you off to a great start.
- Don’t be alarmed if your voice sounds shaky. It simply means you need to breathe! For me, it usually happens at the beginning when I find I am talking way too fast. If I pause, slow down, and take in some oxygen, the shakiness goes away and my voice is immediately stronger.
- Focus on the transitions between points. Most people fixate on using exactly the right words. Instead, I think about how to move from one topic to the next. It is like using a GPS to get from city to city: it tells you the route to take. Transitions tell your audience where you’ve been, where you are going, how you’ll get there. You’ll never lose them if you use transitions well.
- Plan trigger words and write them down. Triggers are a word or short phrase that jogs your memory. Practice with notes but then throw them away. Write your triggers down so that you don’t become over reliant on a script.
- Practice while you are driving. Driving is down time when I am forced to slower pace and can think clearly. It is the perfect for rehearsing or to practice different ways of making a point. These days with hands-free calling, you don’t even have to worry about other drivers seeing you talk to yourself.
- Finally, if I lose my train of thought, I ask a question. Not only does this buy time to recover but it can also engage the audience.