Are you good at public speaking?

Amory

Amory

Member
In my job I have to give trainings and other presentations fairly regularly (but not often enough that I get a ton of practice), and I'm pretty bad at it. I get very nervous and over-plan every single thing I'm going to say, but then when the thing starts I tend to abandon my notes and can find myself rambling. Which then causes panic, which makes things worse.

It's something I really need to get better at if I ever expect to move up in my current job role. Any tips?
 
Amory said:
In my job I have to give trainings and other presentations fairly regularly (but not often enough that I get a ton of practice), and I'm pretty bad at it. I get very nervous and over-plan every single thing I'm going to say, but then when the thing starts I tend to abandon my notes and can find myself rambling. Which then causes panic, which makes things worse.

It's something I really need to get better at if I ever expect to move up in my current job role. Any tips?
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Write a full day training session
Record yourself doing it
Keep doing this until your confident
Love and embrace the challenge.

A few years ago i hate public speaking, to the point where i couldn't sleep the night before, felt sick and nauseous as i was waiting for my turn/the thing to start. Now? I love it. Any chance i get to present, engage and train an audience of people is great. It's a huge confidence builder and because almost everyone is shit at it, it gives you a free pass.

Just remember, 90% of the people in audience don't care if it goes good or bad, so just enjoy it for you and it will go good!
 
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Amory said:
It's something I really need to get better at if I ever expect to move up in my current job role. Any tips?
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Yes, realizing that being afraid of the worst that could happen will MAKE the worst happen. Its a self fulfilling prophesy.

Don't look at the audience, focus on the wall at the back of the room.

Take it slowly.
and as S Slings and Arrows said, people don't give a shit, it's just time away from their desk.
 
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Public speaking was the one college course I'd actually managed to squeeze a 4.0 in, and my professor was very strict and tough as nails. The amount of papers I had to write on public speaking, only to retain like none of the info kinda blows my mind.

With that said...

It's a skill and you're gonna get better at it the more you do it. Practice, if you can. Anyone who will listen.

Dont be frightened or nervous. Easier said than done, but it's not much different than posting here on GAF.

The fact that you're free balling is good. Better than being stiff or wooden. You're putting on a show, and going off script is likely making you appear genuine and less wooden. Have fun with it. You have an audience. Make a joke or two, and dont apologize for them if they bomb.
 
If it helps, try and think of your audience as a single unit, "the audience", rather than acknowledging each single member. That way it's almost like a regular conversation. Dont forget to give some eye acknowledgement to random people here and there to keep em engaged.
 
Not at all. My voice stutter, I miss breathing times, hands and armpits sweat like crazy.

I hate to be the center of attention, I feel desperate, like I need to get out of there, even though deep down I know I wish I was good at it, because I crave and daydream being in that position.. then thoughts like "well, how could you? You always sound stupid and retarded, you have a lisp, you look like fucking trash"...

I don't like who I am but I like my mind. I think it would perform much better in another skin. "Maybe I could be a good public speaker then", but then I realize other people feel perfectly comfortable being themselves even if they don't look or sound great, so maybe it's my mind, maybe my mind thinks too highly of itself, blaming on our looks the fact that we're cowards and ashamed of ourself.
 
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GAMETA said:
Not at all. My voice stutter, I miss breathing times, hands and armpits sweat like crazy.

I hate to be the center of attention, I feel desperate, like I need to get out of there, even though deep down I know I wish I was good at it, because I crave and daydream being in that position.. then thoughts like "well, how could you? You always sound stupid and retarded, you have a lisp, you look like fucking trash"...

I don't like who I am but I like my mind. I think it would perform much better in another skin. "Maybe I could be a good public speaker then", but then I realize other people feel perfectly comfortable being themselves even if they don't look or sound great, so maybe it's my mind, maybe my mind thinks too highly of itself, blaming on our looks the fact that we're cowards and ashamed of ourself.
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You see your scars as a weakness, vs a talking point.

If you have a lisp, play in to it gently. If you ignore it, it will be a talking point, but dropping in a "weally gweat wewards, easy for me to say" at least breaks the ice. Same with the sweating. Blame the lights or the temp "is it hot in here or do I just have covid?"

Always a wear a suit or at the very least trousers shirt and tie, unless you're giving a speech to suits, then go ballsy and go for jeans and shirt or jeans and a hoody. Be one of your audience, but better.

Think about them as a collective on a journey, be the next step on that journey and relate to them from a path you've just travelled. Depending on subject matter of course.

Everyone feels exactly the same as you do when you're stood up there. Play on their empathy, emotions or logic "gotta do this to pay the bills, amirite?"
 
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TeezzyD said:
If it helps, try and think of your audience as a single unit, "the audience", rather than acknowledging each single member. That way it's almost like a regular conversation. Dont forget to give some eye acknowledgement to random people here and there to keep em engaged.
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I used to have to do product presentations with this guy, obvs not the Hulkster. I was the straight guy and the punchline to all his jokes, if you can get up in front of a room full of people like that and be entertaining you can do anything after that solo. At least you don't have someone ripping the piss out of you in front of people.



Good times.
 
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I didn't think so, but did a presentation for a training class, and the teacher said that I should be doing it full-time and I was a natural.
 
This is actually one of my few talents, I have no problem with speaking in front of people. I don't even know why, I have my way with words, at least in my mother language, that might be a big factor.

The only advise I can give you, that always helped me, is to learn the stuff you are going to talk about like there is no tomorrow. The more confident you get about the topic, the better you will perform.
 
Boswollocks said:
You see your scars as a weakness, vs a talking point.

If you have a lisp, play in to it gently. If you ignore it, it will be a talking point, but dropping in a "weally gweat wewards, easy for me to say" at least breaks the ice. Same with the sweating. Blame the lights or the temp "is it hot in here or do I just have covid?"

Always a wear a suit or at the very least trousers shirt and tie, unless you're giving a speech to suits, then go ballsy and go for jeans and shirt or jeans and a hoody. Be one of your audience, but better.

Think about them as a collective on a journey, be the next step on that journey and relate to them from a path you've just travelled. Depending on subject matter of course.

Everyone feels exactly the same as you do when you're stood up there. Play on their empathy, emotions or logic "gotta do this to pay the bills, amirite?"
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it's a complete lisp, it's more like a plastered voice, some consonants don't come out sharp... a "voice blob" is the best I can describe it, lol...

I don't think I'd want go all out with different outfits too, I'm already taller and larger than most people, big head and shoulders, I'm already seen as "different", I just wanna blend in.

It reminded of something funny, though. We always read about how people wanted to be taller, but being tall I've always wanted to be shorter and leaner, lol.
 
H4ze said:
To learn the stuff you are going to talk about like there is no tomorrow. The more confident you get about the topic, the better you will perform.
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I can handle myself pretty well too. Unless you have some serious anxiety or social phobia, this is the best advice you can get.
 
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I didnt think so but I presided over a friends wedding a got a lot of compliments about how I did afterwards. Could be due to low expectations but I'll take it. I was nervous as fuck beforehand though.

I dont think there is anything you can do besides practicing and getting used to the nerves.
 
I'm not amazing at it but I used to write speeches in a previous job.

You aren't as bad at it as you think you are. The people listening to you aren't noticing whatever little stumbles you make or put off by whatever tangents you might go on. You're worrying about it much more than they are.

Have a glass of water next to you. If you feel yourself getting overly nervous then give yourself a pause and a chance to compose yourself by taking a drink.
 
I am very good at it. Recieved top grades on all speech assignments in school/high school and those presentations at the University were always my stronger suit as opposed to handing in papers.

Know your subject, I take it you do this if you work with it. But know it very well, and know why it is important. Just rambling facts will make anyone fall asleep. Not saying you should try and squeeze in jokes as that usually is lame enough but having an enthustiastic energy will keep people entertained almost no matter what you speak about.

And fuck papers, key notes are good but try and remember them rather than reading them. Nothing is more boring than someone staring into a paper and showing a power point that say the exact same thing as the speech.

Just realize that making a mistake or two wont matter, if you get a number wrong just correct it like a man instead of stuttering about it. The audience wont really care and for that matter wont know. They will remember you, not your speech.
 
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DKehoe said:
You aren't as bad at it as you think you are. The people listening to you aren't noticing whatever little stumbles you make or put off by whatever tangents you might go on. You're worrying about it much more than they are.
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I think this is the key. Nobody else in the room is as concerned or as critical of your speaking as you are. Once you realize this it helps you relax a bit.
 
HellforLeather said:
I think this is the key. Nobody else in the room is as concerned or as critical of your speaking as you are. Once you realize this it helps you relax a bit.
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this is something I do try to keep in mind, and it helps. I try to put myself in their shoes where i'm just going to another meeting/training and couldn't care less about critiquing the person leading it
 
Surprisingly good..my first class in college was intro to public speaking and actually excelled at it to my surprise . it also has helped out quite a bit in day to day life honestly .
 
Maybe? At my old job, I had to go over rules and policies and things you had to do in certain situations to new hires for like 10-15 min. It was usually mid-day. I would drink my chocolate veggie smoothie and walk around to get my heart beat up and get the engines running usually most of the mourning and would later go in. I just had a piece of paper with notes that I went through as I did it. I was going through a lot of information and I know not everything was going to stick and made sure to ask them if they had any questions as I went through it. At the end, told them don't be shy and ask my co-workers or I if you had anymore questions or difficulty remembering something. Much easier to do when you're amped and after a good warm-up doing some light cardio getting the blood to flow, imo. This was my pre-presentation ritual at least.
 
GAMETA said:
I wouldn't say it's a complete lisp, it's more like a plastered voice, some consonants don't come out sharp... a "voice blob" is the best I can describe it, lol...

I don't think I'd want go all out with different outfits too, I'm already taller and larger than most people, big head and shoulders, I'm already seen as "different", I just wanna blend in.

It reminded of something funny, though. We always read about how people wanted to be taller, but being tall I've always wanted to be shorter and leaner, lol.
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Roll with it. Different is different and different is good. You're already not blending in by being the ballsy fucker who is stood up in front of everyone else.

Look at Tony Robins, he's basically a fridge with a microwave for a head. Yet, he is an amazing speaker, so amazing he made himself a millionaire, twice!
 
Yes, I think I'm fairly good at it.

Once I learned that the only way to improve was to practice, I took advantage of every single time I could speak in public. Trainning people, telling jokes, toasts, etc. I joined a street theater company like 20 years ago and it worked wonders.

I also took a professional course a few years back but by that time it didn't really add anything new.

I'd recommend you to look for your local Toast Masters International group. You will improve pretty quickly with something like that.


GAMETA said:
I wouldn't say it's a complete lisp, it's more like a plastered voice, some consonants don't come out sharp... a "voice blob" is the best I can describe it, lol...

I don't think I'd want go all out with different outfits too, I'm already taller and larger than most people, big head and shoulders, I'm already seen as "different", I just wanna blend in.

It reminded of something funny, though. We always read about how people wanted to be taller, but being tall I've always wanted to be shorter and leaner, lol.
Click to expand...

It helps me to keep in mind that no one can judge me more harshly than myself. Also, remember that no one will know your body and personality as well as yourself. Things that are pretty evident to you are not visible to most people at all.

Give it a try next time you look at someone speaking in public. Are you scanning said person to find specific physical characteristics? If they have any speech quirk do you really focus on that?' Most of us tend to focus on what the person is saying (after all, it's the reason why we are there listening!).

Good luck, mate.
 
Amory said:
this is something I do try to keep in mind, and it helps. I try to put myself in their shoes where i'm just going to another meeting/training and couldn't care less about critiquing the person leading it
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Think about the last time you were on the other side of a training session. Did the trainer say anything weird in how terms of how they put their point across? You probably don't remember, right? People pay way less attention to the mistakes other people make.

Keep in mind that only you know what you "should" be saying. The people you're speaking to won't know you aren't saying exactly what you planned to. Also, those kinds of small imperfections probably make you more relatable to listen to, particularly in an environment like training, than if you were totally slick and polished.
 
I took a few public speaking courses in middleschool/highschool, and I was on the debate team for a year too (Lincoln-Douglas, Extemporaneous and Impromptu). I took a public speaking course in freshman year of college too. I don't think I was ever exceptional or even that great at speaking to an audience, but I have a loud, booming voice that can easily project to a small audience / small classroom without a microphone. Especially for debate, which is more competitive, you just kind of power through it.

But in my final practicum course senior year of university I gave a presentation with my project group to like 200+ SCM students and faculty. That was pretty nerve wrecking, the biggest audience I've ever talked to in my life. I had "butterflies" in my stomach at first, but once I got into the rhythm of my speech I felt pretty confident.

Almost every time I have given a speech I get this HUGE rush of adrenaline and it feels SO GOOD to be done and over with it haha. It's a good feeling knowing your hit a homerun, or at least tried your best to control your nerves. The best advice is to keep calm, cool and collected and have fun. I guess my only advice is that you'll do so much better if you remember to smile and use hand gestures, even if you don't practice or memorize your speech, just keep your eyes connected with the audience, take deep breaths and talk slow.
 
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I can be. Depends on my comfort level and my knowledge of what I'm speaking on. I had to do so at a memorial for a friend of mine who passed the day after my birth mom died.
 
No, I have full on voice cracking heart thumping panic attacks whenever I have to do it.
 
Butterflies are normal before you begin and you get used to it. I'm perfectly fine in half a dozen attendee meetings to a few hundred auditorium type speaking. My one caveat is my understanding of the subject matter; if I have a clear understanding of the material then I'm golden, however, if I get dropped in the deep end without prep or in a "wing it" field that's not mine I'll get nervous. I don't like to bullshit or fake it and that's where my nerves come into play. Otherwise I'm good to go and relaxed once I begin as I prep and practice a little too, the more you do it the better you'll become.
 
When I first started and had a few employees I struggled with it. Cut to 8 years later and almost 50 employees and it's a breeze. Like others have said practice makes perfect so try recording yourself.
 
When you're waiting to start put your fist behind your back in the chair to force your lungs to stretch out.

Look at all four corners of the room ceiling to unconsciously modulate your voice to fill it.

Don't look people in the eye.

Try to know what you're going to say, don't rely on notes, then it becomes less about delivery and more about telling some people your knowledge. The doubt should lessen considerably.

In general i try to visualise what I'm talking about, and try to sell it in straightforward language. I'm an architect, so i make a lot of presentations to clients, and made a lot of them to critical peers in uni. Once i get into a flow i feel like I'm trying to charm people into enjoying a new perspective on something, i get gestural and collaborative.
 
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I am fairly good at it. I took a course in uni.

Breathe deep before you start. NEVER apologize for being nervous. Write out your first paragraph or two fully, and then di bullet points after that when you have calmed down.
 
I love public speaking, but then I love my voice and how I sound. I turned to Aristotle's Art of Rhetoric for inspiration and guidance when I was somewhat inexperienced. It might help you, too.
 
People say I'm wicked at public speaking, have had to do it for a while to earn a living and shit. A few things which help me, who still gets nervous as hell:

- people don't care as much as you think and they want your presentation to go well

- relax, good posture, shoulders back, upright but not uptight, this helps you to breath properly - stick with me here - when you're nervous and hunch over you squeeze your chest and your breathing gets shallow and quickens, you don't need this. With good posture and good breathing the speaking bit is easy and less stressful. Do this even if noone can see you ie, you're on the phone presenting to people, it makes a difference to how you sound and how you come across

- there is no point making lots of notes to help you, you don't have time to constantly check, use single words which will remind you which bit is next at a quick glance if you have to. The best presentations tend to have a narrative arc, a story, which works bc people are used to digesting and following stories. There is a beginning a middle and an end, tell your audience what you'll be presenting up front, lead them through it and wrap it up with conclusions, a payoff, ideas for future enquiry whatever. This is also easy for you to remember.

- make eye contact with your audience members, smile, enjoy the fact you have the opportunity to tell all these people about your thing and make the most of it

- record yourself, watch it while cringing, do better next time
 
I used to be terrible at public speaking, but after giving lots of presentations and having to improvise, now I'm pretty good at it. For me the trick is to not over-prepare, and to stay engaged with the audience. Try to find things that you can bounce your subject off of to keep it interesting but relevant. If you're having a good time talking, chances are everyone else will listening, just bring enough energy and keep it going.
 
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I generally have a plethora of knowledge, so I can always pull content out of my mental drawer - I feel pretty comfortable with public speaking because of this

I generally have a plethora of knowledge, so a lot of times I pull too much content out of my mental drawer - I don't always feel comfortable I am catering the presentation to the right audience

I struggle with the latter...I don't tend to have the normal "jitters" most people get
 
Exceptionally good at it. (Deliberately) longass rambling posts on Gaf aside, communicating effectively is pretty easy for me.

The key to being a better speaker is to talk to people in person. Not over the internet, not over the phone, not over Walkie Talkies etc. Just talk to people in person. Once you do a lot of that, communicating to/with a lot of people won't ever seem like a mountain. Sure, you might get pre-speech jitters about whether or not you're going to shit yourself on stage, but that nervousness usually dissipates the second you get into a rhythm -- which usually happens within the first minute or two of your speech.

Recording yourself, using notes, picturing the audience in the nude etc. can all help boost your confidence, but the best long-term solution to being a great speaker is to have a deep understanding of people... which only comes by talking to people.

FreedomOfSpeech said:
Master whatever you are talking about and there can be nothing to worry about.
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This too, but be careful with overstudying and or overpreparing because part of being able to keep people engaged is to talk to them like humans. One of the consequences of knowing too much shit is you end up explaining every little detail about whatever it is, leading you to sound like Siri. And too much of an info dump is one of the quickest ways to get people to tune out.

So learning not to care too much is really important. Unless you're informing people of a pending alien invasion and or zombification of children, chances are whatever it is you're talking about isn't life shattering and is -- more than likely -- only important for a limited time. Keep that in mind and you'll improve your public speaking abilities in record time.
 
Speech was one of my favorite class from college. And I, like everyone else, was terrified to take it. Wish it could have lasted longer. I did really well and enjoyed public speaking more than I ever thought I would.
 
I'm very good at it. I do it daily. Experience and practice do make a huge difference.
Big pointers I can give you are -
1) Decide the kind of speech you want it to be from the beginning. Do you want to engage in conversation? Allow pauses and expect questions. Do you want to work to a point before allowing any questions? Establish that in the beginning
2) Outline your thoughts, do not read off a card. Outline, meaning just bullets, use that as a roadmap, but don't try and read off a card.
3) Avoid falling into "you know" and "um" traps. Don't use them, if you catch yourself saying either, try and cut them out immediately.
4) Guide your word choice to your audience. Diction is very important. You may want to be more formal or colloquial depending on your crowd.
5) Know what to do with your hands. Either keep them steady, or use them, but be consistent.
6) Make eye contact with your crowd and carry somewhat of a smile while you're speaking.

Legit, watch Mark Cerny's presentation and take notes.


He does an amazing job.
 
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