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As a child I was outgoing and outgoing, but I never enjoyed putting on a show, even in smaller circles. During my high school years, I hosted several online and offline events that improved my public speaking skills.
Shortly after moving to the Netherlands, I got a speaker’s seat at a TEDx event takes place at the University of Groningen. Funnily enough, I’m a first-year student at university myself, so there was definitely a lot of pressure due to ageism. Also, my family and friends were in the audience, which made it infinitely more difficult.
I couldn’t mess that up. After endless practice, I learned more from this unique experience than all my previous talks combined.
Related: The Complete 20-Step Guide to Great Public Speaking
1. Don’t overload your slides
Speakers often use their slides to draw attention away from themselves and relieve pressure. Do not do that. Visual aids make the presentation more engaging, but people come to watch you, not your Canva slides.
You should only include what is necessary for the audience to follow what you are saying. Don’t include sentences, use graphics to enhance the experience, make it visually appealing, and don’t write paragraphs!
2. The more the better
As a speaker, you naturally want to include as much as possible in your presentation to add value. However, this is a terrible mistake. Imagine if you could use just one sentence for each section to get the point across. Focus on that and eliminate the rest.
When I started writing my talk, I structured it more like a lecture. I devoted a few minutes to introductory topics that would fit my presentation. However, I later realized that I would only catch the audience’s attention for a short time, so I should get to the point.
Related: 7 Public Speaking Basics Business Owners Need to Master
3. Don’t eat your words at the end of a sentence
The beginning of a sentence is probably the hardest part. Raising your voice after what feels like an eternity is no joke. However, we all know that in order to captivate the audience, you should start your sentences with a strong tone.
What many ignore is how they finish their sentences. I used to start my sentences confidently, but became calmer and calmer over time. Ending your sentences on a firm note will make your presentation much more memorable.
4. Power pause
I understand how long one-second pauses on stage can feel; However, maintaining a slow pace and pausing at the right moment can greatly improve your speech.
Another speaker that night even got into the habit of counting to five in her head before beginning her next sentence.
It’s not easy to retain information and listen to someone at the same time, especially with younger generations’ attention spans decreasing. You need to give your audience a chance to process what you’re saying before proceeding.
5. Talk about personal experiences
We live in a time when it’s easier than ever to find information on any topic you want. Your audience will not want to listen to you for 10 minutes to save them the hassle of a Google search. Base your talk on your personal experiences and offer a unique perspective.
6. Perfect your body language
You may be the speaker, but your body language does the speaking for you as a person. Learn the art of captivating your audience with gestures, movements and facial expressions.
For example, slouching, arms crossed, negative facial expression, and avoiding eye contact can be detrimental to the audience and reduce your credibility in the eyes of the audience.
Related topics: How to convince with your body language
7. Avoid “um” and “um”.
Although it’s hard to break this habit, avoid using “noise” when speaking. Train yourself to take breaks when necessary. This makes you appear more competent and comfortable, which increases the attention of your audience.
Related Topics: How to cut the “ums,” “uhs,” and “literal” when speaking
8. Don’t memorize your speech, but understand it
You should not read anything during your presentation, even small index cards. It lowers the quality of your conversation. It’s just a different feeling when a speaker really understands their speech and delivers it as if it were a normal conversation.
You need to structure your presentation so that each sentence reminds you of the one that follows, so that even if you spoke unprepared you would still follow the same order.
9. Be personable.
I don’t want to alarm you, but in my experience, audiences tend to pay attention to a speaker’s weaknesses rather than their strengths. If you come across as boring or arrogant, the audience will likely dismiss your presentation immediately, even if it’s actually good.
Be humble, kind and committed. If the audience can relate to you, they will be much more inclined to listen to you.
10. Use strong statements
As much as you, as a public speaker, hate to face the fact that humans have limited attention spans. You probably won’t remember much of your presentation. Therefore, use strong statements that convey a conclusion from your presentation, even if the supporting sentences aren’t there.
For example, I structured my TED Talk around ten principles that I practice daily to give me direction. Even if people stayed on their phones for the duration of my talk, they would probably still remember the one-liners I used for each principle.
I also ended my talk with a story that led to a quote: “Life is good.” The audience may not remember my story, but they will definitely remember how it ended!
Remember, a great speaker accepts imperfections and still delivers. Practice, get comfortable, and never lose sight of the purpose of your presentation.
