In the last couple of years, I’ve traveled all over the world as a public speaker. I know there are people that have been doing this for their whole lives and I’m just a ‘newbie’ but I still wanted to share my tips and hopefully help some of you.
15 tips about being a better public speaker
- One of the very first things you should do is having a good presentation. This includes having plenty of images and visual effects and not so much text. The text should highlight the most important aspects of your talk🤓.
- If you are using a .ppt keep notes in the area below the slide. These notes are not visible to your audience.
- Practice. Practice A LOT Practice your talk while you’re standing up (not sitting on a chair) as it’s more likely that this how you are going to present at the conference. If you have eye-problems (I know I do), increase the font-size of your notes, and make sure you can read the slides from a distance. Pro Tip: if you are feeling comfortable enough with your talk, open a window (if it’s not cold outside) and let external noises come in. This will simulate a bit more the conference space. The audience is usually quiet but there are some external noises that you can not always control💪.
- If the talk is not presented in your native language, ask someone native for proofreading or ask the organizers for proofreading. Organizers will gladly help you.
- Do the same talk in front of your friends and family, they won’t judge you and they will give you honest feedback. Another Tip: if the talk is technical, and your friends/family don’t have a technical background, that’s still ok, your presentation should be understandable from everyone, so after the talk, ask them what they thought of it and if they understood it.
- Try not to look at the presentation too much! If possible, even memorize it🧠.
- Try to interact with your audience, ask them questions, make them feel comfortable, look them in the eyes. If suitable make them laugh, and always be polite (it’s 2020 everyone can get offended pretty easily)🤗.
- During your talk, do pauses. Do more pauses than you think are need it. This helps you to catch your breath and it’s easier for the audience to understand what you’re saying.
- Prepare a presentation having in mind the audience’s level (know your audience!). Are they beginners? experts? are they the CTOs, and the CCOs? Do you need to explain some basic terms or is it ok to continue?! Think about all of these things while preparing the presentation💡.
- As you start the presentation don’t forget to introduce yourself. Not everyone is going to know you, and it’s nice for the audience to be familiar with your background and your relevance to the topic. Also, leave some contact information at the beginning and at the end of your presentation🙆.
- Don’t consume other speakers’ time as well as your audience’s time! If the talk is 40' don't do 45' instead do 30–35' and 5' for questions. (Oh, and just to be sure, ask the organizers if it’s ok for the audience to ask questions)⏳.
- Wear comfy clothes (yet suitable for the event, if you are not sure what to wear, ask for the dress code).
- Before or after the presentation share a link of your slides with the audience.
- Be prepared to answer questions.
- Don’t forget to smile. This is your biggest asset🥳️
📹 If you don’t feel like reading or just want a quick recap then please watch the video below ⬇️. It is created with lots of 💓!
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