Yesterday's episode of "Back to Work" went over public speaking and confidence as well -- it's definitely worth a listen:
What They Don't Tell You About Public Speaking
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Re: What They Don't Tell You About Public Speaking
#12My breakthrough in being comfortable with public speaking came from a quote: "...though it cannot hope to be useful or informative on all matters, it does make the reassuring claim that where it is inaccurate, it is at least _definitively_ inaccurate." - Douglas Adams If I am to make a mistake while presenting, then by gum I'm going to make that mistake with the most confidence and gusto I can muster. I will own up t…
Not only can you get away with mistakes by moving past them with gusto, but your entire speech can be a mistake if you pull it off with confidence. The Dr. Fox effect: > Forty years ago, a singularly interesting lecture was held at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. The subject was "Mathematical Game Theory as Applied to Physician Education." The speaker was Dr. Myron L. Fox from Albert Einstei…
That was the secret of Ronald Reagan's political success.
Re: What They Don't Tell You About Public Speaking
#13My breakthrough in being comfortable with public speaking came from a quote: "...though it cannot hope to be useful or informative on all matters, it does make the reassuring claim that where it is inaccurate, it is at least _definitively_ inaccurate." - Douglas Adams If I am to make a mistake while presenting, then by gum I'm going to make that mistake with the most confidence and gusto I can muster. I will own up t…
Not only can you get away with mistakes by moving past them with gusto, but your entire speech can be a mistake if you pull it off with confidence. The Dr. Fox effect: > Forty years ago, a singularly interesting lecture was held at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. The subject was "Mathematical Game Theory as Applied to Physician Education." The speaker was Dr. Myron L. Fox from Albert Einstei…
I had a friend who went to baseball umpire school. He said that the main thing they told students was, "Call it quick, call it loud, and then turn and walk away."
Re: What They Don't Tell You About Public Speaking
#14"There’s one mistake I consistently see made by speakers both novice and experienced: they’re not excited about their talk."
I'm a nervous presenter. The way I used to combat this was with a poker face. No smiles, no laughing, no gestures, monotone voice... I'd do anything not to clue them in to my nervousness.
This is a flawed approach for me. People are very forgiving of humanizing nerves and foibles. People aren't so forgiving of boring, monotone talks.
What I try to do now, with some success, is to embrace (not suppress) the nervous energy. To 'feel' the same way I do before a challenging ski slope. I'm in my 30s and I don't get adrenaline spikes very often like I did in my 20s (like say, when flirting with someone new that I really like). So I'm teaching myself to seek out places to present, so I can get and enjoy that intense energy spike.
Adrenaline is the best, cheapest, healthiest, and most legal drug available to you; don't shy away from it. And give some of that energy back to your audience.
Re: What They Don't Tell You About Public Speaking
#15Yesterday's episode of "Back to Work" went over public speaking and confidence as well -- it's definitely worth a listen: http://5by5.tv/b2w/72
It may have been worth a listen for you, but I think YMMV applies very strongly to podcasts.
Re: What They Don't Tell You About Public Speaking
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not only can you get away with mistakes by moving past them with gusto, but your entire speech can be a mistake if you pull it off with confidence. The Dr. Fox effect: > Forty years ago, a singularly interesting lecture was held at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. The subject was "Mathematical Game Theory as Applied to Physician Education." The speaker was Dr. Myron L. Fox from Albert Einstei…
That was the secret of Ronald Reagan's political success.
[deleted]
Re: What They Don't Tell You About Public Speaking
#17Legendary senior partner at a law-firm sandwich seminar: "The most important thing about public speaking is to say it with confidence!"
Young associate (me), raising hand: "But what if you really aren't confident?"
Senior partner, fiercely: "FAKE it!"
Re: What They Don't Tell You About Public Speaking
#18A presentation is a performance. When you are on stage, you are on stage.
Re: What They Don't Tell You About Public Speaking
#19I like this a lot. I'll add a few of my own points too (though I think Zach's are great): 1. Practice, practice, practice. Now, I'm a hypocrite for saying this because I do tons of speaking engagements with little or no practice (which is a combination of hubris and the fact that I'm often pegged to do stuff at the last minute). Still, if you aren't comfortable speaking off the cuff or in front of a crowd, practice m…
Recording yourself is extremely important. Although it may be awkward to look at yourself stumble through a speech, you will get good understanding of how you are presenting yourself. I'd even go as far as trying different clothing and see how each changes the image your reflecting.
As I use to co-host a radio show, I found that listening to yourself live is the best way to ensure a high quality show. It makes sure you don't speak too slow,fast, if there's an echo etc.
Re: What They Don't Tell You About Public Speaking
#20Great post, especially the concept 'Talks should always be reactionary rather than anticipatory'.
A public speaking ancedote for all those that are nervous at public speaking or currently aren't that good at it.
My father excels at public speaking. He has done many conferences, TV interviews, company all-hands meetings, regular presentations, etc. He is natural, comfortable, excited, etc. Most imporantly, he can really read a room and react to people and tune his presentation on the fly to what interests the crowd.
But it was not always so. When he was in his 20s, he was absolutely terrible at speaking in front of a room. At one point early in his career he was giving a presentation and his boss turned to the HR guy that had hired him and said 'is it too late to undo this one', purposely, loud enough for him to hear.
Over the course of 5 or 6 years he dramatically improved at public speaking.
Public speaking is a learned skill. You can practice it. Do not leave making the presentation to the last minute, finish it a week before hand and practice 40 times. Comfort comes from being prepared. Walk the room beforehand. Check all of your gear and have backups of everything just in case. Be prepared to use no slides so it won't be a completely new experience. Have fewer slides, it makes you feel more naked but the audience won't notice if you get things out of order a bit.
Toastmasters helps. If you are younger, join a debate or model congress club. It's like shooting a foul shot, you just need more reps.