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Public speaking is tough

speaking.io

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Re: Public speaking is tough

#41

Post by matteotom »

chad_oliver wrote: post #39
nostromo wrote: post #4

Here's two pieces of public speaking advice nobody will tell you about, but actually work. 1) Beta-blockers. Ask your doctor. 2) Alcohol. Obviously, be careful with this. :) But having a drink really will take the edge off. This works better when giving a toast as a best man than it does at work. It could probably work at a conference too. Other than this, for a big talk or pitch, I just practice until I'm blue in th…

Your idea for a Rift app sounds like an excellent idea! It'd be a lot of fun to try to create a realistic model of an audience. The small motions would make all the difference: that guy who suddenly looks up and stares at you, the person who sits stiffly with their arms crossed, the person who just can't sit still. However, one big problem is that, currently, the Rift is designed to be used when sitting down. What yo…

In addition, it would be difficult for it to accurately show the crowd reacting to what you say.

In my experience/opinion, one of the more stressful things about public speaking is how the audience reacts.

Re: Public speaking is tough

#42

Post by beloch »

Everyone probably has some good advice for public speaking. Here's my #1 piece:

Slow the fuck down!

You don't "win" at public speaking by getting more words in. In fact, you'll likely lose your audience by going a mile a minute. It makes perfect sense, but it's still hard to do. You can practice your talk in private a hundred times and it'll be X minutes. You can present your talk to colleagues and co-workers and it'll be X minutes. Then, when you get in front of a room full of strangers, the adrenaline will hit, you'll go into manic-caffeine-squirrel mode, and you'll blast it out in X/2 minutes! Some people deliberately make their talks too long, knowing they'll finish early if they don't. This is a mistake. They're just cramming too much material into the time allowed and will shell-shock their audience. Slow the fuck down!

The method by which you slow the fuck down is going to be somewhat personal. Different things work for different people. Personally, I do a lot better if I've gotten to know even just a few people in the room a tiny bit. If I can get a few people (hopefully in the front row) into the colleague-zone, I can focus on them during the talk and ignore the strangers.

Re: Public speaking is tough

#43

Post by julienchastang »

Public speaking has caused a great deal of distress, panic, and anxiety for me in the past. To remedy this situation, I joined a local Toastmasters club. They are located literally all over the world, and there is probably one in your area. I cannot say enough good things about Toastmasters. Through frequent, repeated public speaking exposure, over time, you become desensitized so you don't feel as panicked. And your speaking skills improve as you have to give speeches on a regular basis. I completely disagree with comments that suggest this problem can be solved through drugs or alcohol. I had ONE stiff drink before an important talk, and I completely hated the feeling while I was speaking.

Re: Public speaking is tough

#44

Post by JoeAltmaier »

beloch wrote: post #42

Everyone probably has some good advice for public speaking. Here's my #1 piece: Slow the fuck down! You don't "win" at public speaking by getting more words in. In fact, you'll likely lose your audience by going a mile a minute. It makes perfect sense, but it's still hard to do. You can practice your talk in private a hundred times and it'll be X minutes. You can present your talk to colleagues and co-workers and it'…

Famously Kennedy talked fast because he learned that people can talk at most ~200 words per minute but can understand ~600 (or some such). So talk fast to keep people's attention.

If you're going to talk slow, make sure you say something worth thinking about in there, so folks' wheels are turning during the silences. With practice you can judge where the wheels have got to, and feed right into that with your next remark.

Re: Public speaking is tough

#46

Post by ismaelc »

If you have something exciting to talk about, public speaking is not such a chore (a joy in fact). The challenge is having content that's easy to make exciting.

If that's not possible for you, then try to get excited of the fact that you're out there to excite the hell out of something mundane. Surprise your audience.

Being in that state of mind alone should knock out the jitters.

Re: Public speaking is tough

#47

Post by HCIdivision17 »

beloch wrote: post #42

Everyone probably has some good advice for public speaking. Here's my #1 piece: Slow the fuck down! You don't "win" at public speaking by getting more words in. In fact, you'll likely lose your audience by going a mile a minute. It makes perfect sense, but it's still hard to do. You can practice your talk in private a hundred times and it'll be X minutes. You can present your talk to colleagues and co-workers and it'…

I've repeated advice given to me: speak so slow you feel silly, then slow down.

This is great advice or large audiences. Speaking slowly ensures that the audience can understand every word, even non-native speakers. More than that, large groups may be varying distances from sound amplification, meaning the only way to cope with the inevitable rumble/echo is to modulate slower than it. This isn't such a big deal in groups that are easily in ear-shot without amplification, but it will definitely help prevent the speech from turning into a race to decompress an idea fastest! And it also helps prime your style, so that when you inevitably hit your stride, it fails normal, not fast.

Granted, if you have a strong command of yourself, then you needn't worry about it, but then you already have a style you're comfortable with and works.

Re: Public speaking is tough

#48

Post by startupkitchen »

nostromo wrote: post #4

Here's two pieces of public speaking advice nobody will tell you about, but actually work. 1) Beta-blockers. Ask your doctor. 2) Alcohol. Obviously, be careful with this. :) But having a drink really will take the edge off. This works better when giving a toast as a best man than it does at work. It could probably work at a conference too. Other than this, for a big talk or pitch, I just practice until I'm blue in th…

About the app, these guys do something like that - http://cyberpsyc.com/

Re: Public speaking is tough

#49

Post by beloch »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #44
beloch wrote: post #42

Everyone probably has some good advice for public speaking. Here's my #1 piece: Slow the fuck down! You don't "win" at public speaking by getting more words in. In fact, you'll likely lose your audience by going a mile a minute. It makes perfect sense, but it's still hard to do. You can practice your talk in private a hundred times and it'll be X minutes. You can present your talk to colleagues and co-workers and it'…

Famously Kennedy talked fast because he learned that people can talk at most ~200 words per minute but can understand ~600 (or some such). So talk fast to keep people's attention. If you're going to talk slow, make sure you say something worth thinking about in there, so folks' wheels are turning during the silences. With practice you can judge where the wheels have got to, and feed right into that with your next rem…

Kennedy doesn't speak that fast compared to people in manic-caffeine-squirrel mode. He downright ambles through his talks compared to many I've heard, and he slows down for the important bits too!

Also, comprehension doesn't always result in retention, which is what you really want your audience to come out of your talk with, unless you're a politician and you just want to leave an emotional impression like "Wow, this guy is really great and I'm so happy I'll probably even vote for him again!". In fact, I bet the very last thing most politicians want is for you to remember everything they said four years ago! For most of us, public speaking is about sharing ideas, and if you can say something with fewer words your audience has a better chance of remembering it.

Re: Public speaking is tough

#50

Post by AhtiK »

Exhale as deeply as possible and keep it this way as long as you can. After that breathing restores with first few rapid big inhales. Restarting your breathing this way is also restarting your brain in a way so the thinking becomes calm. Works every time.

Another tip is to eat 1-2 bananas half an hour before the event and maybe a glass of fresh orange juice. Banana works as a natural beta blocker reducing anxiety. While on stage, plain water, no juices..

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