Public speaking for normal people • Hacker News Board

Re: Public speaking for normal people

#21

Post by corin_ » Sun, Jan 22, 2012, 10:14 PM UTC

podperson wrote: post #17

Speaking as someone who did a lot of competitive public speaking back in the day, the frisson of "panic" just before you start is your friend . I'm worried if I don't feel it. As for the rest of the advice, it's probably good advice on how not to royally suck, but not on how to actually be great. That said, your competition will probably not be that good. (The fact that Steve Jobs's keynotes are/were held in such hig…

"Speaking as someone who did a lot of competitive public speaking back in the day, the frisson of "panic" just before you start is your friend. I'm worried if I don't feel it."

My background is singing professionally (in the past) rather than speaking, but it's fairly similar for the sake of this point.

I agree with the adrenaline being your friend, but disagree that not feeling it is a bad sign. I always found that the amount of adrenaline/panic correlated mostly with the importance of the performance, and a little to do with what the performance was. When it came it was a friend to embrace not ignore, when it didn't it just meant (for me) that it was an easier gig, and I could do as good a job without any emotions boiling up.

Re: Public speaking for normal people

#22

Post by skmurphy » Sun, Jan 22, 2012, 10:37 PM UTC

cotega wrote: post #10

One other trick that someone gave me once when I was wandering all over the stage was to put on the ground something (maybe a dry erase marker) that I could put a foot on. For some reason, that really helps to keep you in one place and you don't even really notice the object while you are presenting.

It's OK to walk, it releases nervous energy. Use a short walk to introduce a pause in your talk. Only speak when you are looking at someone and you will speak conversationally.

Re: Public speaking for normal people

#23

Post by joshfraser » Sun, Jan 22, 2012, 10:52 PM UTC

Having done a fair amount of public speaking myself, I've found that the trick that works for me is to memorize and over practice the first minute of what I'm saying. That's when I'm most nervous and still getting a feel for the audience. Having the first minute memorized lets me relax and get comfortable without having to think about every word I'm saying. I'll typically memorize my ending as well to make sure it's strong, and then wing everything in between. That's what works for me.

Re: Public speaking for normal people

#24

Post by aklemm » Sun, Jan 22, 2012, 11:42 PM UTC

drinian wrote: post #16

Probably a bit late for most readers here, but I highly recommend taking advantage of whatever opportunities for public speaking and performance your high school offers -- whether that's just walking on stage as an extra in a school theater production, or joining the debate club. Even a little can go a long way in relieving anxiety for the rest of your life.

Agreed. I participated quite casually all throughout high school, but it really taught me enough to be able to tackle any speaking opportunity with enthusiasm. And it wasn't even specific tactics that were important, rather it was all the experience.

Re: Public speaking for normal people

#25

Post by jroseattle » Sun, Jan 22, 2012, 11:42 PM UTC

bcantrill wrote: post #19

I think that the "death to Powerpoint" point is too absolutist, because it may guide one towards talks that value entertainment over content. In particular, I tend to give highly technical presentations; it is essential that my slides themselves contain sufficient content to convey the core of my meaning. (It should also be said that I am an infamously fast talker -- having slides behind me can be a kind of solace to…

I agree, PowerPoint gets a bad rap. Take all those bad PowerPoint presentations out there, tell their authors to go use Keynote, and they'll come back with bad presentations. Blame on the tool here is way overdone.

Re: Public speaking for normal people

#26

Post by TWSS » Sun, Jan 22, 2012, 11:47 PM UTC

While there is some great advice here, I don't think it's necessarily for people who haven't done a ton of public speaking before.

What I agree with: Find your power animal (the pose or gesture that feels natural/empowering to you), pick two people in the room to speak to (I prefer to pick four, only two of whom I can usually see due to stage lighting), and practice as much as possible in front of an audience.

What I disagree with: Don't "um" (it's distracting and unless you have the gravitas to pull it off, you sound like a Valley Girl), and memorization may be exactly what you need to be comfortable speaking publicly. Like another commenter, I've memorized my pitch almost verbatim, but use conversational language based on bullet points. The "script" gives me something to fall back on if I get distracted.

For context, I was a competitive CX debater in high school and recently had to relearn public speaking 20+ years later as a startup founder: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClznRU8-Xfw

Re: Public speaking for normal people

#27

Post by sachleen » Sun, Jan 22, 2012, 11:52 PM UTC

The best thing that has worked for me is to exhale before I begin speaking. Before I realized this I had always started out with a lungful of air and it was just bad. I'd try to say as much as I could in that one breath and then gasp for another lungful and repeat. Once I started deliberately starting a speech with an exhale, it felt so natural and easy.

The other thing is with the ums. After finishing a sentence, I just pause to gather my thoughts and resume talking. One trick I've read in many places is to have a cup of water with you so you can take a sip if you need a couple of seconds to pause.

Re: Public speaking for normal people

#28

Post by tikhonj » Mon, Jan 23, 2012, 1:08 AM UTC

drblast wrote: post #6

Best advice I can give: slow down. Especially if you're nervous, a short time on stage can feel like an eternity so your immediate impulse is to talk quickly and fill every pause with speech. That's what's wrong with "uhhs," you tend to say "uhh" more than you normally would in conversation. I had a professor who was a fantastic presenter and would pause frequently and for about 5-10 seconds to allow what he just sai…

Yes! Speaking too quickly has probably been my largest problem. Even in normal conversation, I tend to speak faster than normal; when giving a presentation, it becomes even worse.

For me, slowing down not only makes the speech or presentation better, but also calms me down. When I concentrate on speaking slowly and clearly, I have less time to worry about other things.

Re: Public speaking for normal people

#29

Post by tikhonj » Mon, Jan 23, 2012, 1:14 AM UTC

podperson wrote: post #17

Speaking as someone who did a lot of competitive public speaking back in the day, the frisson of "panic" just before you start is your friend . I'm worried if I don't feel it. As for the rest of the advice, it's probably good advice on how not to royally suck, but not on how to actually be great. That said, your competition will probably not be that good. (The fact that Steve Jobs's keynotes are/were held in such hig…

Rehearsing probably helps for speeches, but I think other sorts of public speaking don't need it as much. Particularly, I am not very likely to deliver a speech; I am much more likely to give a talk or presentation on some subject. Given that I know the subject well, I find improvising the exact wording--not the content or structure--is best for me.

That said, giving a talk about something you know well to a group of people naturally interested in that subject is probably much easier than giving a speech (as long as you know what you're talking about, of course!).

Re: Public speaking for normal people

#30

Post by dredmorbius » Mon, Jan 23, 2012, 2:06 AM UTC

wallflower wrote: post #3

> Embrace Your Ums I strongly disagree. One of the things that you learn in Toastmasters is to control your tics (whether they be verbal - umms, ahhs, you knows, yeahs, huhs, uhhs or non-verbal - swinging arms, hands clenched in pockets, crossed arms, crossed legs, hands behind back, rocking back and forth, pacing without purpose). Each Toastmasters meeting actually has an 'Ah counter' that will tally your respective…

The occasional tic is OK.

When they're utterly distracting ... no.

I've heard professional speakers utterly hampered by "ums", nonsensical random streams of thought, etc., to the point I've had to leave, switch stations/channels, or stop listening. Rare, but memorable.

The exception might be made for someone whose material or story is so utterly compelling that you're willing to overlook such idiosyncrasies. However, most of us are not such special snowflakes.