Let’s Make A Presentation

Act 116:

“It’s never too late… To Speak In Public

At first it’s daunting. But take it in steps. First, know your subject. (This is the essential element.) Then, order your thoughts. Practice – first alone, then before friends. If you’re interested in what you have to say, chances are so will your audience.” – Patrick Lindsay

Quote in book: “A bold heart is half the battle.” ~ Proverb

I hate speaking in public. I don’t like being the center of attention, so speaking in front of a lot of people is not my favorite thing to do. When I was in school, I tried to avoid giving the presentations like the plague. However, going to B-school did help my presentation skills and did help a little with the stage freight.

What I learned in B-school and having to present stuff for work is that there is a direct correlation to how comfortable I am in front of an audience with how much/well I know the topic I’m speaking about. Don’t get me wrong. I always get really really nervous and will never feel completely comfortable, but really really knowing my topic and/or knowing that the audience doesn’t really know it really really helps.

So, the weird thing about me is that I actually don’t have problems speaking in public or being in front of an audience when it’s scripted or when I’m acting. Maybe it’s because I’m not really myself. So, because of this, you would think that practicing would help and it does, but a lot of times I get flustered and I forget all the things I was going to say. What helps me keep on track is writing notes down. I used to try writing a script, but it felt unnatural. Maybe I’m not really good at writing scripts (haha). Making a script of what I’m gonna say in a presentation only helps a little.

All those tricks they tell you like… imagine everyone naked or don’t look at the audience in the face (look above them)… they don’t work (at least not for me). I mean…I really really don’t want to see any of my audience naked and I know it’s supposed to distract you when you look into someone’s eyes… but it’s more distracting looking at someone’s forehead, because then I start thinking about their receding hairline or seeing that the women dye their hair cause I can see their roots. Looking into someone’s eyes is less distracting to me…. So none of those tricks work.

However, I did go consult The ORACLE and found these four articles with tips on speaking in public.

Toastmasters: 10 Tips for Public Speaking

7 Little Tricks To Speak In Public With No Fear

WikiHow: How to Overcome your fear of public speaking

WikiHow: How to speak confidently in public

I thought they were helpful. I will put some of the helpful tips here that I liked and that are not obvious.

• Know the audience
• Know the room.
• Realize that people want you to succeed.
• Don’t apologize
• Concentrate on the message – not the medium.
• Gain experience.
• Admit nervousness
• Invest in visual aids
• Make mistakes intentionally
• Be impressive with personal opinion
• Have fun experimenting
• Make use of the wall push.
• Recognize that can't see your nervousness.
• Buy some recording software, and record everything on your laptop
• Never get confused.

Eventhough I hate speaking in public and giving presentations, I know that I won’t really move up at my job if I avoid it. I feel like I’m really good at teaching one-on-one (I was a pretty good tutor). Maybe I should just imagine that I’m teaching or lecturing to one person instead of the whole audience. How good are you at public speaking? Got any good tips you can give to me?