Public Speaking

In class today, we discussed the topic of Public Speaking. While many people think public speaking is standing up in front of an audience it is also speaking in conversation. For class we were asked to watch a Ted Talk about the seven deadly sins of speaking. Which are; Don’t gossip, avoid judgement, ditch the negativity, quit complaining, stop making excuses, don’t exaggerate and ditch the dogma. Often times these sins come up in everyday conversations and when we notice how often others use them we find ourselves doing the same. All sins build on one another and need to be avoid if you want someone to listen to you. For me personally I find myself struggling with public speaking in new situations but found a Forbes Article, “12 Tips for Public Speaking”, that I found helpful to become a better public speaker.

The 12 tips are;

1.     Speak with an intent to move people to action

2.     Start with a “grabber”

3.     Structure your material in three sections

4.     Practice. Practice

5.     Know the audience

6.     Know the setup

7.     Relax

8.     Visualize yourself successful

9.     Pauses.

10.  Don’t apologize

11.  Smile

12.  Get experience

These tips are all something we have heard before but can be beneficial when used correctly. Having an effective grabber can be as simple as a statistic or story that people can relate to. Using an effective grabber draws the attention of the audience and moves the topic to the forefront of their mind. Structing material into a grabber, middle, and close helps to ensure that information is retained. The middle is where majority of the information is, you don’t want to introduce a new topic at the end of a presentation because it can leave the audience on edge. Pauses are an important aspect because it helps to give the information in a way the audience can understand. If you rush through information key points can get lost and audience will have a hard time following.

This article and also presenting in class have helped me to work on my presentation skills and public speaking. Being a good public speaking can often times establish a good reputation for oneself and also help you to be remembered. Giving a presentation to a group of executives at a company can be stressful but if done successfully can go a long way.