Today I’m giving you a public speaking quick start guide to help you ace your next presentation! Here are the DO's and DON'T's of public speaking which will help you in your next presentation, speech or talk! 

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Don’t Wing It / Do Prep Talking Points

Unless you’re really great at impromptu speaking and know how to speak off the cuff, don’t wing it. If you know you’re going to speak, prepare a few key points you’d like to say. Familiarize yourself with the content and this way you’re not looking only at your paper. Talking points will give you the flexibility to speak more naturally.

Don’t Read off Your Script / Do Have an Outline with Bullet Points

It’s very easy to get lost in a sea of typed out words on a 8.5” x 14” piece of paper. And the last thing you want to be is lost when speaking to a crowd of people. The best way to overcome the temptation of reading off your script is to have an outline with bullet points. Write down your hook and your closing if you’d like, but only if you’re not going to read off your paper. The best thing to do is familiarize yourself with the content of your talk or speech and practice with your bullet point outline.

Don’t Avoid Making Eye Contact / Do Look at the Audience

It’s very easy to avoid making eye contact if you’re nervous about public speaking. But the truth is that your nervousness will actually decrease if you make eye contact with your audience. Why? Because humans are social creatures by nature. Making eye contact establishes an immediate social connection, a bond, if you will. Making eye contact establishes rapport and a sense of closeness to the audience. Also, in American culture, even when speaking to one or two people in social interaction, looking someone in the eye is the polite thing to do. If you avert someone’s gaze, they might find it evasive or rude. Same rules apply to public speaking. Single out a few people in the audience to really lock eyes with for a few seconds. With your next point, move on to the next audience member. Avoid just starting out into the crowd and floating your gaze above their heads, without looking anyone in the eye.

Don’t Lock Your Knees / Do Keep a Slight Bend

Locking your knees will tense up your body and signal to your brain that you’re more tense and nervous than you actually are. Locking your knees could also throw you off balance. Instead you want to keep a slight bend in your knees. And then you want to place one foot slightly in front of the other in a staggered stance, which will prevent you from swaying. You definitely should want to avoid the temptation to sway because that will be highly distracting to the audience and they won’t be able to pay attention to you!

Don’t Stand Still / Do Use Hand Gestures

Standing still is boring and the audience will surely fall asleep. Instead, you want to animate your speech by incorporating hand gestures that match what your words are expressing. This will help drive home the point. Be careful to not overuse hand gestures either because the audience might find that a bit distracting. The way to think about hand gestures is to use them for emphasis. 

Don’t Get Stuck to the Podium / Do Pace the Stage

Sometimes you might get tempted to hide behind the podium because it might feel safer and less scary. But the truth is that it’s very hard to see the speaker from the podium because you’re not getting the full picture and it’s even harder to establish rapport with the audience from the podium. If you’re given a podium you can start there. Set your water bottle down. And if you’d like, you can even give your opening and hook from there. But trust me when I say that if you instead ditch the podium and pace the stage and move around, (1) you’ll have more fun, and (2) the audience will enjoy your talk that much more. Pacing the stage gives you the opportunity to address all corners of the room and pay attention to all audience members. Moving around also helps give those nerves at bay. So, be prepared to move around and have your notes on notecards or on a single sheet of paper in the form of an outline. This will give you the most flexibility as you won’t be rummaging through your speech, while the audience waits with bated breath.

Don’t Speak in Monotone / Do Vary Intonation

Monotone speaking is a surefire way to put the audience to sleep. So unless your aim is to make them fall asleep, avoid monotone. Monotones are also very boring to listen to. Instead, vary the intonation in your voice. You can also play around with pacing and pause for added effect. Making your voice more melodious by adding variance to tones will help your audience stay engaged and focus. They’ll pay more attention to what you say because of how wonderfully you’re saying it.

Don't Strain Your Vocal Chords / Do Speak from the Diaphragm

Whether or not you have a microphone during your speech, do not speak from your throat. This will strain your vocal chords within a matter of a few minutes of talking. Instead, speak from the diaphragm. To become accustomed to this way of speaking, it’s important to first practice breathing correctly. The way you can tap into the power of your breath is by engaging the diaphragm. This is known as diaphragmatic breathing. You will speak more loudly and clearly when you speak from the diaphragm and the best part is, your voice won’t shake or squeak as you speak.

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So that’s a quick start guide to public speaking~ Whether you’re gearing up for your 1st speech or 1,000th speech, these strategies will help you deliver a successful speech that you’re proud of. And hopefully you’ll also have fun in the process of preparing the talk as well as enjoy your time in front of a live audience. Practice these strategies and make them your own!

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Alright Explearners. That’s it from me today. For more public speaking lessons check out our playlist where we have loads of videos to help you give a great talk or speech! Share this video with anyone who you’d think would benefit from it. Subscribe and turn the notifications on! I’ll see you in the next Explearning lesson! Happy Explearning :) 

About the Author and the Explearning Academy:

Mary Daphne is an expert in communication, executive interpersonal skills, and personal development. She is the founder of the Explearning Academy, a platform dedicated to helping individuals enhance their social fluency, boost their careers, and elevate their social game. Through immersive group coaching programs like the Executive Communication Lab and self-guided journeys, participants gain the social superpowers and career catapults they've been searching for. If you're ready to take your negotiation skills to the next level and connect with like-minded individuals, visit academy.explearning.co and explore the various plans available. Join the Explearning Academy community and unlock your full potential.

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