u/speakeasy

One of the least talked about but most important skills in public speaking is learning how to speak from the heart. It might sound woo-woo but your audience will know when you’re speaking from the heart and more importantly, when you’re not.

Example: one time I gave a meeting presentation and lead with a joke about golf. It bombed. Not only did it bomb but it was a stupid thing to say because I don’t play golf nor do I know anything about it. And it was obvious to the other people in the meeting that I didn’t and that I wasn’t being authentic.

When you speak from the heart you consistently reflect your core values, audiences sense alignment between who you are and what you're saying. And it builds trust and helps you create a connection with everyone in the room.

The easiest way to do this is to figure out your personal values first. Then you let those values come into every time you speak in public. Quick way to do this:

1. Pick 3-4 values from a list, for example: Authenticity/Courage/Curiosity/Discipline/Empathy/Excellence/Family/Faith/Freedom/Fun/Generosity/Gratitude/Growth/Honesty/Humility/Humor/Impact/Independence/Integrity/Kindness/Leadership/Learning/Loyalty/Resilience/Service
2. Think about why you picked those values and why they are most important to you.Obviously they are all important but some will resonate more than others.
3. Think about how you can incorporate them into your own speaking style.

So for me, authenticity and fun are two of my core values. When I speak my message and delivery reflect those. I value authenticity so I use words in a speech that I actually use and I don’t worry about saying ‘uhmm’ or being perfect in my delivery.

I can about being authentic. I also value fun so I use examples of things that are often considered fun (surfing, going to an amusement park, etc). So every time I talk my voice reflects my values.

And in many ways it makes giving a speech easier because I’m not trying to be all things to all people- I’m just trying to be me, speak from the heart and have my voice reflect my values.

Speaking from the heart and knowing your values will help your public speaking become easier. Once you know who you are the whole thing gets less scary and intimidating. Hope this is helpful- i realize we don't talk about values in public speaking often so wanted to bring it up.

In no particular order here are 10 real-world solutions to help you make public speaking easier.

Keeping this brief so feel free to ask questions if anything isn’t clear.

1. Have a solid game plan for all speaking situations. In reality there are only two different types of speaking situations: prepared (you’re know you’re doing it) and spontaneous (you get asked to speak when you weren't expecting it). Have a general plan for both.
2. Nail your intro. Less is more so keep it short. Name, what you do/where you’re from/title, greeting. Instead of rambling like most people, keep it short and sweet. Ex: “Hi, I’m Jim, I’m a coach and I’m happy see you all today”. And if you already know the audience it can be even shorter: “Hey all, glad to be here and talk to you today”.
3. Use the same framework for everything. Intro > Key Point (thesis) > 3 talking points > close. Virtually any speech or presentation can fit into this framework. 
4. If you get nervous easily, think less about you and more about your audience. Ask yourself, “How can I truly help them? What do they need to know?” Shifting the focus off of you and on to them makes the anxiety decrease.
5. Be yourself- figure out your speaking style and use it to your advantage. Don’t try to be someone else.
6. Shoot for success, not perfection. Success is delivering a compelling message NOT giving a perfect speech where you remember every word.
7. Plan ahead for mishaps. Know what you’re going to do if you start late, someone keeps interrupting you, your mind goes blank, your computer dies, the video freezes, etc. make sure you have a plan for everything. 
8. Whether you’re giving a 5 minute update presentation or a 45 minute dissertation, think in 3’s. Try to organize everything so that things are grouped in 3’s. 3 key points, 3 sub-points, 3 pointes below that. the human brain does well with groups of 3’s so organize your speeches accordingly.
9. Pre-plan something to say when your mind goes blank. Do not improvise this, have it ready ahead of time. It can be as simple as, “Sorry my mind went blank there for second. Pleas bear with me and I’ll get back on track”. In reality knowing what you’re going to say if you blank ahead of time often works to help you not go blank :) 
10. Recognize you are a work in progress. If you give a bad speech it doesn’t make you a bad person. Just try to make a better speech the next time. Seek improvement every time you speak. Remember, 75% of people hate public speaking so you’re not alone.

 

Good luck!

*feels funny to have to say this but I wrote this- it wasn’t written by AI or any chatbot.