public speaking secrets: first 30 seconds, "find confidence pose"

[Darren Dirt]

http://www.humbledmba.com/public-speaking-for-normal-people

via http://lifehacker.com/5880991/public-speaking-for-normal-people

[Mr. Analog]

Mmm no thanks, I'd rather listen than speak heh

[Thorin]

I'd rather speak than jump off the high board.  And yet I've had to speak in front of parents at the season-opening parents meeting, and I've had to jump off the high board to show my kids you won't die when you hit the water.

...

Damn kids make parents do all kinds of things they don't want to do.



Like get up early.

Anyway, back on-topic, yes, if you can get into your zone just before a stressful event then the anxiety that you feel is much less likely to distract you.  No different than the sharpshooter that simply lifts his gun up to his cheek and fires, one shot at a time, even though he knows there's a tank down below that will eventually figure out where he is.  Yep, I saw Saving Private Ryan on the weekend.

[Darren Dirt]

Mmm no thanks, I'd rather listen than speak heh

the linked article has some really good take-aways (and no cliches about people in their underwear ) ... one is to find a person each side of the room that seems accepting/comforting, and essentially have a normal conversational discussion with them, I mean heck look who Uhmericans chose between John "orator in a suit" Kerry and George "downhome frat boy" Bush.

Don't try to become a good public speaker, just try to speak like a normal person while in public. The very best you can hope to do is to not sound worse than you do when speaking in your own living room.

The best way to speak like a normal person is to actually talk to a real person, and not hundreds of people.  So, as I stand there about ready to speak -- in my stance, rubbing my hands together -- I look to the left side of the room and to the right side for a random person that seems comforting.  When I actually start speaking, all I want to do is speak to those two people. I've never met them but I want to lock in on those two people and just tell them a simple story as if they were sitting in my living room.  I can pace back and forth and look left and right in the crowd, and yet all I'm really doing is going back and forth between my two people.   It's super simple; it totally works.

Basically don't think about the hundreds of pairs of ears listening, just remember how confident you are about the material you are passionate about sharing. And let that come through in the words you vocalise, and the body language you speak through as well.

No different than the sharpshooter that simply lifts his gun up to his cheek and fires, one shot at a time, even though he knows there's a tank down below that will eventually figure out where he is.  Yep, I saw Saving Private Ryan on the weekend.

and -- spookily -- earlier this week I saw the "serial-sniper-on-the-loose" episodes of BOTH Alcatraz, AND Castle. (!)

[Melbosa]

Knowing is half the battle - I know I stole the line

But seriously, knowing your material makes all public speaking easy!  I myself haven't really had much trouble going in front of crowds, or class rooms, etc and making it work on the fly or prepared.  It all comes down to "Do I know what I speak of", which doesn't necessarily mean did I memorize all my material.  Easier by far to talk on subjects you know than those you have novice understanding of.  Brain has to do less work, your responses are more confident, and responding to outside your presentation question is much easier.

[Mr. Analog]

Killing is the other half