35 Public Speaking Tips to Make You a Better Speaker by AKASH KARIA, Bestselling Author of “How to Deliver a Great TED Talk” http://amzn.to/16bo6h0 © 2013 by Akash Karia All rights reserved 35 Simple Tools to Help You Become a Better Speaker This book is not supposed to be a comprehensive public speaking resource It is simply a short guide that outlines some of the most fundamental concepts of public speaking Do not expect any “new” or “breakthrough” techniques Let me be clear - there is nothing new in this book While some people may consider this to be a flaw, I think that it is this book’s greatest strength After conducting hundreds of seminars and workshops and spending several thousand hours coaching CEOs, students and even yoga teachers, I have found that most people don’t need any new techniques Most of the mistakes that most public speakers make are not because they lack “advanced speaking tools”, but because they have not fully mastered the fundamentals From my work as a public speaking coach, I have discovered thirty-five things basic techniques that most speakers can benefit from I am confident that if you master the thirty-five techniques contained within this book, you will be better than 80% of most speakers If you’re ready to learn how to become a powerfully persuasive speaker, then let’s get started What is Public Speaking? I use the term “public speaking” broadly to refer to any situation where you have to speak to a group of or more people Many of the techniques you will pick up in this public speaking guide can be used in meetings, interviews and even social situations WARNING: This is not a “magical guide” which will transform you into a better speaker overnight However, the application of these techniques will make you two times the speaker that you are today Tip 1: Pause - Don’t Start Until You’re Ready Don’t be afraid to pause Pausing allows you to calm down your nerves Before you start your presentation or speech, take in a couple of deep belly-breaths to calm yourself down Pausing allows everyone to get on the same vibration/ energy-level If you’re facing a noisy audience, wait until the room is silent and focusing on you Don’t start speaking until you’re ready and everyone’s focused on you Tip 2: Get into the Right Mindset When you get nervous, shift your mindset The speech is not about you It’s about your audience Don’t focus on yourself, focus on your audience Realize that you have the opportunity to change someone’s life every time you speak You have a message that someone in your audience needs to hear! Once you tap into that positive, value-giving mindset, you’ll find it easier to speak without being selfconscious Tip 3: Change the Story You’re Telling Yourself It’s okay to be nervous Everyone experiences butterflies before an important event However, scientifically, there is no difference between nervousness and excitement It’s what you choose to label it Are you telling yourself, “I’m excited” or are you telling yourself, “I’m nervous”? Either way, you’re right…because it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy Tip 4: Use the Confidence Posture If you’re nervous, stand in the confidence posture What’s the confidence posture? Simply, stand with your back straight, your shoulders held back, your chest out and your head up Your physiology (how you stand and sit) affects how you feel, so if you want to feel confident make sure you stand in a posture that conveys confidence Tip 5: Start Your Presentation with a Bang! Don’t start your presentation with a boring and predictable “Thank you” Instead, start your presentation with one of these proven techniques: Start with a Personal Story Begin your presentation with a story Stories are captivating and interesting Start with Question to create a Knowledge Gap Ask your audience a question For example, if you were giving a presentation of goal setting, you might start off by asking, “What is the number one reason that most people never achieve their dreams?” The rest of your presentation would then focus on answering this question Start with a Quote Begin with a quotation that proves the main point of your speech Using a quotation not only grabs audience attention, it also adds third-party credibility to your speech Start with a Shocking Statistic Use a shocking statistic to immediately hook your audience into your speech For example, in his TED talk, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver used the following shocking statistic to grab his audience’s attention: “Sadly, in the next eighteen minutes when I our chat, four Americans that are alive will be dead from the food that they eat” - Jamie Oliver Tip 6: Don’t Ever Admit You’re Nervous Don’t apologize or admit you’re nervous at the start of a session Don’t say, “I’m sorry, I haven’t prepared…” Don’t say, “I’m sorry, I’m so nervous…I’ve had a terrible day” Once you admit you’re nervous, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy…your mind and your body will act in congruence with what you say Moreover, if you admit you’re nervous, your audience will start looking for signs of your nervousness - not what you want! Tip 7: Soften Your Commands with “Let’s” Use the word “Let’s” to soften your commands For example, instead of saying “Keep quiet”, say “Let’s keep quiet” or “Let’s focus on this please.” Tip 8: Don’t Dilute the Power of Your Words with “Try to ” Don’t say: “Try to imagine yourself…” Instead say “Imagine yourself…” Don’t say: “Try to feel…” Instead say, “Feel… Tip 9: “The Sweetest Sound in Any Language” The sweetest sound in any language is the person’s name Try and meet some of your audience members before your speech or presentation Use the audience’s names during the presentation For example, you can say, “I was talking to John before the presentation, and he told me that…” Incorporate what John (or another audience member) told you into your presentation This will make your audience feel that you’ve customized this speech specifically for them Tip 10: Use Imagery and Visual Language Use visual words to paint pictures in your audience’s mind For example, don’t say: “You will learn three strategies” Instead, say “You will pick up three tools” or “You will pick up three keys” Visual words and imagery make your message memorable because your audience doesn’t just hear your message, they also see it in their mind’s eye Tip 11: Laughter is the Best Medicine Incorporate humor into your sessions When presenting to a group which comprises of people who know me and some who don’t, I use the following humorous statement to get my audience laughing: “For those of you who know me, my name is Akash And for those of you who not know me, my name is still Akash” (laughter) Use self-deprecating humor to make your audiences laugh During one of my workshops, the person introducing me said “Not only is Akash a very successful public speaking coach, he is also a very handsome young man.” Using this set-up, I used the following piece of self-deprecating humor to get my audience laughing; “I know you were expecting a handsome man…I’m so sorry to disappoint you!” (laughter) Exaggerated facial expressions also make people laugh, so make sure that your facial expressions match your humor Tip 12: Stand with Your Feet Shoulder-Width Apart When you’re standing, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart because it conveys confidence Don’t stand with your feet too close together because it conveys lack of security Having your feet too far apart conveys aggressiveness Tip 13: Don’t Walk Back and Forth Without a Purpose Also, don’t sway back and forth gives your audience the impression that you’re unsure of yourself and as a result they won’t buy into your message When you take a step forward towards your audience, it creates intimacy so step forward when you have an important point to make Taking a step backwards creates a negative feeling in your audience members…almost like you’re lying or trying to hide something Avoid rocking back and forth on your feet…it’s distracting Check out this video for more information on walking backwards and forwards and the psychological impact it has on your audience Tip 14: Don’t Pace Back and Forth Like a Caged Tiger Don’t pace back and forth like a caged tiger It’s distracting because it’s movement without a purpose Feel free to move on stage, but only as long as your movement serves a purpose For example, you can use the stage as a timeline so that the left side of the stage indicates the past, the center = the present, the right side = the future Tip 15: Use the Scan and Stop Technique for Making Eye Contact Make eye contact with all sides of the room Be sure not to isolate any side of the room by not making eye contact with that section Use the “Scan and Stop” technique for eye contact Scan the room when you speak, making eye contact with students for about a second or so When you come to a very important or poignant point, stop and make eye contact with one person and deliver your line to that person Tip 16: If You Forget What You Were Saying If you forget what you were saying, simply ask your students: “Where was I?” or “What was I saying?” Your students (audience members) NOT want to see you fail… If you forget where you were, don’t worry…it’s no big deal… You can recover simply by asking your students where you were Tip 17: Keep it Conversational “Public speaking” is simply having a conversation with one person…with 99 other people listening in Focus on having a conversation with the audience…one person at a time… Once you realize that public speaking is simply an enlarged conversation with many people, you’ll become much more relaxed during your next “public speaking” event Tip 18: Shorter Sentences = Greater Clarity Keep your sentences short, simple and conversational Avoid using multiple conjunctions in one sentence (i.e “and….and…and”) Shorter sentences aid comprehension Also, remember to pause between your sentences – this sounds like such an obvious thing to say, but as speakers we sometimes forget this simple rule and speak too quickly because we’re nervous Pause and allow your audience members to digest the information you’ve just given them Tip 19: Pause After You Ask a Question During my workshops, I find that too many speakers forget to pause after they ask a question After you ask a question, pause to give audience members time to respond…or, if you’re not expecting a response, pause and give them time to think! “What you think is the number one mistake most speakers make when giving presentations?” (Pause, make eye contact and wait for a response) “What questions you have?” (Pause and wait for your audience think about what questions they have) Tip 20: Use Your Hands to Show What You’re Saying Don’t keep your hands glued to your sides or behind your back Use your hands naturally to show what you’re saying You can start off speaking with your hands mid-way up (not down by your sides) and your hands will automatically move naturally once as gain confidence during your presentation Tip 21: Avoid the “Err” Error Work on decreasing your um’s and errs… Slow down your speaking rate and don’t be afraid to pause Instead of erring, PAUSE! This technique will take a lot of practice because you’ll have to overcome the power of habit… but if you keep reminding yourself to pause, you will eventually be “um”-free! Tip 22: Share Your Personal Story Stories are POWERFUL! The essence of public speaking is to “tell a story and make a point” “People can resist a sales message…but no one can resist a well told story” – Patricia Fripp Back up your main points with your personal stories Tip 23: Use the Five C’s of Storytelling to Create an Irresistible Story Your Story Must Have Characters Who are the main characters in your story? Give a hint about what your main characters look like so audience members can visualize the characters Your Story Must Have a Conflict Throw your main characters into a conflict The conflict is the hook of the story Without the conflict, you don’t have a story! Your Story Must Have a Cure The conflict needs to be solved in some way What’s the cure that solves the conflict? The cure should help audience members overcome the conflicts they may be facing in their own lives Characters Must Change as a Result of the Conflict What personality/ attitude shifts your characters undergo as a result of having overcome the conflict? How they see the world differently as a result of having been through the conflict? Your Story Must Have a Carry Out Message The essence of public speaking is to “tell a story and make a point?” What’s the point of your story? What’s the one thing you want your audience members to remember from your story/speech/presentation? This is your Carry-out message that audience members will go home with So, here’s the storytelling model If you want to tell stories in your presentations and speeches, make sure your stories include the following five elements: · Characters · Conflict · Cure · Change · Carry-out Message 10 Part 2: How to Handle Difficult Situations and Audience Members: Tools to Help You Take Control of Your Audience when Your Audience is Getting Out of Control 11 Tip 24: Be Prepared for These Difficult Situations Audience members leaving during your speech/presentation/workshop Audience members chatting while you’re speaking Mobile phones ringing during your speech Tip 25: Set Guidelines at the Beginning At the beginning of presentation/speech/workshop, set the expectations (if appropriate) For example, you could say: “If you need to leave presentation, please so quietly…To avoid any disturbance during workshop, please let’s turn of our mobile phones” Tip 26: “If Looks Could Kill ” If an audience member is laughing/talking during your speech or presentation (when they’re not supposed to), make eye contact with him or her This will indirectly send the message that you want them to keep quiet Most likely, that person will stop talking Tip 27: The Power of Proximity If an audience member is talking during your presentation, subtly move closer to him/her The proximity will alert the “offender” that you want them to stop talking Tip 28: Talk to the Disruptive Audience Member Privately If a particular audience member keeps chatting during the presentation, talk the person privately during the break Don’t humiliate the person publicly because it’s likely that he/she will feel very insulted Tip 29: Address the Behavior Early Before it Gets out of Control Don’t wait until a behavior gets out of control Address it early on and it’ll be much easier to change it 12 Tip 30: Why before What When asking people to change their behavior, always give the why before the what Give a reason as to why you want the student to change their behavior Tip 31: Don’t Get into a Heated Debate During Your Presentation If an audience member challenges during your during presentation, don’t go into a heated discussion Simply tell the audience member why you believe what you believe… Tell them that they are welcome to continue this discussion after class Finish off with, “From my experience, I’ve found it to be true that…” Handle the discussion calmly and the rest of your audience members will respect you Most likely, they will accept your point of view as being the correct one because they see you as the “expert” because you’re the one who’s speaking Tip 32: Speak Softer If your presentation is getting out of hand (e.g the audience is beginning to chat) then… Speak softer to grab your audience’s attention Lowering your volume causes your listeners to lean in to hear what you’re saying – they have to work harder to listen to what you have to say If this doesn’t work Tip 33: Speak Louder If your audience members are getting chatty and the presentation is getting out of hand then…speak louder to grab your audience’s attention Tip 34: Silence is Powerful One of the mistakes I’ve seen speakers make is that they continue talking even when the audience is chatting and not listening to them If your audience members begin chatting, be silent and make eye contact with a couple of the people who are paying attention to you Wait until everyone is listening to you before you go on speaking 13 Tip 35: Stage Time The best way to master the art of public speaking is to get as much experience - stage time - as you Sign up to give speeches at your local Toastmasters club Volunteer to be a speaker at Rotary clubs Contact high schools and offer to give short keynote speeches to their students on a subject that you are an expert on The more stage time you accumulate, the better you will become So go out there, apply these tools and get as much stage time as you can! 14 Wrap Up This short guide is supposed to be just that - a guide It’s not supposed to a comprehensive book on public speaking, but rather a reminder of the most basic (and important) concepts to keep in mind when speaking to an audience Let’s recap some of these very important concepts: Pause - don’t start until you’re ready Get into the right Mindset Change the story you’re telling yourself Use the confidence posture Start your presentation with a bang! Don’t ever admit you’re nervous Soften your commands with “let’s” Don’t dilute the power of your words with “try to ” Use your audience’s names in your presentation 10 Use imagery and visual language 11 Incorporate humor into your presentations and speeches 12 Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart 13 Don’t walk back and forth without a purpose 14 Don’t pace back and forth like a caged tiger 15 Use the scan and stop technique to make eye contact 16 If you forget what you were saying, simply ask your audience to remind you 17 Keep your language conversational 18 Shorter sentences equal greater clarity 19 Pause after you ask a question 20 Use your hands to show what you were saying 21 Avoid the “err” error by pausing when you don’t know what to say next 22 Tell a story, make a point 23 Use the five C’s of storytelling to create an irresistible story 24 Be prepared for difficult situations 25 Set guidelines at the beginning 26 Use the power of proximity 27 Make eye contact with the disruptive individual 28 Talk to the disruptive individual privately 29 Address the behavior early before it gets out of control 30 Use the “why before what” principle when asking people to change their behavior 31 Don’t get into a heated debate during your speech/presentation 32 Speak softer And if that doesn’t work 33 Speak louder And if that doesn’t work 34 Be silent until your audience is paying attention to you again 35 Get as much stage time as you can Whew! That’s a lot of public speaking tools in a very short book While these tools are useful, they’re useless unless you apply them I know that nothing in this book is “breakthrough” or “brand new” The problem is, most people look for “new techniques” and ignore the basic, fundamental techniques that really matter I have written several books which cover, in detail, advanced public speaking tools and strategies However, what I find when I conduct workshops and one-on-one coaching sessions is that most people suck at public speaking not because they lack advanced speaking techniques, but because they haven’t 15 mastered the basics of public speaking (such as pausing, speaking conversationally, making eye contact etc.) I am confident that if you master the thirty-five tools covered in this short eBook, you’ll be better than 80% of speakers out there Thank you for reading Let’s rid the world of boring speakers, Akash Karia www.CommunicationSkillsTips.com 16 Questions or Comments? I’d love to hear your thoughts Email me at: akash.speaker@gmail.com NEED HELP? I offer one-on-one coaching over Skype I’ll help you breathe life into your presentations We’ll work on your message, structure, opening, body, closing, humor, slides and presentation delivery Reach me at akash.speaker@gmail.com SIGN UP FOR MY FREE NEWSLETTER Get more awesome tools and techniques to breathe life into your presentations Join over 3,900 of your peers and receive free, exclusive content that I don’t share on my blog Sign up on: www.CommunicationSkillsTips.com YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE If you would like more advanced tools and techniques, check out my other books: How to Deliver a Great TED Talk: Presentation Secrets of the World’s Best Speakers: http://amzn.to/124VlBq “Akash has captured the best ideas, tools, and processes used by some of the best speakers and presenters in the world He has distilled them in to a step-by-step, easy-to-read guide that will help you discover, develop, and deliver presentations which help you stand out from the crowd.” - Michael Davis, Speaking CPR, Certified World Class Speaking Coach If you enjoyed this short eBook, you will love the book In this book, I’ve covered only the basics If you would like more advanced tools and techniques on how to develop, design and deliver a powerful TED talk, I suggest you check out “How to Deliver a Great TED Talk” In the book, you will learn: Craft a repeatable power phrase Utlize the ABC-C speech structure for powerful presentations Use rhetorical devices to spice up your speech Create an attention-grabbing opening 17 .Build the body of your presentation/speech Craft a compelling closing Use statistics to grab attention Create a wow-moment Bring your characters to life Use analogies, metaphors and similes Turn your stories into mental movies Build your credibility with the speech introduction Add internal credibility to your presentation Build an emotional connection with your audience Use compelling visuals Use the body language secrets of confident speakers Use PowerPoint the right way Arouse your audience's curiosity Use Sir Ken Robinson and Dan Pink's techniques for adding humor Use rhetorical questions to hook your audience into your presentation Use the five C's of storytelling to create spell-binding stories Deliver a dynamic TED talk (or any other presentation or speech) Whether you are scheduled to deliver a TED talk, a business presentation or a motivational or inspiring speech, this book will teach you the techniques used by some of the world's most powerful public speakers Buy the Kindle/paperback version of the book here: http://amzn.to/13NRHtc Here’s what people are saying about the book: “Maybe one of the clearest books on presentations I've ever read Incredibly simple and easy to read but covering up a broad range of subjects Full of practical tips, actual examples as well as personal experiences.” - Javier, Verified Amazon Reviewer “Hands on book to craft a mind-blowing memorable speech” - Tania de Winnie Yes, there is also one two star review (and twenty-one four and five star reviews at the time of this writing) Check the book out here and decide for yourself if it’s the something you will get value from: http://amzn.to/13NRHtc Thanks for reading Akash Karia 18 Be the First to Know When My Books are Free Sign up for my mailing list and I’ll send you free tools and techniques to help you become a powerfully public speaker Not only that, you’ll be the first to know when my books are free on Kindle Finally, as a thank you for subscribing to my email list, you’ll receive my free eBook, “10 Steps to Powerful Presentations” Grab your free gift here: www.CommunicationSkillsTips.com By the way, I hate spam as much as you I’ll protect your privacy and use your email to stay in touch with you by sending you free tips and letting you know when my books are available free on Kindle Learn how to speak with power and persuade with ease here: www.CommunicationSkillsTips.com 19 Other Books by the Author How to Deliver a Great TED Talk: Presentation Secrets of the World’s Best Speakers Click here: http://www.amazon.com/How-Deliver-Great-Talk-ebook/dp/B00BRYDKM8 Storytelling Techniques for Electrifying Presentations Click here: http://www.amazon.com/Public-Speaking-Storytelling-Presentationsebook/dp/B00C9FLD28 Speak Like a Winner: Be Twice the Speaker in Half the Time Click here: http://www.amazon.com/Speak-Like-Winner-Speaking-ebook/dp/B00B7HC8M8 Thanks! Akash 20 ... buy into your message When you take a step forward towards your audience, it creates intimacy so step forward when you have an important point to make Taking a step backwards creates a negative... the speaker that you are today Tip 1: Pause - Don’t Start Until You? ??re Ready Don’t be afraid to pause Pausing allows you to calm down your nerves Before you start your presentation or speech, take.. .35 Public Speaking Tips to Make You a Better Speaker by AKASH KARIA, Bestselling Author of “How to Deliver a Great TED Talk” http://amzn .to/ 16bo6h0 © 2013 by Akash Karia All rights reserved 35