The art of public speaking can often fall within the category of a soft skill as part of communication and listening. However, at The Dynamic Mind, we believe public speaking is in fact a hard skill as the art of delivering a presentation and speaking to an audience encompasses many attributes. Here we will uncover 10 public speaking tips to help you present with confidence, allowing you to excel in your professional journey.
1. Understand your audience
During the planning phase of your presentation, it is ideal to understand who the audience is as this will determine the structure, level of detail and the angle at which to pitch the presentation. Carrying out the task of audience segmentation allows us to customise our content and flow towards our audience, who will either be predominantly data or emotionally driven. It is important to note that striking a balance between the two assists with delivering an impactful message.
If we did not carry out this exercise, this may directly hinder our delivery, resulting in poor audience engagement, low satisfaction scores and dampen our morale. This is an experience we want to avoid, hence understanding who the audience is in advance is critical for success.
2. Research and prepare
A professionally delivered presentation is easily identifiable by the audience, as the presenter is delivering with confidence and relevant information related to the subject matter. We must take the time to conduct material analysis, incorporating the appropriate level of technical language and terminology for the audience’s literacy level. Consequently, understanding the audience in advance aids in determining how much detail is required.
It is important to emphasise the key messages throughout. Strategically repeating these points periodically will assist us in ensuring our audience remembers the information during and after the presentation. To support with this delivery, the presentation must be methodically organised with a structured, beginning, middle and end/conclusion.
3. Timing of content
The timing of when the presentation is delivered may have an impact on how well it is received.
If possible, collecting the audience’s preference in advance will assist in selecting an optimal time.
For example, it may be ideal to avoid postprandial tiredness. Once identified, we should aim to deliver short bursts of information, with our key messages voiced intermittently.
To ensure our audience maintains engaged, take appropriate pauses and switch from directly relaying information to asking open-ended questions. This can support with capturing the audience’s attention. Also, do not forget to regularly highlight the main take-home points, as this will instil hard memory with the audience.
4. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse
After we have appropriately structured our presentation and the accompanied dialogue is correctly aligned, now it is time to conduct rehearsals. This will allow us to become familiar, comfortable and confident with the content. This is our opportunity to rehearse in different environments to test ourselves. Practice with distractions, utilise friends and families as a “mock-audience” and anticipate questions that may be asked during the real event. Adding this to our practice will help with responding to unexpected live questions.
Take the principle of rehearsing anytime and anyplace where you feel comfortable. This may include a solo car drive, in the shower, cooking and even in front of the mirror. Reflecting on these moments on our delivery and the flow allows us to determine our presenting style preference. Once our unique presenting style is found, we should stick with it and execute it. The more we rehearse, the greater our confidence grows in the presentation style and this will positively support presenting with conviction.
5. Body language
Whilst we are rehearsing, we must also be aware of our body language during these practice sessions. We must ensure that we have appropriate eye contact, both in a physical and virtual setting.
Further elements which should be considered in boosting our audience engagement include; variation in our tone of voice, open posture and avoiding directly reading off the slides.
Given we are now predominantly collaborating more in a digital environment, we must be mindful of our background environment to minimise any distractions. Similarly, with our audience working remotely, this together with their other commitments can influence their level of participation. Hence, assessing their body language and adjusting our delivery accordingly should be considered.
6. Engage with the audience
To have a successful presentation, our content must be highly engaging with the audience such that they retain the information during and after the event. Throughout the building phase, schedule pockets of opportunity to engage with the audience. This can be conducted by playing a game, asking open questions and having break out activities.
Additionally, plan Q&A checkpoints across the session to highlight the audiences’ gaps and areas of interest. Responding to questions in real time allows us to build rapport quickly and make a direct impact. Furthermore, this immediately demonstrates that we have depth in our understanding of the subject matter and confidence in our delivery. Equally, if there are topics which we do not immediately know the answer to, remember that it is okay to follow up after the event.
It is also worth including a section to get the audience to feedback and present during the event.
This will help with them retaining the information and this activity could be related to the key desired take-home messages.
7. Ask for feedback
Feedback is incredibly powerful in ensuring we are progressing in public speaking with confidence and importantly we must act on the constructive elements moving forward. To make the feedback effective, it is imperative to set out a 360-degree feedback template in advance which can be easily disseminated post the event. Once the feedback is received, take the time to document, analyse and plan on how to implement any suggestions, whilst also looking for opportunities to take them further.
Collecting feedback allows us to build a support network, since receiving feedback from a range of individuals allows us to grow as a holistic professional. Take the opportunity with the network to leverage each other’s skills, specialities and continuously seek feedback with one another to grow.
8. Familiarise yourself with the environment
As it is becoming more common to conduct presentations through a digital medium, a few differences exist in comparison to physical face-to-face events which must be considered. These include digital platform settings, virtual/room background, internet connectivity and microphone clarity. If you have any others, we would love for you to share them.
With respect to face-to-face delivery, we must be mindful of the following; location – is it easily accessible for all attendees, is the room temperature comfortable, is the room lightening adequate, and is the external equipment functioning? A possible option, could be to do a practice run through in the room in advance of any attendees to become more acquainted with the setting to help boost confidence.
In summary, regardless of the delivery environment, it is imperative to take the time to assess it and become comfortable with all the levels of detail in order to present with confidence.
9. Mentally prepare for success
Having the correct mindset during preparation and prior to starting builds the appropriate foundation for a positive and confident delivery to be executed. To help get in the right frame of mind, provide yourself with positive affirmations, check out our Instagram: @thedynamicmind, where we host a Mindfulness Monday campaign to help you get in the right mindset for the week ahead.
Whilst rehearsing, saying words to the effect of, “I will do great”, “I am ready” and “I can take on this challenge”, provides us with positive energy to deliver a confident presentation. It is important to visual success, the applause and encouraging feedback, as this positivity drives confidence.
10. Smile and have fun
Finally, but by no means least, it is imperative to smile throughout and have fun!
Take the time to enjoy the experience. We have only one opportunity to deliver the presentation to the audience at that specific time and location. Hence, take on the challenge and enjoy the event.
We all may experience periods of nerves prior to starting, but use the adrenaline to turn those feelings into excitement and utilise the method of visualising success. The more excited we come across to our audience, the greater the engagement will be towards the information being presented. Positive energy is dispersed both in a virtual and physical setting. Thus, present with an elated smile, embrace the environment and relish the moment.
Let’s conclude 10 public speaking tips to present with confidence
We have covered 10 public speaking tips to help you present with confidence both in a virtual and face-to-environment which include:
- Know your Audience
- Research and prepare your speech
- Timing of content
- Rehearse
- Body language
- Engage with the audience
- Ask for feedback
- Familiarise yourself with the environment
- Mentally prepare for success
- Smile and have fun
The above public speaking tips are highlighted to provide guidance in preparing you for your next public speaking event. Remember, to focus on the small wins and if you can only implement a few of the public speaking tips at the beginning, this is okay. Developing and excelling in public speaking is a journey and one we should be mindful of and be kind to ourselves throughout.
