The Public Speaking Ladder

Speaking
Written By Liam Sandford
ladders

‘Throwing yourself in the deep end’ is the advice you got in school, university, and in work situations. Another variation of ‘just get on with it’. This is unhelpful speaking advice.

If you were climbing a ladder you wouldn’t start by trying to reach the top rung first. Your public speaking journey should be the same. Starting small, getting comfortable and confident first, then scaling up is the approach you need. Rung by rung you make it to the top of the speaking ladder.

There are 5 levels of public speaking:

  • Level 1: I am not getting in front of anyone to speak

  • Level 2: I have a fear of public speaking

  • Level 3: I can do it but it’s stressful

  • Level 4: I am a confident speaker

  • Level 5: I am a competent speaker

With many rungs in each level you can’t aim for level 5 without achieving the first four levels. This is how you get there.

Level 1: I am not getting in front of anyone to speak

  • Start by writing down your worst-case scenarios for public speaking. Make them tangible and tackle how you could remove them one at a time. Also write down the best-case scenario that could come from speaking in public.

  • Design a minimum viable nano speech — 10 second open, body, close. At this stage you are not delivering your speech, just designing it.

  • Practice in front of a mirror. This does not replicate public speaking, but it can help you build confidence to move up to the next level.

Level 2: I have a fear of public speaking

  • Define scenarios you are comfortable having a conversation in, including who the audience of that conversation is.

  • Practice daily using the nano speech to help you start building the foundations to become a comfortable speaker. Reps build confidence.

  • Focus on improving only one aspect of your speaking performance at a time. Trying to improve more than one thing will cause you to be distracted.

Level 3: I can do it but it’s stressful

  • Focus your preparation on the areas you are least confident in.

  • If you have a big presentation coming up, stack recent reps speaking in public in the weeks leading up to your presentation.

  • If using PowerPoint start creating the slides for your audience, not you. This will make you more conversational and engage the audience better.

Level 4: I am a confident speaker

  • Turn your attention to what the audience want and need from you. Start making everything about them. This enhances your connection and ability to land your message with your audience.

  • Practice your storytelling in everyday conversations. Avoid giving too much context — if it does not take your audience to the next step in the story, it does not need to be included.

  • Focus on clarity over the number of words used. If you can’t deliver your main point in one sentence you are not clear enough. Everything around that sentence should be cementing the main point in the audiences mind.

Level 5: I am a competent speaker

  • In your preparation, think about how you can make your presentation memorable. It might just be doing something different. Memorable keeps your message in people’s minds long after you are finished speaking.

  • Be engaging without using PowerPoint. Remove any reliance you have on slides to be able to deliver effectively without.

  • Create a clear call to action at the end of your presentation. If you can inspire action from the audience, you will have left a lasting impact on them.

Actionable takeaways

  • Climb the ladder one rung at a time. It won’t be a fast ladder to climb but the only way to get to level 5 is rep by rep.

  • Build your daily speaking habit using the nano speech. Use this to scale every day conversations into public speaking in front of a large audience.

  • Make everything about the audience. If it doesn’t engage them or help them to understand your message, don’t include it in your presentation.

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Liam Sandford
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