5 simple speaking tips to help you execute every time

Speaking
Written By Liam Sandford

Do you feel your heart racing, your palms sweating and your mind going blank at just the thought of public speaking? That used to be me too! You are not alone in this feeling.

When you have a fear of public speaking you don’t need difficult techniques to optimize your speaking, you need actionable ones that actually help. This means not focusing on pausing, or removing your filler words, but going from 0 to 1.

There are 5 actionable items that will help you scale from being afraid, to getting your first public speaking repetitions in. Let’s begin.

Prepare your mind

The hardest part of public speaking is dealing with 1 million things going on at one time. You start thinking about what you have to say, the technology set up, the audience connection, if people can hear you, what people are thinking, how fast you are talking, when to move onto the next slide. This list is endless.

You will likely know from experience what the key triggers are that set you into panic mode for public speaking. Most of them will not be to do with the speaking itself, but the environmental factors. Reduce the stress on your mind by getting answers to your logistical questions before you have to speak. This is a key part of your preparation.

This will enable you to focus on two things:

  • What you are going to say

  • Connecting with the audience

When you can focus on just these two things your mind is clear and ready to deliver.

Use the nano speech

The most basic form of public speaking there is — a 10 second framework to open, deliver your main point, and close. Start small. You can speak for 10 seconds to a colleague, or a family member. If that conversation is delivered with the simple structure of:

  • Open

  • Body

  • Close

You will be building repetitions that scale into delivering a presentation. The structure is key — most speakers don’t intentionally structure what they say and end up waffling on. Avoid this with nano speech practice.

The nano speech is the best way to get repetitions in within a comfortable environment. Scale up once you become comfortable speaking for 10 seconds. Grow in confidence through the nano speech.

Less is more

You don’t need to say a lot to have a big impact. In fact, being long-winded can ruin your message. Be concise and focus on your key points. This will make it easier for you to remember what you need to say, and make it easier for the audience to recall your main points.

Avoid a script

The natural thing to do as a beginner speaker is to start scripting everything you are going to say. That way it will be perfect right? I used to believe that too! But having a script can derail everything. If you forget one word you will end up losing the whole presentation.

Instead you want to have specific themes that you are comfortable talking about, and craft stories you can tell using your experience. Staying away from a script will help you be more conversational, and it makes your life easier when you have to speak for 30 minutes — this automatically increases the preparation time you require, and still you might not remember it word for word.

Don’t make your life harder than it needs to be.

Build a daily speaking habit

The best way to get better at public speaking is to practice daily. Opportunities are everywhere — every time you order a coffee, or join a video call, or have a conversation is a chance you can take to practice your speaking skills.

Use the nano speech to your advantage and use short bursts to master the basics of public speaking. With a daily habit you build the foundations necessary to speak well every time without rustiness.

Confidence is success remembered. The easier it is to recall the successful reps you have previously built, the more confident you will be in your delivery. This is the secret to success every time. Practice regularly to increase your comfortability, confidence, and execution.

Actionable takeaways

  • Focus on the basics before you try to optimize your speaking technique. Starting small and building a strong foundation is an essential part of the process to make speaking effortless.

  • Use the nano speech. This allows you to start small with repetitions that scale into delivering an actual presentation. Relevant reps over non-intentional action.

  • Stop scripting. Use themes and stories you are comfortable talking about. This also makes your preparation easier.

More from me

Liam Sandford
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