Public speaking

Class of 82 · 01-07-2019 9:45pm #1

Not so much a problem but definitely something that has and continues to hold me back in a work environment.

I've decided I'm finally going to conquer it and looking for as much advice as possible. What courses, books, clubs etc do people recommend?

All tips and advice is very much appreciated.

Neames · 01-07-2019 11:24pm

A local ToastMasters club might help you.

I've heard that things about people getting over their fear of public speaking by joining ToastMasters.

Diziet · 02-07-2019 8:35am

Definitely Toastmasters - the only way to learn and get better is to do it! And take every opportunity to speak before an audience, however small.

It feels silly, but practice your presentation out loud, several times. It starts out as a disaster, and gets much better as you repeat it.

granty1892 · 02-07-2019 8:38am

Diziet wrote: »

Definitely Toastmasters - the only way to learn and get better is to do it! And take every opportunity to speak before an audience, however small.

It feels silly, but practice your presentation out loud, several times. It starts out as a disaster, and gets much better as you repeat it.

THIS. the reason we fear public speaking is because we dont do it enough to conquer the fear

fineso.mom · 02-07-2019 8:39am

I agree with the above. Practice,practice,practice. I used to record and time myself . It's easy to speak too fast when nervous so I would keep practicing and slow down. You might still be nervous but knowing your material really well will help a lot.

_Brian · 02-07-2019 9:00am

One mistake people make is they sit down over a period and read, read, read their material but never speak it out loud. Then they start to speak it for the first time in public and it’s offputting.

It’s important to speak it out loud in the time you intend presenting in so it sounds natural to you on your loud voice. Over time the need for this becomes less and less.

Another thing is to ensure you know the details of the content, if there is content your cloudy on and afraid of being questioned on this will also make you hesitant to present it.

brownbinman · 02-07-2019 9:05am

I have always had a stammer, was quite bad when younger. Presentations were a disaster, nerve racking experience

Until the day i decided that I couldn't give a continental f**k what anyone in that room thought of me or the presentation

Just my tuppence

Best of luck with it Class of 82, go to Toastmasters one night, nothing to lose and everything to gain

02-07-2019 9:11am

speak it out loud in advance, its key.

how you read something in your head is totally different to how you speak it, and like any physical effort practice matters

spurious · 02-07-2019 9:15am

One thing to realise when standing up in front of a group is that people are far more interested in themselves than they are in you.
Ten minutes later, none of them will remember (or possibly have even noticed) you had a red face, stumbled over some words etc.. It won't matter.
Toastmasters is a great suggestion.

smokingman · 02-07-2019 9:23am

Watch a lot of Ted talks as well.

Mousewar · 02-07-2019 9:57am

Yeah, like anything else practice makes it better. It's good to seek out as many opportunities as possible to do it. If that's all you did, nothing other than practicing, it would get better naturally.
It's great if you can find low-pressure opportunities to speak in public - things like family gatherings or social events. And remember, even if they go badly at first, they're still valuable practice. Like when you pick up a tennis racquet - all those air-swings are eventually what allow you to hit winners over the net.

mojesius · 02-07-2019 12:22pm

I developed a gradual fear of presenting in work after a bad experience and let it fester for a few years. Then I stepped in to cover a role and found out on the Friday that I had to present to 200 people (with no PowerPoint) and deliver two huge trainings all on the one day. I completely freaked out with fear and cried all that night to my then boyfriend (now husband). He called his best friend who is an actor and he spent hours with me, breaking down my irrational thoughts, practicing and practicing. It all went grand in the end, even though I was nervous as hell.

If you have any friends/relatives in acting or even well-versed in public speaking, maybe ask them for some coaching/advice? My fear was so bad at that time, I couldn't even think about joining toastmasters, so could be another option for you.

Nowadays, I have to present/train a lot in my current role, I don't think twice about it, feels good to have conquered the fear!

Wanderer2010 · 02-07-2019 5:19pm

Is Toastmasters really mainly for helping overcome public speaking? I have been to a few meetings in different parts of the country and it seemed to me to be a cliquey member of people who just use the public speaking thing as an excuse to get together and socialise. Im not saying they didn't help newcomers but it didn't seem to be the main aim of the club- more a drinking club! That could have just been my experience though.

Standman · 02-07-2019 6:22pm

Meetup.com also have regular public speaking meetups for beginners, depending on where you're based.

Class of 82 · 02-07-2019 8:55pm

Thanks for a lot of very good advice.

Step 1, is to go to my nearest Toastmasters night. I live in Dublin so have plenty of options.

I found out about a presentation skills course in work also that I have signed up for.

Conall Cernach · 02-07-2019 9:34pm

I've spoken publicly on many occasions. I find that knowing my subject inside out is the only way to beat any nerves. Write the script yourself and have it with you as a reassurance.

Zeek12 · 02-07-2019 10:36pm

Class of 82 wrote: »

Not so much a problem but definitely something that has and continues to hold me back in a work environment.

I've decided I'm finally going to conquer it and looking for as much advice as possible. What courses, books, clubs etc do people recommend?

All tips and advice is very much appreciated.

I haven't done this course personally. But our team was offered the opportunity to do it through work recently and a colleague took it.

https://www.dalecarnegie.com/en/topics/presentation-skills

I can see noticeable results in her already. Not just in presenting and public speaking. But just in her general confidence too.
She strongly recommended it.

Best of luck with whatever you decide to follow.

Enter name here · 02-07-2019 10:48pm

Public speaking is often very hard at first. But with a little confidence and subject knowledge you might be pleasantly surprised how quickly you pick it up. Speak to the crowd/ audience, pick 3 or 4 people in the audience and do your presentation while making eye contact with them. Spread this out over the presentation, for example if your presentation goes for 4 mins pick the 4 and spend 1 min looking at each person. Never place your back to the audience even when reading from a PowerPoint simply stand to the side and continue to face the front.

One of the best companies I have dealt with over the years and have sent many employees to is:
ttec.com/about-us/global-locations
They have an office if NI, the courses that would be good for your situation would probably be presentation skills and then advanced presentation skills.

Franz Von Peppercorn II · 02-07-2019 10:53pm

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Is Toastmasters really mainly for helping overcome public speaking? I have been to a few meetings in different parts of the country and it seemed to me to be a cliquey member of people who just use the public speaking thing as an excuse to get together and socialise. Im not saying they didn't help newcomers but it didn't seem to be the main aim of the club- more a drinking club! That could have just been my experience though.

I don’t believe that most people who join have or had a fear of public speaking.

cml387 · 03-07-2019 7:49am

You don't say if you are working op, but if you are, and public speaking or presenting is part of your job, I would ask if your company could get someone in to do a course. It's grant aided too.

Wanderer2010 · 03-07-2019 4:17pm

Franz Von Peppercorn II wrote: »

I don’t believe that most people who join have or had a fear of public speaking.

But isnt that the point of Toastmasters? To help you gain public speaking skills or at least improve them?

Class of 82 · 03-07-2019 9:16pm

cml387 wrote: »

You don't say if you are working op, but if you are, and public speaking or presenting is part of your job, I would ask if your company could get someone in to do a course. It's grant aided too.

Yes, working in finance. Regularly have to do small presentations but always shy away from anything more pressurised. It's holding me back.

TimeToShine · 11-07-2019 9:57pm

To be honest Toastmasters is more for people who are shy and don't mind what the topic they talk about is. If you're working in finance and want to advance your career you need to develop a reputation not just for public speaking but also for being concise and knowing your stuff. Wafflers are a dime a dozen but the real diamonds are people who can speak well and make a succinct point.

Pick something you know inside out from your job, make an introductory presentation about it and then book a meeting room in work by yourself and recite it, say whatever comes into your head about the topic. Get into the mindset of translating what you know upstairs into verbal action. Some of the best speakers are so because they can go off on related yet interesting tangents purely because they know their topic so well that they are comfortable branching out into how it impacts other areas.

Strumms · 12-07-2019 7:57pm

Class of 82 wrote: »

Yes, working in finance. Regularly have to do small presentations but always shy away from anything more pressurised. It's holding me back.

1. Most occasions where you are speaking publicly, your audience are there because they need you, the information you are imparting is critical.

2. When we are nervous we tend to speak faster and with less clarity. Pace yourself, even if it seems too slow.

3. Know your material, good amount of preparation beforehand and don’t present on the fly, you will be found out.

4. Notes are ok, but nothing more detailed than bullet points ie... at the bottom of the power point and only viewable by the presenter ie. yourself

Class of 82 · 12-07-2019 8:54pm

Thanks for the solid advice so far.

I (provisionally) have a presentation to do next week so time to put some of this into practice.

Franz Von Peppercorn II · 14-07-2019 10:16am

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

But isnt that the point of Toastmasters? To help you gain public speaking skills or at least improve them?

What I mean (what I said) is that it looks to me like a social group for people confident already. Then then compete at local, national and international level.

As someone else said it’s also not very useful speechifying for business talks.

Wanderer2010 · 14-07-2019 10:50am

Franz Von Peppercorn II wrote: »

What I mean (what I said) is that it looks to me like a social group for people confident already. Then then compete at local, national and international level.

As someone else said it’s also not very useful speechifying for business talks.

Thats odd because a lot of these Toastmaster groups advertise the motto that anyone can join and you are not under pressure to speak until comfortable. And in the reviews of some of them you read things like "I was shaking at first but the group helped me and gave me tips and now im a confident public speaker". Indeed there is a thing called IceBreaker where new people can give a speech and are evaluated.

Im sure over time you become quite proficient but I always thought the aim of this group was to help you become confident at public speaking and not just offer a soundboard for already confident speakers.

Franz Von Peppercorn II · 14-07-2019 1:54pm

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

Thats odd because a lot of these Toastmaster groups advertise the motto that anyone can join and you are not under pressure to speak until comfortable. And in the reviews of some of them you read things like "I was shaking at first but the group helped me and gave me tips and now im a confident public speaker". Indeed there is a thing called IceBreaker where new people can give a speech and are evaluated.

Im sure over time you become quite proficient but I always thought the aim of this group was to help you become confident at public speaking and not just offer a soundboard for already confident speakers.

Anybody I’ve ever known was confident to begin with or debate champions in school, university etc.

It gets fairly competitive.

The business related courses seem like a good thing.

Fann Linn · 14-07-2019 2:00pm

Back in the day when I was actively involved in Trade Unions I got a bit of advice from an official to help with my nerves when speaking to crowds. His advice was simple- go down to my local church and volunteer as a reader.

A very simple way to get over your fears or trepidations.

Birdsong · 14-07-2019 3:06pm

Franz Von Peppercorn II wrote:

What I mean (what I said) is that it looks to me like a social group for people confident already. Then then compete at local, national and international level.

As someone else said itâ€™s also not very useful speechifying for business talks.[/quote]

I think your missing the point of Toastmasters, Public Speaking is a skill, and Toastmasters gives you the opportunity to practice this skill and get better. The content doesn't matter, it's that your doing it does. Time on feet.

I'm a member of Toastmasters & have seen everyone from teachers to CEOs, all get so much better over the years.

Yes, there are competions in Toastmaster, same as most organisations , but that's a personal thing if you want to compete. Like all the members of the GAA ,very few compete at high level, doesn't stop others enjoying!

Alf Veedersane · 14-07-2019 3:11pm

Conall Cernach wrote: »

I've spoken publicly on many occasions. I find that knowing my subject inside out is the only way to beat any nerves. Write the script yourself and have it with you as a reassurance.

Yep.

But also a lot of practice in delivering. What looks good on paper doesn't sound as good when speaking it and I'll always make improvements to the delivery.

Public speaking

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