5 Practical Public Speaking Tips from a TEDx Coach
Danny Riley
5 min read
What you’ll learn:
- Why the “creative process” applies to public speaking.
- The importance of letting go of ego, and perfection.
- Public speaking tips to control nerves and self-doubt.
Public speaking tips... where to start?
For the new public speaker, there are literally dozens of potential problems.
Whilst perfection is never the goal, the following public speaking tips will help you avoid common mistakes, and improve your performance.
Ready to get started?
Let’s jump in with a word on the creative process.
Detaching from the "Creative Process."
Public speaking can feel daunting, but self-doubt is part of a process.
I recently took up tennis for the first time in my life and had to go through the “creative process”.
If you haven’t heard of the creative process, first penned by Marcus Roma, it goes like this:
- This is awesome
- This is tricky
- This is shit
- I am shit
- This might be ok
- This is awesome
I loved tennis at first, but as I learned the correct way to hit the ball and move around the court, I felt clunky and stupid. Soon after, I started to lose points, and matches. I wanted to quit.
This is hard to take when you start something new.
You want to be good from the get-go, but nothing in life worth having comes easy.
Likewise, when you first decide to take up public speaking, it’s normal to feel the same.
I know I did.
I felt clumsy and nervous.
But this is all a natural part of the process.
So my first public speaking tip for you, is to accept where you are, and try to detach from these feelings.
Ready to speak with confidence?
Explore our training options...
Get busy training the craft of speaking.
The solution to your problems with public speaking comes down to training and craft.
I watched The Father with Anthony Hopkins recently, and his performance was incredible. Anthony Hopkins wasn’t born a great actor, though. He trained and practiced his craft, long before he became great. Every great thing had humble beginnings.
Even the Universe was an infinitesimal dot.
Don’t make the process seem any harder than it is.
Get through the launch and you’ll be heading to the stars.
Next public speaking tip? Let go of your ego.
Your ego is holding you back from being a competent speaker.
Your desire to not look foolish will keep you safe and quiet, but it won’t get you a promotion and it won’t win you any sales.
Here’s the thing your ego doesn’t realise:
It will be even more satisfied when you are well-practiced.
When you can captivate an audience, you will wonder why you waited so long. Your ego will smile.
So, let the ego go for now. Because any audience worth speaking to will forgive you for being nervous, but never for being boring.
This is why you must keep practicing your craft.
Be original, be unique, be you.
What if I forget what to say?
This isn’t as big of an issue as you might think.
It’s happened to me many times and the best solution I’ve found is to make a joke of it: “10 points to the first person who can tell me what I was saying”. “Where was I? They put something in the coffee”.
You will recover stronger than before.
Your audience will be glad it’s not them on the stage. Plus, they’ll be more likely to remember how you recovered than how you stalled. To truly master this problem, practising improv speaking is the key.
Overcoming your speaking nerves.
The best tip for public speaking nerves, is to remember why you are there.
- Are you solving a problem? Focus on the solution.
- Are you persuading the board to accept a big change? Focus on their feelings.
- Are you trying to make your audience laugh? Then help them have a good time.
You cannot be the best you can be, if you’re focused on your own nerves.
I know it’s not easy, but it is simple.
My top public speaking tips: get practising.
You can learn everything there is to learn about public speaking on YouTube, but it won’t make you a better speaker.
The same goes for acting, tennis, golf, chess, and everything else worth doing in life.
You must, must, must, practice, practice, practice.
You can do this alone, but you’ll never know where you’re going wrong.
That’s why we created our 1-Day ‘Speak & Present Masterclass’.
Don’t spend another second wondering and waiting. Your time is now. If you want to become the best you can be, we can help you. I could have written another one hundred things that will hold you back as a speaker. But it all comes down to practice.
So take the plunge and come and practice with us!
All the best for your speaking success.