6 ms·

Getting into public speaking

164 points by jbrooksuk 9mo ago

Jnr 9mo ago
How to speak from Patrick Winston at MIT is my go to. A must watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unzc731iCUY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unzc731iCUY
drsim 9mo ago
I love public speaking, think I'm above average at it, and am aiming to do more of it. Has anyone here tried Toastmasters? Went to my local group last week and was pleasantly surprised with the quality of speaking.
- robaato 9mo ago
  Would heartily recommend Toastmasters - get's you lots of practice, encouragement and you can learn from some excellent speakers.
  - euroderf 9mo ago
    They do a variety of speaking formats. Exercise!
somethingsome 9mo ago
I'm always surprised by the amount of advises in rehearsal. I like to give public speaches, but I organize myself completely differently. I spend much time making Slides that are easy to follow and logically ordered, and in each I know that I can say a little more or a little less without disrupting the message. I know that I can count on 1 slide = 1 min. Unless lots of images. I don't rehearse as I know that I prepared well my slides. Then during the talk I add more or less informations naturally depending on the time left and on the facial expressions of the audience. I usually finish exactly on time. Usually I read my slides and think about what exactly to say only just before the talk. I find this way more natural, and less scripted, and I usually get compliments on my presentation and naturalness. I think rehearsing removes much of the naturalness of a talk, unless that aspect is worked extensively, but that could sound a little too scripted for my taste. One trick that I use often if I tend to forget some information that is important to say, is to put one word that trigger the information IN the slide, but in very light Grey, and in a natural place, like close to an image. So if I ever forget what to say, I have my landmarks in each slide to guide me.
- doomerhunter 9mo ago
  I often tend to integrate talking passionately about a topic in my head with an imaginary interlocutor. While not directly being a rehearsal in itself, it really helps with developing ideas and chaining concepts - at least for me. I guess everyone is different in regards to handling the pressure when talking in public, but I do agree that you can feel it, most of the time, when someone rehearsed too "scholarly".
  - ghaff 9mo ago
    On the one hand, I tend to not do formal rehearsals a lot of the time. On the other, I also find that if I give a live talk for the second or third time, it often is better because I find some things that worked in my head don't work as well on stage. All that said, an overly-rehearsed talk can come across as stilted/reading from a script.
- tannerc 9mo ago
  This is how I present as well. When what you’re presenting is something you have actual knowledge about, it can be easier to say what you think rather than stress about “sticking to the script.” True of public speaking just as much as interviewing. Many people unnecessarily stress about public speaking because they believe the script is the only thing that matters. Though I admit there is no one size fits all when it comes to speaking.
- matwood 9mo ago
  I do almost your method, except I do the presentation a few times as practice to make sure the flow works. When I give the presentation it's not scripted, but since I practiced it is much easier for me to improv. My slides are typically very sparse and simply act as a trigger for which part of the topic I'm speaking on at that time. But, to your point, I agree that your method is the best way if you know the subject matter. When I practice it's mainly for transitions/flow and not the information.
- gunnarmorling 9mo ago
  This approach can work for experienced speakers, in particular if you have spoken about the given topic before, but I'd strongly advise against not rehearsing for folks a bit newer into their speaking career. So often I have seen talks where folks either were time after half of their time slot, or they ran out of time towards the end. Or they lost track of the plot, went off on a tangent for way too long, etc. All this is not great for the audience (who have "invested" into your session, by paying for the ticket, spending time away from work and family, not attending other concurrent sessions, etc.), and it can so easily be avoided by rehearsing. The most common reason I have seen for folks skipping to rehearse is the awkward feeling you might have when speaking loud all by yourself. If that's the issue, it can help to do a dry run in front of colleagues. In any case, "winging it" is best reserved for later on, after having gathered quite a bit of speaking experience and having spoken about the same, or very similar, topics before. I'd also recommend to avoid reading from slides during a talk as much as possible, it's also not a great experience for the audience. There shouldn't be much text on slides to begin with, as folks will either read that, or listen to what you say, but typically have a hard time doing both at once. (All this is a general recommendation, not a comment on your talks which I have not seen)
mnky9800n 9mo ago
I love to give talks but I find I only do them at science conferences where I’ve submitted things out as an invited speaker at universities. How do I find new places to give talks about my interests?
- doomerhunter 9mo ago
  Depends on your hobbies. I'm into cybsec, there's a ton of small events where you can either be on stage (so submit a proposal), but there is often what we call "rumps" which are usually unplanned 5 minutes talks about a subject. They're a great way to practice. Besides that, i guess schools/student groups that seek professionals. Non-profits works as well, I did that when I was younger (advocacy).
captn3m0 9mo ago
Good advice. One of the things I suffer from is speaking too fast, and yet to find a good solution for it. I put a sticky note on my screen reminding me to slow down these days, but it only helps so much. Another comprehensive guide for tech-speakers is https://speaking.io/ https://speaking.io/ by Zach Holman.
- rolandog 9mo ago
  Do you think one's tendency to speak faster originates from listening to podcasts at 2.x+ speed?
  - R_D_Olivaw 9mo ago
    You know, I think that might certainly have something to do with it, but I've also noticed that anytime I'm using tech (video call/voice call) the conversation is at a much faster pace. It's as though the natural state of the machines and tech is so fast, that we're trying to keep the information transmission as dense as possible so we can end the call. Side note, I was watching an interview with Cory Doctorow and because of the tv segment style, both he and the interviewer were BLASTING through their talking points. I wonder how much of our speech is being affected by the "say as much as you can before commercial break" model.
  - captn3m0 9mo ago
    Not for me. I listen at 1-1.25x, and not an avid listener. I just speak fast, especially in english
  - ghaff 9mo ago
    Which is something I have zero interest in doing. If it's a good/interesting podcast, it's not about getting fed information "efficiently" for me. That said, I have recorded some podcasts with people where I felt I really needed to go into Audacity and have it automatically cut out a bunch of pauses because there were just too many of them. I've also found that having both video and audio of yourself is a great way to uncover both visual and audio quirks.
  - sgc 9mo ago
lucidplot 9mo ago
if you don't fancy toastmasters, sign up for a beginner's improv class in your area.
- ljlolel 9mo ago
  Seconded!
macintux 9mo ago
A collection of related resources: https://gist.github.com/macintux/5354837 https://gist.github.com/macintux/5354837
rednafi 9mo ago
It’s different for everyone. I love public speaking but tend not to over-rehearse. Also, I prefer smaller conferences and meetups than large sprawling ones.
csswizardry 9mo ago
My own (similar) advice from 2016: https://csswizardry.com/2016/06/speakers-checklist-before-and-after-your-talk/ https://csswizardry.com/2016/06/speakers-checklist-before-an...
ColinWright 9mo ago
I gave nearly 100 talks this calendar year ... most are repeats where I'm invited to give a talk that people have seen elsewhere. There were about 25 different talks. Some of the advice given in this post is universal, some is very, very specific and should be taken with a huge fistful of salt. So assess it for yourself. Does it feel like it applies to you? Then adopt it. Does it feel odd, alien, or simply wrong? Don't dismiss it immediately. Give it some attention, try to understand why the author is suggesting it, then decide whether or not to give it a go.
fxwin 9mo ago
as for #6: I also like to keep my intro light-hearted, but wouldn't straight up start with a joke. Let the audience settle in a bit, actually start listening to you and make them laugh "on slide 2" so to speak.
david_shaw 9mo ago
In my experience, getting over the fear of public speaking is really just an exercise in exposure therapy. There are no silver bullets. But my advice to current and future public speakers is this: never, ever add fluff to fill the engagement time. Every audience everywhere would rather you take 33 minutes instead of 50 if those 17 minutes would have been filled with, basically, garbage information designed to fill time. It's awful how often people think giving a talk is some kind of speech class homework. It's not. You're not graded on filling the time.
joshu 9mo ago
i gave a TED talk once. endless practice and repeated testing to make sure every line was good enough. it wasn’t great but better than any talk i had done previously.
tanin 9mo ago
For an absolute beginner in public speaking who has fear of public speaking, I'd recommend joining Toastmasters. A Toastmasters club is like a simulated environment for public speaking where everyone is extremely supportive. I was still anxious even I knew that at the beginning... even when everyone insisted anything was okay. After 100+ speech giving at a club in Bellevue, now I don't feel anxious anymore speaking in front of 50+ people in a real-world situation where everyone might not be supportive. I can just get up and speak. It's funny how our minds even work. It turns out simulation is good enough for training our minds. The quality of public speaking is a separate aspect. Toastmasters do help with that but I can't claim I am good at it yet. But, for anxiety, I now feel almost nothing.
- FatherOfCurses 9mo ago
  100% agree. Additionally Toastmasters will improve: your ability to think on your feet (a portion of the meeting is impromptu speaking); your ability to provide constructive feedback (members provide feedback on speeches delivered); and your ability to lead if so desired (every club is a volunteer organization that needs leaders to operate).

164 points by jbrooksuk 9mo ago

Jnr 9mo ago

How to speak from Patrick Winston at MIT is my go to. A must watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unzc731iCUY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unzc731iCUY

drsim 9mo ago

I love public speaking, think I'm above average at it, and am aiming to do more of it. Has anyone here tried Toastmasters? Went to my local group last week and was pleasantly surprised with the quality of speaking.

robaato 9mo ago
Would heartily recommend Toastmasters - get's you lots of practice, encouragement and you can learn from some excellent speakers.
- euroderf 9mo ago
  They do a variety of speaking formats. Exercise!

somethingsome 9mo ago

I'm always surprised by the amount of advises in rehearsal. I like to give public speaches, but I organize myself completely differently. I spend much time making Slides that are easy to follow and logically ordered, and in each I know that I can say a little more or a little less without disrupting the message. I know that I can count on 1 slide = 1 min. Unless lots of images. I don't rehearse as I know that I prepared well my slides. Then during the talk I add more or less informations naturally depending on the time left and on the facial expressions of the audience. I usually finish exactly on time. Usually I read my slides and think about what exactly to say only just before the talk. I find this way more natural, and less scripted, and I usually get compliments on my presentation and naturalness. I think rehearsing removes much of the naturalness of a talk, unless that aspect is worked extensively, but that could sound a little too scripted for my taste. One trick that I use often if I tend to forget some information that is important to say, is to put one word that trigger the information IN the slide, but in very light Grey, and in a natural place, like close to an image. So if I ever forget what to say, I have my landmarks in each slide to guide me.

doomerhunter 9mo ago
I often tend to integrate talking passionately about a topic in my head with an imaginary interlocutor. While not directly being a rehearsal in itself, it really helps with developing ideas and chaining concepts - at least for me. I guess everyone is different in regards to handling the pressure when talking in public, but I do agree that you can feel it, most of the time, when someone rehearsed too "scholarly".
- ghaff 9mo ago
  On the one hand, I tend to not do formal rehearsals a lot of the time. On the other, I also find that if I give a live talk for the second or third time, it often is better because I find some things that worked in my head don't work as well on stage. All that said, an overly-rehearsed talk can come across as stilted/reading from a script.
tannerc 9mo ago
This is how I present as well. When what you’re presenting is something you have actual knowledge about, it can be easier to say what you think rather than stress about “sticking to the script.” True of public speaking just as much as interviewing. Many people unnecessarily stress about public speaking because they believe the script is the only thing that matters. Though I admit there is no one size fits all when it comes to speaking.
matwood 9mo ago
I do almost your method, except I do the presentation a few times as practice to make sure the flow works. When I give the presentation it's not scripted, but since I practiced it is much easier for me to improv. My slides are typically very sparse and simply act as a trigger for which part of the topic I'm speaking on at that time. But, to your point, I agree that your method is the best way if you know the subject matter. When I practice it's mainly for transitions/flow and not the information.
gunnarmorling 9mo ago
This approach can work for experienced speakers, in particular if you have spoken about the given topic before, but I'd strongly advise against not rehearsing for folks a bit newer into their speaking career. So often I have seen talks where folks either were time after half of their time slot, or they ran out of time towards the end. Or they lost track of the plot, went off on a tangent for way too long, etc. All this is not great for the audience (who have "invested" into your session, by paying for the ticket, spending time away from work and family, not attending other concurrent sessions, etc.), and it can so easily be avoided by rehearsing. The most common reason I have seen for folks skipping to rehearse is the awkward feeling you might have when speaking loud all by yourself. If that's the issue, it can help to do a dry run in front of colleagues. In any case, "winging it" is best reserved for later on, after having gathered quite a bit of speaking experience and having spoken about the same, or very similar, topics before. I'd also recommend to avoid reading from slides during a talk as much as possible, it's also not a great experience for the audience. There shouldn't be much text on slides to begin with, as folks will either read that, or listen to what you say, but typically have a hard time doing both at once. (All this is a general recommendation, not a comment on your talks which I have not seen)

mnky9800n 9mo ago

I love to give talks but I find I only do them at science conferences where I’ve submitted things out as an invited speaker at universities. How do I find new places to give talks about my interests?

doomerhunter 9mo ago
Depends on your hobbies. I'm into cybsec, there's a ton of small events where you can either be on stage (so submit a proposal), but there is often what we call "rumps" which are usually unplanned 5 minutes talks about a subject. They're a great way to practice. Besides that, i guess schools/student groups that seek professionals. Non-profits works as well, I did that when I was younger (advocacy).

captn3m0 9mo ago

Good advice. One of the things I suffer from is speaking too fast, and yet to find a good solution for it. I put a sticky note on my screen reminding me to slow down these days, but it only helps so much. Another comprehensive guide for tech-speakers is https://speaking.io/ https://speaking.io/ by Zach Holman.

rolandog 9mo ago
Do you think one's tendency to speak faster originates from listening to podcasts at 2.x+ speed?
- R_D_Olivaw 9mo ago
  You know, I think that might certainly have something to do with it, but I've also noticed that anytime I'm using tech (video call/voice call) the conversation is at a much faster pace. It's as though the natural state of the machines and tech is so fast, that we're trying to keep the information transmission as dense as possible so we can end the call. Side note, I was watching an interview with Cory Doctorow and because of the tv segment style, both he and the interviewer were BLASTING through their talking points. I wonder how much of our speech is being affected by the "say as much as you can before commercial break" model.
- captn3m0 9mo ago
  Not for me. I listen at 1-1.25x, and not an avid listener. I just speak fast, especially in english
- ghaff 9mo ago
  Which is something I have zero interest in doing. If it's a good/interesting podcast, it's not about getting fed information "efficiently" for me. That said, I have recorded some podcasts with people where I felt I really needed to go into Audacity and have it automatically cut out a bunch of pauses because there were just too many of them. I've also found that having both video and audio of yourself is a great way to uncover both visual and audio quirks.
- sgc 9mo ago

lucidplot 9mo ago

if you don't fancy toastmasters, sign up for a beginner's improv class in your area.

ljlolel 9mo ago
Seconded!

macintux 9mo ago

A collection of related resources: https://gist.github.com/macintux/5354837 https://gist.github.com/macintux/5354837

rednafi 9mo ago

It’s different for everyone. I love public speaking but tend not to over-rehearse. Also, I prefer smaller conferences and meetups than large sprawling ones.

csswizardry 9mo ago

My own (similar) advice from 2016: https://csswizardry.com/2016/06/speakers-checklist-before-and-after-your-talk/ https://csswizardry.com/2016/06/speakers-checklist-before-an...

ColinWright 9mo ago

I gave nearly 100 talks this calendar year ... most are repeats where I'm invited to give a talk that people have seen elsewhere. There were about 25 different talks. Some of the advice given in this post is universal, some is very, very specific and should be taken with a huge fistful of salt. So assess it for yourself. Does it feel like it applies to you? Then adopt it. Does it feel odd, alien, or simply wrong? Don't dismiss it immediately. Give it some attention, try to understand why the author is suggesting it, then decide whether or not to give it a go.

fxwin 9mo ago

as for #6: I also like to keep my intro light-hearted, but wouldn't straight up start with a joke. Let the audience settle in a bit, actually start listening to you and make them laugh "on slide 2" so to speak.

david_shaw 9mo ago

In my experience, getting over the fear of public speaking is really just an exercise in exposure therapy. There are no silver bullets. But my advice to current and future public speakers is this: never, ever add fluff to fill the engagement time. Every audience everywhere would rather you take 33 minutes instead of 50 if those 17 minutes would have been filled with, basically, garbage information designed to fill time. It's awful how often people think giving a talk is some kind of speech class homework. It's not. You're not graded on filling the time.

joshu 9mo ago

i gave a TED talk once. endless practice and repeated testing to make sure every line was good enough. it wasn’t great but better than any talk i had done previously.

tanin 9mo ago

For an absolute beginner in public speaking who has fear of public speaking, I'd recommend joining Toastmasters. A Toastmasters club is like a simulated environment for public speaking where everyone is extremely supportive. I was still anxious even I knew that at the beginning... even when everyone insisted anything was okay. After 100+ speech giving at a club in Bellevue, now I don't feel anxious anymore speaking in front of 50+ people in a real-world situation where everyone might not be supportive. I can just get up and speak. It's funny how our minds even work. It turns out simulation is good enough for training our minds. The quality of public speaking is a separate aspect. Toastmasters do help with that but I can't claim I am good at it yet. But, for anxiety, I now feel almost nothing.

FatherOfCurses 9mo ago
100% agree. Additionally Toastmasters will improve: your ability to think on your feet (a portion of the meeting is impromptu speaking); your ability to provide constructive feedback (members provide feedback on speeches delivered); and your ability to lead if so desired (every club is a volunteer organization that needs leaders to operate).