Documentation / 02.12.2019

What a beautiful way to perform in front of an audience. Successful public speaking: sample text. Ways to relieve stress

Many people are afraid to speak in public, whether it's a speech, a toast at a friend's wedding, or in class at the blackboard. Fortunately, you can make public speaking less stressful for yourself with some of the tips in this article. This skill may never be your forte, but you will be less likely to drop your performance right in the middle in front of a lot of people.

Steps

Part 1

Preparing for a performance

Know the topic of your speech. Integral part becoming a relaxed and dynamic speaker is a test that you know what you are talking about and know it well. Lack of knowledge can make you feel nervous and insecure during your performance, which your audience will quickly understand.

The key to success is advance preparation. Take the time to plan your speech so that it seems natural and logical. Also, you should make sure that you know how to play the speech in such a way as to emphasize your positive traits speaker and muffle the existing shortcomings.
Even during public speaking, sometimes you have to answer questions like in a lesson, so you definitely need to know the topic of your speech well. This will help you feel more confident, which will also create good impression on your listeners.

Train your body. Even though public speaking is not a race, you need to make sure that your body listens to you well. This involves much more than just refraining from stomping from foot to foot during a performance (calm your toes and you will stop stomping). This also includes correct breathing so that you can plan and pronounce phrases correctly.
- Speak from the diaphragm. This will help you sound clear and loud so that the audience can hear you without too much effort and shouting from your side. To practice, stand up straight and place your hand on your stomach. Inhale and exhale. Count to five as you inhale, and then to ten as you exhale. You will feel your stomach begin to relax. You need to learn how to breathe and speak in such a relaxed state.
- Modulate your own tone of voice. Determine the pitch of your voice. Is she too tall? Too low? A relaxed state, a comfortable posture (standing) and proper breathing will help you find a more comfortable and pleasant tone of voice for your performance.
- Avoid choking your breath and breathing in with your upper chest, as both can make you anxious and tense your throat. As a result, your voice will become more tense and constrained.
Know the structure of your own speech. Knowing your own speech is just as important as knowing the topic you will be talking about. Exist various methods presentation, so you need to choose the method that will be most convenient for you.
- To give a speech, you will need to prepare cards with abstracts or a speech plan. Or you can just remember the abstracts if you have good memory(don't try to do this from memory unless you're 100% sure you won't forget anything).
- You don't want to write down every detail on the abstract cards (leave some space for improvisation), but it's a good idea to write helpful notes on them, such as "pause after this message" or "remember to take a breath" so you don't actually forget about these things.
Learn your own speech. You don't necessarily have to memorize your speech or its main points, but it can be a huge help in appearing more confident and knowledgeable about the topic of the speech. However, make sure you have enough time for this.
- Rewrite your speech several times. This method helps to remember speech better. The more you write it, the easier it will be for you to remember it. After you have rewritten the speech many times, test yourself to see how well you remember it. If there are parts of your speech that you can't remember, rewrite them a few more times.
- Divide the speech into smaller parts and memorize each of them separately. It can be really hard to remember the whole speech. In this case, for memorization, it would be better to divide it into small parts (start learning speech by memorizing the most important semantic part, and then move on to memorizing the remaining main parts, and so on).
- For memorization, use the method of locations. Divide your speech into paragraphs and key points. Visualize in your mind a specific picture for each key moment(this is analogous to imagining Harry Potter when saying J.K. Rowling's name and discussing her contribution to children's literature). Decide on a location for each key moment (e.g. Hogwarts for Rowling, Meadow for Stephenie Meyer, etc.). Now you just need to move between locations (for example, imagine that you are flying on a broomstick from Hogwarts to a meadow). If you have many things to talk about, then put them in special places around the main location (for example, take the main hall of Hogwarts to discuss the popularity of Harry Potter, or the Quidditch field to report on the writer's contribution to genre redefinition).
Get to know your audience. You need to know who you'll be speaking to, as certain speech techniques may suit one type of audience and be downright boring for other audiences, or even piss off certain groups of people. For example, you can't be informal during a business presentation, but you can use an informal style when communicating with college students.
- Humor is a great way to take the pressure off yourself and your audience. There are usually certain jokes that are appropriate for most public situations (but not always!). It's a good idea to start with a little joke to lighten the mood and impress the audience with confidence. To do this, you can tell some funny (and true) story.
- Understand what you are trying to convey to the audience. Do you want to give her new information? Rewording old information? Persuade people to do something? This will help you focus on what you are trying to achieve.
Practice speaking. This is extremely important if you want to perform well in public. It is not enough just to know the material that you are trying to convey to people. You need to practice giving a speech several times in order to start feeling comfortable during the speech. This is similar to breaking in shoes. When you put on a new pair of shoes for the first few times, you get blisters, but soon you start to feel comfortable in well-fitting shoes.
- Try to visit the place where you will perform and practice there. This will allow you to become significantly more confident, as you will be more familiar with the place.
- Record your rehearsal on video and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the performance. While watching a video of yourself speaking might seem like a daunting task, it's a great way to discover your strengths and weaknesses. You may notice your nervous tics (like shifting from foot to foot or stroking your hair with your hands) and you can work on eradicating or minimizing them.
Part 2
Working out the content of your speech
1. Select right style speeches. There are three speaking styles: informative, persuasive, and entertaining. Although they may overlap, each of them has its own specific functions that it performs.
  - The main purpose of the informative speaking style is to communicate facts, details and examples. Even if you are trying to convince an audience of something, it is based on facts and information.
  - A persuasive speaking style is all about persuading the audience. In it, you can use facts to help, but you will also use emotions, logic, your own experience, and so on.
  - The purpose of an entertaining speaking style is to fulfill people's need for social interaction, but it often uses some aspect of informative speech (for example, in a wedding toast or in a thank you speech).
2. Avoid a blurry intro. You must have heard speeches beginning with, "When I was asked to speak, I didn't know what to say..." Don't do it. This is one of the most boring ways to start your speech. He goes around and around the speaker's personal problems and is not at all attractive to listeners, as the speaker believes.
  - Start your talk by giving the main and overarching idea and three (or so) main facts that support it, so that you can talk about them in more detail later. Listeners will remember the introduction and conclusion of your speech better than you yourself will remember any of its parts.
  - From the very beginning, open up your presentation in a way that captures the audience's attention. This means telling amazing facts or startling statistics, or asking a question and then answering it and dispelling any public doubt before it even arises.
3. Have a clear structure for your speech. So that your speech does not constantly stumble over every word, you need to come up with a clear format for it. Remember, you are not trying to overwhelm the audience with facts and ideas.
  - Your speech should have one clear, overarching idea. Ask yourself what are you trying to convey to the public? What do you want people to take away from your speech? Why should they agree with what you say? For example, if you are preparing a lecture on trends in national literature, consider why your audience should care. You shouldn't just throw facts around.
  - You will need a few basic arguments that support your main idea or position. It's usually best to have three arguments. For example, if your main idea is that children's literature is getting more diverse, have one argument that argues for new trends, a second argument that shows readers' perceptions of this diversity, and a third argument that talks about why this diversity in children's literature matters. .
4. Use the correct language. The language is extremely importance both in written and oral speech. You must refrain from using a large number too bulky and long words because no matter how smart your audience is, they will quickly lose interest in you if you constantly hit them on the head with a thick dictionary.
  - Use flashy adverbs and adjectives. You need to bring your own speech and audience to life. For example, instead of saying "children's literature presents a range of different perspectives," say "children's literature presents a new range of exciting and diverse perspectives."
  - Use figurative juxtaposition to awaken your audience and make them remember your thoughts. Winston Churchill often used the phrase "Iron Curtain" to describe secrecy. Soviet Union. Figurative juxtaposition tends to linger better in the minds of listeners (as can be seen from the fact that the "Iron Curtain" has become a catchphrase).
  - Replays also serve as a great way to remind your audience of the importance of your speech (think of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream..." speech). This emphasizes more of the main arguments and allows you to remember the main idea of the speech.
5. Keep it simple. It is necessary that the audience easily follow the course of your speech and continue to remember it after the end of your speech. Therefore, it should not only contain figurative comparisons and striking facts, but also be quite simple and close to the essence. If you wander through the swamp of little facts related to your performance, you will lose the interest of the audience.
  - Use short sentences and phrases. This can be done to create a special dramatic effect. For example, the phrase "never again" may be used. It is short, charged with meaning and has considerable power.
  - You can use short and meaningful quotes. A lot of famous people said something funny or meaningful in fairly short phrases. You can try to use a pre-prepared statement of one of them. For example, Franklin D. Roosevelt said: "Be sincere and brief, and immediately sit down after the speech."
Part 3
Public speaking
1. Deal with anxiety. Almost every person gets a little nervous before they have to appear in front of people for a speech. The main thing is that at this stage your speech is already ready, and you know how to present it. And fortunately, there are some special methods for managing anxiety.
  - Before you stand in front of an audience and start talking, clench and unclench your fists a few times to deal with the adrenaline rush. Take three deep and slow breaths. This will clear your respiratory system and you will be ready to breathe properly while giving a speech.
  - Stand straight in a confident but relaxed posture with your feet shoulder-width apart. This will reassure your brain of your confidence, and it will be easier for you to give a speech.
2. Smile at your audience. Smile at people when they enter the room (if you are there), or smile when you yourself appear in front of the audience. This will give people the impression of your confidence and will lighten the mood for both you and them.
  - Smile even if you are confused (especially if you are confused). This will continue to trick your brain into making your body feel more confident and relaxed.
3. Give a presentation. A performance of any kind in public is always a performance. You can make your speech interesting or boring depending on the presentation you give. During the speech, you, in your own way, must pull on a theatrical mask.
4. Engage your audience. You have to make sure that she is under your control, which means she is immersed in the material of your speech, regardless of its content. In this issue, an interesting speaker plays a greater role than an interesting topic of discussion.
  - Look at the public. Divide the room in your mind into sections and alternately make eye contact with one person from each section.
  - During the speech, ask the audience questions. You can open each individual part of your presentation with questions that people should try to answer before you share your information with them. This will make them feel like they are part of your performance.
5. Speak slowly. One of the most common mistakes people make in public is trying to speak too fast. Your normal speaking speed is significantly faster than required for speaking in public. If you feel like you're talking too slowly, you're probably doing it right.
  - Take a sip of water if you start to choke on your own speech. This will give the audience some time to reflect on what has already been said and give you a chance to slow down.
  - If your friend or relative is in the audience, arrange for them to give you a signal if you start talking too fast. Keep an eye on the person during your speech periodically to make sure everything is going according to plan.

Even if you assume you'll never be a conference speaker, public speaking skills will still come in handy. Without professional training, it is equally difficult to speak at a meeting in front of colleagues, and at a presentation of a project to investors, and at an evening meetup in a tent city. The good news is that public speaking can be learned.

Why are you performing

Motivation. Before preparing for any speech, the main thing is to understand why this company and you personally. Speakers usually want to upgrade their skills, increase visibility or raise their authority. Think about what your employer needs this report for and what the manual ultimately wants. This will clarify the purpose and help determine the content of the speech.

The purpose of the speech There are two types: informative and stimulating. In the first case, we share experience, expertise, news, in the second case, we encourage the audience to take action. It is easier to prepare an informative speech. But, as a rule, it is less incendiary and the benefit for the speaker is not obvious. Incentive is more important for promoting a business, a product, increasing audience loyalty and attracting new customers, so prepare such speeches more often.

The audience. Find out in advance for whom you will perform: what is the gender, age, profession of the audience. Find out why people will come to you as a speaker and what they want to get. The better you understand the motives of the audience, the more interesting performance you can prepare. Try to highlight all the issues that concern people in the hall. So the report will be relevant from the first to the last word.

Respect the audience. People could spend their time on more important or urgent matters, but instead they listen to you. Time is an irreplaceable resource, so make your presentation as useful as possible.

What will you tell

Scheme. Always build your speech according to a single scheme: introduction, body and conclusion. How to allocate time, decide depending on the "warmth" of the audience. If you're speaking in front of a large room at a conference where most people don't know you, stick to a 20/60/20 ratio. If you have a meeting at work or a report in an interest club where all participants are familiar, take 5% of the total time for introduction and conclusion. Leave the rest to the main question.

Introduction. The ideal introduction contains a welcome, introduction, thanks, and short review. The less the audience knows about you, the more detailed your business card should be. You should tell who you are, what and how long you have been doing and what your expertise in the topic of the speech is.

Gratitude brings the speaker and the audience closer, adds warmth and goodwill. Even the banal “Thank you for coming” works well if you speak from the heart. If you feel that sincerely it will not work out, omit gratitude so as not to speak with a stretch.

Then tell us about the purpose of the speech, what issues you plan to touch on and why they are important. It grabs the attention of the listeners, makes them put things aside and listen to you.

Main part. Give the content enough time, because that's what the listeners came for. Determine the key idea that you will convey. If there are several, select the main one, and discard the non-essential ones. Imagine that you are being asked about the topic of your speech in an elevator. What do you think? Do you have time to convey the main idea in a nutshell?

Prepare a summary of the speech in advance, because speaking impromptu is difficult. The speaker may lose his mind or go off topic. When the main theses are at hand, you can check the text and continue.

Prepare a structured report. So it will be easier for the listeners to understand the meaning, and for you to tell. The structure will help you see the logic of the story, find weak spots and eliminate them before the performance.

Work on your presentation separately. The size of the text and pictures should correspond to the area of the hall. Think about how it will look from the last rows. Try to write as little as possible and show more. Replace text with visuals or numbers to help listeners quickly read the information they need.

If you are using a prepared presentation from past presentations, check that it is up to date. Look for typos and errors, delete unnecessary slides. Do not show a presentation with incorrect data. Even worse - do not correct them on old slides, but only pronounce them orally.

Conclusion. Speakers often believe that if they spoke in detail about everything at the beginning, then it is not necessary to draw general conclusions. But it's not. Information repeated three times, people will remember better. Therefore, communicate the key idea, opening the speech, then in the main part, and then at the end.

Be sure to explain in motivational reports what to do next with this information and how to apply it in life. For example, if you are talking about an IT product, give a promo code to download the free version.

How will you perform

Perception of information. Inexperienced speakers think that the most important thing is what they will talk about. But in fact, more important - how. American psychologist Albert Mehrabyan back in the 60s that a speech is perceived according to the scheme 7/38/55: 7% is information, words, 38% is voice, 55% is body language. The success of a speaker depends on his movements, the sound of his voice, gestures, and not on the text.

There is an exception to this rule. If the speaker is important, he will be listened to attentively even without a set voice and charismatic gestures. For example, the head of a large company or a teacher in the first grade.

Presentation style. Pay close attention to your voice and body. Speak confidently, vividly and loudly enough. Everyone in the room should hear you well. During the report, do not stand, but move. Be energetic and infect with enthusiasm. It attracts attention, keeps the audience from falling asleep.

The energy of the speaker depends on the physiology. Unprepared lecturers are usually lethargic or, conversely, hypertonic. Both conditions are corrected using simple tricks. But before you apply these tips just before a performance, try them in your everyday life. You need to know your body well in order to understand what will work for you and what will not.

If you feel lethargic, you should cheer up: jump and wave your arms. Renowned coach Tony Robbins jumps on a trampoline for several minutes before entering the gym to radiate energy. You can also breathe quickly: literally 5-6 breaths, exhalations, so as not to feel dizzy. Drink strong coffee and eat sweets to raise your blood glucose levels.

If, on the contrary, you feel jitters, you need to calm down. Squat 20 times to neutralize the adrenaline rush. Drink mint tea or warm milk. Try taking several deep breaths and exhaling to stabilize the pressure. As an emergency measure, gymnastics for the hands is suitable. Before entering the stage, clench and unclench your fists several times so that your nails dig into your palm. So you will lose excess energy and calm down.

Interaction with the audience. Make the audience feel at ease with questions and humor. Thanks to an appropriate joke, listeners begin to treat the speaker favorably. However, you should be careful. Sometimes speeches turn into an endless stand-up, in which the main idea of the report is lost - so keep a balance. And if humor isn't your forte, don't joke at all.

Questions to the audience are also an excellent method of interaction. Dialogue shakes the audience, makes them distracted from smartphones and other things. But here, as with humor, the main thing is not to overdo it. When a presentation turns into a conversation, it alienates the audience, who came for knowledge, not entertainment.

Crib

Prepare carefully for every performance.
Determine the purpose of the report. Decide how it will be: informational or incentive.
Find out in advance the nature of the audience and its preparedness in order to understand the degree of immersion in the topic.
Build your presentation according to the scheme: beginning, main part, conclusion.
At the beginning, greet those present, introduce yourself, thank you and briefly describe what will be discussed.
Prepare a structured report that will reveal the key idea. Do detailed plan. If you have little experience - better write a summary.
Conclude by re-emphasizing the key idea and explaining what to do next with this information. If necessary, encourage listeners to take the targeted action.
Pay great attention to oratory technique: interaction with the audience and your own manner.
Speak energetically and lively. Work on your voice so that you can be heard well in the back rows. Watch your physiology: if you feel lethargic - cheer up, overexcited - calm down.
To position the audience, joke and ask questions. Do it in moderation so as not to cause negativity.

Instruction

Prepare your speech carefully and responsibly. Write it down on paper so you don't miss out on what's important. It is better to prepare the text in advance in order to be able to re-read and correct it. Speech should be simple, understandable and interesting. Try to use vivid epithets and to interest people.

Now start fighting your fear. First of all, realize that even if the speech fails, nothing bad will happen to you. You will not be killed, maimed, fired, or pelted with eggs. Therefore, there is absolutely nothing to fear.

Remember, people make mistakes. And even if you say something wrong, the audience will be loyal to it. To avoid this petty embarrassment, learn the speech by heart.

Think about how many benefits this presentation will give you. Set a specific goal for yourself. For example, you will perform to win the election. Or your speech will help bring your idea to life. If global goals are not found, think that this speech will help overcome your fear.

Don't think that this is a public speaking. Let it be just another task to be completed. Take things easy.

Before the event, do not forget to clean yourself up. This will make you more confident and the audience more loyal. Comb your hair, fix your makeup, iron your clothes, dust off your shoes.

Rehearse your speech in front of a mirror or in front of relatives. It's best to do this several times. You must understand how easy it is. Not only give a speech, but also think over a pose, gestures, so that your performance looks organic.

When you are in front of an audience, imagine that you are asleep and have a dream that you can control. This will solve most of your problems. After all, you will begin to feel more calm and simple. There is no audience, there is no stage, there is just a dream in which you are in charge. As you wish, so be it. You will be able to speak brilliantly, convince people that you are right. Such a simple auto-training will help you to relax, become more confident in your abilities.

note

Before the performance, do not use any sedatives, this can only worsen the situation.

Useful advice

During the presentation, find one person. Imagine that he is your friend and tell him your text.

Sources:

How to speak confidently and not be afraid of it
how not to be afraid to speak in public

No matter how smart and educated a person is, these factors alone are not enough for career growth. The ability to speak publicly is one of the components of a successful business life. Overcoming fear and performing with dignity in front of a large number of people is a necessity that can be learned.

Instruction

Overcome the fear and tension that arose before the performance. Remember that the audience gathered to hear you needs what you have to say, otherwise they would not be sitting in the room. Take it as. They do not belong to a hostile force and do not wish you harm. Even if during the speech you go astray, the audience will definitely support you. The realization that future listeners do not wish evil and do not wait, rubbing their hands, for failure, combined with breathing exercises, will help to relax as much as possible and go on stage not, but calm and confident.

think over appearance before the performance. The neater and smarter you dress, the more comfortable and confident you will feel. Tasteless, dirty, inappropriate clothing will make listeners think not about the topic of the speech, but about the shortcomings of the speaker. Yes, and it is impossible to feel respect for someone dressed inappropriately.

To listeners, you must first be interested in them. Show proper respect by stepping off a platform or stage and standing level. Do not give out information in a continuous piece in the form of a monologue. Dialogue with the audience will make the performance memorable and enjoyable, and the informal atmosphere will put the listeners in a positive mood. Smile more: like will cause like.

Consider the environment in the room. Seating your guests as compactly as possible will make them feel different and more responsive to the performance. If alone they did not dare to support some words, the realization that they are in a team will play in your favor. Bright lighting will also be in your favor, in its light you will look as confident as possible.

Get rid of fear and phobia

Psychologists say that the low level of training of people in the field of public speaking indicates the presence of complexes and modesty in a person. The main thing is that you realize your fear and understand where its sources come from. You need to understand that the courage and confidence, as well as the ability to speak clearly, speaking in front of the public, you need to develop in yourself. This is not at all difficult and not a talent that certain outstanding personalities are gifted with. Famous speakers say that the audience is a stimulus that helps them get inspired and makes them work harder. Don't be afraid to voice your new thoughts and ideas, it's important to start practicing hard.

Learn to speak beautifully and competently

Nowadays it is not difficult to find trainings or courses in rhetoric and oratory, but they all cost money, and often do not coincide with your work schedule. There is less expensive, but enough effective method- learn from other people's examples. It is necessary to watch the performances of people of various professions around the world in order to understand what unites them and how they attract the public. Pay attention not only to the dialogue with the audience, but also to the prepared phrases and clothes of the speaker.

Practice your speech in front of a mirror. Think over the text that you would like to voice in front of the public. Imagine that the mirror is the people for whom you need to broadcast. Your speech must be persuasive. Try to pronounce each word as clearly as possible so that the audience can hear you. Hold a small meeting in front of a couple of real people. No need to worry, it is important to be confident in yourself. A useful technique is interaction with the public. You can tell some from life, most importantly, do not overdo it. Make small pauses in your speech, so the speech will look more natural and emotional.

Look at the public

No need to constantly look at your prepared notes. You need to raise your eyes and address the public. You can choose among the entire audience the most friendly - those who approve and support your words.

Don't criticize your speech

Even if your performance is not perfect, praise yourself. You managed to overcome the uncertainty, went out to the public and communicated with them. Do not give up speeches, because this is the only way to become a good speaker. By addressing the audience again and again, your fear and insecurity will disappear, and your performances will be freer, livelier and more exciting.

1. Do not talk about what you do not understand

Sounds like useless, obvious advice. This is not true. If you follow it perfectly, you will not really need the rest of the points from this article - you will do everything well anyway.

One day, after a few speeches, when you have established yourself as a good speaker, opportunities will open up for you to speak somewhere in faraway places with pleasant titles. There is one catch - the content. You may have established yourself as an expert on canary mating games, and then you receive an email inviting you to attend a conference and talk about global trends in paper clip sales.

You should thank for the invitation and politely decline.

The reason is simple: you don't know what to say about it. Even if you try to collect information in a short time, you still won't get a good presentation - you are not interested in the topic itself. In fact, you don't want to talk about it and the inviting party is not interested in you speaking with good story. They just want you to be at the event because they saw your video and thought you were a famous person.

Therefore, such simple advice hard to follow. You are a beginner, you want to stand out, it seems that this is a great opportunity for you.

If you've ever bought something with the hope that it will work like this, but in fact it does not work like this (think of the commercial that prompted you to make a rash purchase), then you understand the disappointment that awaits both parties from the very beginning. .

2. Specify transitions in the script and nothing else

If you're like me, you've got a stern editor on the inside, sitting on your shoulder with a red marker in hand and a pair of glasses on your nose, ready to casually throw out, “Deuce! And stay after school,” for every sentence you said. No matter what you say, the feeling that you could have said better never leaves you.

When people like us usually write a script or plan. When writing a script, there is every chance of finding the right wording.

As the ancient Chinese strategist and warrior Sun Tzu wrote: "No plan survives the first meeting with the enemy." This is the main problem with the detailed plan. In our case, of course, there is no enemy, but there is a world full of uncertainty. One has only to step on the stage, everything becomes real and there is no second take. The more detailed your script, the more likely it is to mess things up. When you're new to the world of public speaking, standing on stage and trying to remember what's next is the last thing you need.

So what should be done instead? Just improvise? Not really.

While the detailed scenario will bring you more problems than help, you'll need a different sort of plan. You need to start from the starting points in your story (you know, there are things that you can’t forget, even if you try hard) and write down the moments of transition from one thought to another.

Personal stories work well because:

The audience loves them, they help to establish communication.
You don't need to write them down because you already remember them.

We've been telling each other stories for as long as we've been human. This is how we communicated information long before the invention of paper. We are genetically programmed to remember them (so they are easier to present), and more importantly, the audience is genetically programmed to listen to them (and become happier listening to stories).

Because the same story can be freely told differently each time, you don't have to write everything down to the last word exactly. Enough of the basic points, your human inclinations will take care of the rest. Writing down the main points will help connect the stories together.

3. Practice a little more than you need to.

My friend Chris Guillebeau, founder and host of The World Domination Summit, makes at least 10 talks every weekend throughout the year. Sometimes he tells a story. Another time reminds the audience of 15 important things that were discussed before the lunch break.

As a WDS participant and aspiring speaker, I once asked him: “How do you remember everything that needs to be said, and in in full, every time you go on stage? I was hoping for a secret life hack, but his answer - and it's true - was the most common: "I practice a lot."

Now I do this too. And it works. Whenever I have to give a speech, I rehearse at least 2-3 times. It takes time, it's often boring, you have to practice for days or weeks, and you don't feel like practicing again. But you are not doing this for yourself. You are doing this for your audience. If you want to be remembered by her, you have to immerse yourself in unattractive, boring, monotonous work.

4. Break your report into parts

Chris Gillibo advised not only to practice a lot. He also mentioned that he is working on separate parts. He tries to break his presentation into pieces and then put them back together.

Now I do the same, and it reduces the preparation time. By working on parts, I can develop and decide on different parts of the presentation in parallel. If I stumble on some piece of text in the middle (or worse, at the very beginning), I don't have to wait for the perfect working state without doing anything - I can work on other parts until I fix the issue with the problematic one.

Finish your report faster, practice more time, until it becomes a habit. Nothing builds confidence more than success, and nothing builds success like constant practice.

Some people exercise only as much as they need to. When I say "practice more", I mean that you have to rehearse more than you need.

5. Reduce speed. Get down slowly

A common problem for all introverts like me: if we start talking, we start chasing the thoughts we were trying to get rid of. My head is an idea generator that is constantly moving forward. My mouth, on the contrary, speaks slowly, trying not to make a mistake.

But at one fine moment it breaks through you, and you release all the accumulated thoughts outside. Trying to keep up with your brain is like an ant trying to keep a bull running down a mountainside. But trying to speed up your speech in order to say everything that was born in your head leads to exactly the opposite effect: you start to stutter, get lost, repeat yourself. Therefore, you are even more nervous and move away from the planned speech.

If your idea is important, then it deserves all the time it takes to express it. A more useful approach is to think slower. Not quite slowly, of course, rather, with more caution.

This problem is due to carelessness: you do not connect thoughts with each other, but instead start jumping from one to another. A few jumps off the road - and you can hardly remember where you are.

It's easy to stick to one thought. When you notice that your thoughts have taken you far ahead, just go back and repeat the desired idea.

6. Don't get lost!

When I was preparing for my TEDx talk, I called in my friend Mike Pacchione, a public speaking expert, to point out my shortcomings. He caught me on the fact that I often deviate from the topic.

It happens when the idea you're talking about disappears and you decide to follow it. The problem is that mind wandering rarely ends with one idea. Once you get lost once, you keep falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole.

The problem is not that you can't tell interesting stories while wandering, but that as soon as you start wandering, you get completely lost. How does a tourist get lost in the forest? He takes one step off the path to look at the plants. And then: “Oh, mushrooms,” and a few more steps to the side. "Hey, that tree up ahead looks great," and it's only when he decides to go back that he realizes he has no idea how to do it.

The temptation to wander in thoughts can be high, but then it is very difficult to return to the right path.

There are two practical ways to solve this problem. The first is to follow tip #3 and practice a lot. The more you practice, the more you remember your own stories and know where they can lead. Another solution is that the only thing that can help when you're standing on stage and you feel like you're getting off topic is to get the extra thoughts out of your head.

Your brain doesn't want to follow abstract thoughts, it wants to process them. The best way stay on the right way- remind yourself that you can think about them... but not right now. Get them out of your head. Perhaps they can be used during the presentation of the same report in the future. But, for heaven's sake, don't try to use them now.

7. Create a soothing ritual

My heart was ready to pierce the chest. I felt that all the muscles were tense, and the field of vision was beginning to narrow. Breathing began to quicken. "What's happening?" I asked myself. I was on the verge of a panic attack. I needed to take a step onto the stage to give the most important speech of my life, but the only thing I could think about was that I was going to send everything to hell. This gave an outlet for the stress reaction, and everything went downhill.

Fortunately, I was instructed what to do if this happened. Vanessa Van Edwards, one of the greatest speakers I have had the pleasure of knowing, helped me prepare. She shared that she, too, gets nervous before big presentations. If she hadn't told me this herself, I never would have thought.

The secret she is using? Calming technique. Every good speaker has one, and every good speaker knows that sticking to it is necessary to show their best side.

What Vanessa does: She finds a quiet place where, a few minutes before her scheduled appearance on stage, she straightens her back, breathes deeply and imagines success.

This may sound a little silly, but it actually works. I myself use this method.

Before an important event, it is absolutely normal for the body to start releasing a lot of the stress hormone cortisol. We become especially sensitive to stressful situations. Just thousands of years ago, feeling stress and not responding to it could have cost you your life.

It doesn't happen often today - I can't remember reports of "death by indecision" - but our biology hasn't kept up with us. The terrible irony is that the more you allow stress to take over, the more likely you are to make a mistake and perform poorly.

Therefore, before you go on stage, check yourself and your stress level. Excitement is normal. And anxiety is bad. Always save yourself a few minutes before going out to calm down.

8. When you're wrong, keep talking.

I was a big fan of the TV show The Colbert Report. I rarely even missed an episode. It was one of the most popular live "news" on television. If you've watched the show, you may have noticed that Steven got his words mixed up in almost every episode. He could construct a phrase in such a way that it lost its meaning, he could skip a word or pronounce it incorrectly.

But you might not have noticed this, because outwardly Colbert did not react in any way. When he made a mistake, he didn't stutter or try to fix it. He just kept talking because he knew what all public speaking introverts should remember:

context is more important than details.

He could make a mistake and not even pay any attention to it. And no one noticed this, because no one listened to every spoken word. Everyone listened to the context.

Far worse than a small mistake is drawing attention to it. If you stumble, use your sense of humor to smooth things over. Shut up and move on.

9. Remember that the audience wants everything to be successful.

Probably the simplest advice that everyone gives helped me learn how to use all the previous tips in action:

Always remember that the audience doesn't want you to fail.

When you're worried about the big event ahead, this simple truth can easily be forgotten. Your audience is not going to kick you off the stage. She wants to know what you want to teach them. The congregation spends their time and perhaps money to listen to you. People don't give their time and money for a bad experience. But just the opposite.

When you're nervous before a speech, it's easy to think, "What if someone doesn't like what I have to say?" This thought starts to spread, and soon you will start asking yourself, “What if everyone hates me?”

This way of thinking leads to bad performances. Don't think so. Don't let yourself swerve down that road, because the audience is really on your side. She wants you to succeed. And, if you follow these nine tips, you will have all the advantages to be on top.

I am many years old, I have a favorite job, the penultimate iPhone and everything that successful people in today's society are supposed to have. At the same time, I am not the most self-confident person, however, when you meet me on the street, you will decide that I am a cynical lucky man who winks likes and life itself.

“He certainly has nothing to complain about!”

Don't deny too many of us think this way about others.

THIS IS CORNY

It's all pretty banal. In my youth, when choosing a future profession, I tried to proceed from my own problems, the solution of which, in my opinion, would be a qualitative way to become or at least get closer to the image of the person I always wanted to be.

In my second year of medical school, I learned three things:

I don't want to be a doctor.
It is foolish to try to be not who you really are.
The first two things are not as banal as they seem at first glance.

STRING

Due to the nature of my work, I often have to travel on business trips, make reports and presentations in front of different audiences. Like anyone, every day I run the risk of making a mistake or not being convincing enough, which in the end can ruin a future deal.

I can't afford to fail, to show up to a meeting or conference rumpled. I can’t get sick or offended by a lady who pushed me into a cafe, with a handbag studded with metal spikes. I risk not only myself, but also people who expect results from me, so I created a philosophy that I adhere to not only on weekdays from 9 to 18, but throughout my life.

1. HUMOR

We all remember that at first there was the Word, but contrary to the classical interpretation of the original source, this word – HUMOR. It is only important to remember that each of us has his own, but this does not mean that we should adapt to each.

Do not joke about sensitive political topics and do not get personal. The best way to win over is to open your humanity. Laugh at yourself, people love it.

I always explain complex things “on my fingers”. I really like the association about the dough, from which sweet pies can be obtained, which I really like, or maybe pasties, from which I have heartburn.

2. DON'T SHOW OFF

No, really, it's not worth it. Share your knowledge not in the form of “are you an idiot?”, but as if you were talking to a friend. Believe me, if instead of a dry fact in the “how stupid everyone is” mode, you accept friendly concern and say something like: “Recently I found out that ...”, then they will want to continue the conversation with you and not only about work. They will want to trust you, and this is the next point.

The image of Steve Jobs was clearly registered in my head. Simplicity, conciseness and properly built openness is a potentially successful case.

3. BE FRIENDS IN ADVANCE

At some point in business, a fashion arose not to keep promises, to seem better than you are and to lie to everyone in a row, just to earn more than your neighbor. Today it seems like the Stone Age or fantasy from movies about "brothers".

In business, it is important not so much to be friends in the generally accepted sense of the word, but to be able to trust. When you perform in public, the main task is to prove that you have become a friend to the audience even before you step on stage.

Greet everyone and add words to your introduction that speak of your closeness to the audience, for example: “We already know some of you, we were lucky to work with someone ...”. And in the end, be sure to wish have a good day- corny, but works with a bang.

4. RECOGNIZE THE RIGHT TO MISTAKE

I googled (to seem smarter) that at different times the classics spoke about mistakes, and found a simple and ingenious phrase, in my opinion: “To make mistakes is humane, to forgive is divine” (Alexander Pope).

If for some reason you couldn't avoid a mistake, then admit it, promise to fix it, fix it immediately, and come back with a thank you. It will be a shame, but everyone knows that nothing hardens from troubles like past mistakes.

It happened to me. Once I made an inaccuracy in the calculations of statistics, which I was absolutely sure of. One of the opponents immediately pointed this out to me. I apologized and took a two-minute timeout after the performance to sort things out. My colleagues received a small scolding, and I acknowledged the fact that I am not immune to ridiculous accidents.

5. YOU CAN BE HESITATE, YOU CAN'T BE NERVOUS

Shyness is nice. It can work for you, becoming a feature, but nervousness never. Drink any sedatives before a performance, but don't expect to instantly become a superhero.

Most of us are not afraid of an unfamiliar audience, but of looking like an idiot in our own eyes. Admit to the public that you are shy, and everyone will feel better.

I taught at the institute for several years, then spoke a lot in public, and I can assure you that the shyness never goes away. Each time you will be better at understanding the topic and a little better at people, but there is no way to just take it and stop worrying.

6. REFER TO OTHERS

Public events are very exhausting for both the audience and the speakers. One and a half - two hours of monotonous speeches by speakers in ties, who, let's say: did not get enough sleep, were not speakers, did not prepare, were upset by their daughter's engagement, and so on. Choose one or two interesting reports from previous speakers and find a way to refer to them in your message.

“... I liked how Mr. X spoke in his report about increasing the yield of ant farms in the context of the growth of technological import substitution ...”.

MESSAGE

Over the years, I have read 100500 million books, such as "How to become charming and attractive if you are over 80, you are a sociopath, and you have dyslexia" and so on in that spirit, but not a single book has become a desktop.

Be yourself and try to look and feel harmonious, this is really important.

Rating of the best economic universities in Russia Rating of universities in the direction of economics

Embossing Card embossing on the spot

What a beautiful way to perform in front of an audience. Successful public speaking: sample text. Ways to relieve stress