CHAPTER ONE

Public Speaking
 •How to Become Great in Public Speaking: Presenting
Best Practices

As the popular lore tells: you can talk your

way into success. Indeed, great public
speakers often hold top corporate positions,
lead the nations, and rally others to take joint
action. But what if talking isn’t your forte,
especially when it comes to doing so in front
of large audiences? In that case, you’ll
 benefit a lot from the public speaking tips
and tricks we showcase in this chapter!
What is Public Speaking?
In the simplest terms, public speaking is the art of
effective oral communication with one person or
many. We talk to the public anytime we engage in
a discussion with someone else.
Everyone knows how to communicate with others
and do so in front of bigger groups e.g. at work.
Far fewer, feel confident with delivering persuasive
speeches or doing public presentations at
conferences, virtual events, or even in the
boardroom full of important stakeholders. But we
 also know how great public speakers look and act.
They are confident and inspiring, can
“plant” ideas into other’s heads, and inspire action.
The Benefits of Public Speaking
Being a great public speaker gives you several major
advantages in personal and professional areas:
•Higher level of verbal and nonverbal communication
skills
•Better critical thinking and analysis abilities
•Leeway into leadership positions
•Personal brand development
•More productive networking
 Ultimately, being good at public speaking helps you
get more comfortable in group settings and draw the
spotlight towards yourself. Talented public speakers
can connect better with new people through
charismatic presentations and persuasive
(convincing)talks. This, in turn, opens up an array of
new opportunities — be it making more friends or
raising funds for your project.
Different Types of Public Speaking
As mentioned already, public speaking refers both to our day
two-way exchanges with others and public presentations to an
audience.
In the case of the latter, public speeches can be classified as:
 1. Extemporaneous speeches
Pre-written speeches and practiced ahead of time. Usually, a
speaker will rely on aids such as notes, presentation slides, or
an outline when delivering the speech. Example: Conference
talks.
2. Impromptu speeches
Spur of the moment speeches, delivered without any
preparation, agenda, or notes. Since you are caught off guard,
delivering such a speech can be pretty challenging unless you
are already good at speaking in public. Example: being asked
to speak up during a customer meeting.
3. Manuscript speeches
Word-by-word delivery of a pre-written script, usually
displayed on a screen/teleprompter. In essence, you are
reading your speech rather than presenting it. Example:
Officials addressing the nation.
 4. Memorized speeches
You deliver a prepared speech from memory without any aids.
Such speaking can feel gut-wrenching if you are afraid to
forget your lines and don’t feel confident improvising. Careful
preparation is needed. Example: Ted talks or live product
presentations.

The Fear of Public Speaking

Despite the fact that most of us love chatting, far fewer feel
comfortable talking in front of larger audiences. In fact, 75%
of Americans have some level of public speaking anxiety.
Many also feel frantic about going on the stage.
The fear of public speaking is called glossphobia. It’s a
recognized psychological condition with symptoms such as:
•Sweating
•Accelerated heart rate
 •Shaking
•Dizziness and lightheadedness
•Nausea
So what makes us terrified of public speaking?
Psychologists say that the above reactions are our body’s natural
response to threatening situations. Our nervous system enters a
hyperarousal state, activating the sense of fear. This sabotages
our performance on stage.
But what prompts us to treat public speaking as a threatening
situation? Researchers found that humans perceive prolonged
eye watching as an existential threat. Back in the old days,
observations from a hostile tribe were a strong sign of upcoming
trouble. So did a watchful eye of a predatory animal. This
“memory” still remains imprinted subconsciously in our brain
today. Thus, when we go on stage to deliver a public speech,
our brain first registers the gazing audience as a threat. The
 brain goes into the “fight or flee” mode, prompting a reaction
similar to the one we experience when facing actual danger.
Most public speaking tips are aimed at helping us cope with this
reaction and develop a more relaxed response to being
observed.
Also, some of us tend to get extra jittery before
public speaking due to anxiety sensitivity— the fear
of fear. Apart from being scared of public speaking as
an act, some of us also feel stressed about how their
anxiety will interfere with performing well. This leads
to a cascading effect of paralysis.
 But as Dalel Carnegie wrote in the “ Art of Public
Speaking,13th Edition”: “If you believe you will fail,
there is no hope for you. You will.”
A strong mindset is the key to taming your fear of
public speaking. If regular calming exercises don’t
help, try attending public speaking classes or taking
individual coaching sessions. An experienced mentor
can help you learn to cope with anxiety, hone your
public speaking skills, and develop better confidence
in front of groups.
 How to Public Speaker: 6 Tips
Confidence is also crucial. Whenever we are uncertain of our abilities to
do good, we feel uncomfortable. So practice public talks, and practice
a lot. In the words of Dale Carnegie,
“Practice in speaking before an audience will tend to remove all fear of
audiences, just as practice in swimming will lead to confidence and
facility in the water. You must learn to speak by speaking.”
Below are six research-backed public speaking techniques you should
employ the next time you are preparing to deliver a speech!
1. Nail Your Opening
The presenter’s anxiety is at highest during the first 30-60 seconds of
the speaking. Once you get past that, you’ll hail more confidently
through the rest of your speech.
Hence, make sure to get a positive response from your audience
from the get-go. Here are some ideas for starting a public speech:
•Begin with the ending: use BLUF technique — bottom line upfront
•Share a personal story to build empathy
•Ask a rhetorical question to make the audience think
•Provide a quote that sets the tone for your narrative
 •P roject into the future to get the audience focused on
outcomes
•Use some humor to squeeze out some laughs and relax yourself
Read more about how to start a presentation and which slides to use.
2. Maintain Eye Contact with the Audience
Simon Sinek, the most-viewed presenter on TED, offers this
piece of advice :
“Look at specific audience members throughout your speech.
If you can, give each person that you intently look at an
entire sentence or thought, without breaking your gaze.
When you finish a sentence, move on to another person and
keep connecting with individual people until you’re done
speaking.”
By maintaining such gradual eye contact, you can build a
better rapport with all audience members. Then again, it
prevents your thoughts from getting scattered if you leave
your gaze scanning over everyone. Also, by focusing on one
person at a time, you deliberately ignore the stares from
 others. This helps minimize the anxiety-inducing “fight or
flee” reflex.

3. Try the “Inward, Outward, Forward” Formula

For Your Speech
The Inward, Outward, Forward format of structuring
your speech is a good way to make a strong point
within a short time span. It helps the listeners retain
your core message and align with your way of
thinking. Here’s how it works:
1.Explain why you are bringing up the topic.
2.Provide evidence on what others think about it.
3.End with a solution to the stated problem.
For example, if you are doing an after-action review
meeting with your team, you can first summarize the
 main challenge you’ve faced. Then present
examples of how individuals or other teams are
handling similar issues. Lastly, sum up your proposal
on the follow-up steps and solutions you’d
recommend trying.
4. Use the “Commander’s Intent” Technique to
Make Your Ideas Stick
Commander’s Intent (CI) is a technique the military
personnel uses to communicate the main directive.
A CI is a brief statement, placed on top of every
order, summarizing the plan’s goal and desired end
results. You can apply the same tactic to highlight
the main points from each section of your speech.
 Or to prepare accompanying slides for the
presentation.
Add a CI statement to the most important slides.
Then expand on the idea within your speech. Doing
so will help the audience focus on the key discussion
point and retain the information better.
5. Choose the Right Pitch and Tone of Voice
Researchers from Yale University found that a speaker’s tone
of voice and pitch influences the listeners’ perception of the
speaker in terms of trust and likability. Why so?
Because voice is the most effective means for conveying
emotions. It’s more channeling to disguise your attitude when
you talk. So if you sound unconfident, anxious, doubting, or
bored, the audience will likely sense that and act accordingly.
For that reason, many amazing public speakers undergo voice
coaching. They train to project the right emotions via their
 voice and naturally adjust pitch and vocal tone to
convey different ideas. Most strive to achieve the maximum
resonance point — a resonance that infers power to your
voice. For example, if your range is 2 octaves and 4 notes
respectively, this is your max resonance point. Talking at this
level most of the time is optimal.
When you need to show passion, go a note higher. Go a note
or two lower if you want to project certainty or authority.
Final Tip: Work on Your Body Language
When presenting in person, your body language will
also be telling of your confidence and authority. Plus,
it will shape the audience’s perception of you, just
like your voice.
Hence, be sure to practice your posture and gestures
too! In particular:
Don’t self-block (aka trying to shrink your
body). This means crossing arms, slouching,
keeping hands in the pocket, etc. Such movements
act as a barricade between you and the audience.
They make you appear less trustworthy. To avoid
them, hold on to the microphone or a presentation
clicker.
Practice breathing and hand gestures.
Uneven, raspy breathing will affect your pitch and
tone of voice. So practice taking slow, measured
breaths to pace your speech better. Take longer
pauses when you want to emphasize a point. Also,
use mild hand gestures, head nods, and arm
movements to engage with the audience. But don’t
gesticulate too much as this will appear distractive.
Ultimately, there are no shortcuts. Practice, practice,
and then practice some more! Great public speakers
aren’t born — they are self-made!
The Presentation Content Slides Infographic, is a template that
provides very