I will teach you to be a better public speaker
Use my 5 tips to speak more articulately on Zoom, on-air, in public, and in life
Your girl on Cheddar TV talking about Federal Reserve rate hikes:
Keynoting (on right) at Lendit Fintech in San Francisco:
Moderating a panel at FinCon in Orlando, about how to write a bestselling book:
Heart racing, sweaty palms: Does this sound like you?
Your heart beats faster as the mic is passed around the room, eventually making its way to you.
Each person is supposed to say their name, where they’re from, a little about themselves, and a business problem.
You notice some people just have “it”—they ooze charisma and make the room smile and laugh. Others are intriguing enough to make others call them out with a request to connect later.
And then there are the stiff, uncompelling, unmemorable folks.
Oh god, don’t let that be me.
Your palms sweat. You run it over in your head: I’m Bill, I’m from New Orleans, I run a vintage clothing store and last year our online sales surpassed $1 million … I need help with hiring people and I’d love some tips on e-commerce storefronts.
Handsome, funny, and enthusiastic Darren from Atlanta is ahead of you.
He runs an uber successful fitness and nutrition app, does his spiel to applause—applause!—and hands you the mic.
Damn you Darren.
“Uh, yeah, so I’m Bill. I’m from New Orleans.
[Someone gives a ‘Woot’]
“Yeah, cool, hehe! So, yeah, uh I run a vintage clothing store called Flash Trash. I’m a one man shop. Last year, we topped $1 million in revenue…
[Someone yells, ‘Can’t hear you!’]
“Oh! What was that? OK.”
[You speak louder and faster] “Uh, so I need help. Like, I’m ready to hire help and I’ve never done it before. I also need help with improving our online storefront, because, like, I can’t code and I don’t know where to start.”
[Stammering] “Right now it’s a basic Shopify storefront, and like, I want to take it to the next level and I also need to learn cool marketing tactics to get people coming back more and more, because we have weekly drops but sometimes people just come to get that one thing and don’t come back.”
[This is going long] “So yeah, holler at me if you think you can help. And yeah, that’s it.”
Content entrepreneur | Agency Founder & CEO | Author | Featured in Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Cheddar TV, HuffPost | Join more than 2,500 people who follow Shindy for lifestyle and business advice:
How to be a better public speaker
Does speaking in a public forum, whether at a 50-person event or on a 10-person Zoom call, strike fear or intense anxiety?
If so, then I will teach you how to be a better public speaker.
When you see smooth, articulate talkers on TV or social media, it’s because they’ve had a lot of practice.
This likely involves media training or coaching, or they’ve learned public speaking tricks to get attention, and how to articulate themselves audibly and authentically.
While you don’t have to command the room to start, you can carry yourself more comfortably when called upon in public, make a good impression, and not embarrass yourself.
How I learned to speak in public
I learned how to speak in public over my professional career, which included working in both the corporate and startup worlds and in broadcast journalism.
Doing so got me invited to speak as a featured expert on news channels, as a guest on multiple podcasts, and as a panel moderator and keynote speaker at global events.
In fact, as I’m writing this, I’m preparing to be a featured guest on another podcast, recording in just a matter of moments.
But let’s back up. Before you go trying to be famous, first you have to get comfortable speaking in front of people.
5 steps to be a better public speaker
1. Talk slowly, and remember to breathe
When you hear people speaking and their voice begins to shake, it's because they need to slow down and breathe.
When you are nervous, you tend to speak faster. The more you talk, the more you will run out of breath. When you run out of breath, your voice shakes. As you hear your voice shaking, you overcompensate by talking faster, and then it just ends badly. It may even affect your credibility and authority.
ProTip: Speak at a slower pace and remember to take a breath or two at the end of every two sentences. This will immediately help you stay in control, gather your thoughts, and speak more clearly and smoothly.
2. Focus your physical energy elsewhere in your body, like your butt
When you get called on or put on the spot, and are about to speak in public, then you may feel all sorts of nerves gathering and tightening around your chest. Move this physical energy elsewhere.
ProTip: Clench your butt cheeks. I'm not joking. I learned this trick at a Toastmasters event in New York. I don't know why but it works and helps you control what's going on in your body rather than letting your nervous energy take over.
3. Practice, practice, practice (and practice some more!)
Do not overlook this part, and do it for even the smallest appearances.
ProTip: Record yourself. Film yourself on camera doing whatever it is you’re going to be doing. Introduce yourself and others (be certain about how to pronounce names before you introduce people on a public stage).
You’ll want to pretend to answer interview questions. Tell a story. Deliver your speech.
Now, play it back and make notes of annoying or unnecessary ticks. Note any awkward filler words or crutch phrases, unnecessary pauses, or over enthusiastic or flailing hand gestures. Only when you’re aware of how you look and sound can you make corrections.
Do this over and over and over again until you appear confident of how you look and sound, and have nailed your delivery.
4. Organize your thoughts by mnemonics or bulletpoints
When you're being interviewed on air, or are moderating a panel and can’t rely on lengthy notes, then you must avoid “going blank.”
Choking mid-presentation or on-air will haunt you later, even if you manage to recover and it doesn’t look too bad. But to avoid it altogether…
ProTip 1: Integrate mnemonic devices into your questions and answers.
When I was moderating a panel at a fintech conference in Shanghai, I handled the entire 35-minute 3-person panel without notes. I implemented a mnemonic for each question topic.
For example, I used an acronym like: U / M / P / T . I committed it to memory, then allowed for natural conversation:
U = First, tell me about your USER base.
M = Now, can you describe how your regional MARKET impacts user acquisition?
P = Okay, can you tell me more about how your PRODUCT has evolved?
T = Finally, what TRENDS are you seeing that may be a challenge?
ProTip 2: Articulate in bulletpoints. When giving a speech or presentation, or answering questions, imagine if what you are saying is on paper. Imagine it would look like three clear bullet points with a beginning, middle, and end, or a who, what, where or who, what, why method. The rule of three works well because it sets up stories and points nicely:
Who: I’m Bill
What: I’m a vintage clothing store owner
Where: I’m from New Orleans
[breathe]
Beginning: I’m here because I need help with growing my online business.
Middle: We took in $1 million in revenue last year, but I’m scared that our customers are one-and-done and won’t be back.
End: I welcome any strategies or assistance on hiring or ecommerce growth, and look forward to chatting!
5. Finally … smile! And don’t slouch
Your body language makes an immediate impression to others as well as for your overall delivery and confidence.
People are immediately at ease and will like you the more you smile, and it does carry over into your voice.
Are you interested in speaking more in public? If so, what tips are you learning?
Reply to this newsletter or comment below! I’d love to hear it all!
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Until next time,
Shindy
On Instagram + TikTok
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