How can your personal experiences enhance your public speaking skills?

1 Identify your purpose

The first step is to identify the purpose of your speech. What do you want to achieve? What message do you want to convey? How do you want to influence your audience? Your purpose will guide you in choosing the most relevant and impactful personal experiences to share. For example, if your purpose is to motivate your audience to pursue their goals, you might share a story of how you overcame a challenge or achieved a success.

3 Structure your stories

The third step is to structure your stories in a way that engages your audience and delivers your message. You want to use a clear and simple structure that follows a logical sequence and creates suspense, interest, and curiosity. A common structure is the STAR method, which stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. You start by describing the situation or context of your experience, then the task or goal you had, then the action or steps you took, and finally the result or outcome you achieved. For example, if you want to share how you learned a new skill, you might use the STAR method to explain the situation that prompted you to learn it, the task or challenge you faced, the action or resources you used, and the result or benefit you gained.

4 Practice your delivery

The fourth step is to practice your delivery of your stories. You want to use your voice, body language, and facial expressions to convey your emotions, personality, and passion. You also want to use pauses, emphasis, and transitions to highlight your key points, create contrast, and connect your stories. Practicing your delivery will help you improve your fluency, clarity, and confidence. You can practice by recording yourself, asking for feedback, or rehearsing in front of a mirror or a friend. For example, if you want to share how you overcame a fear, you might use your voice to show how you felt before and after, your body language to demonstrate your actions, and your facial expressions to reveal your emotions.

Using your personal experiences can enhance your public speaking skills by making your speeches more interesting, authentic, and persuasive. Your personal experiences can help you connect with your audience, convey your message, and inspire your listeners. By following these four steps, you can leverage your personal experiences to become a better and more confident speaker.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?