How do you keep up with the latest trends and developments in your public speaking field?

La mejor manera es hablar en público cuantas más veces mejor, y ya no solo en mesas redondas, congresos, presentaciones…da un paso adelante y habla alto y claro en la junta de vecinos, créeme, eso sí que curte!! Y si vas en contra de la vecina pejiguera del 2oB mejor aún.

Learning from others is an amazing practice, as long as you do not try and become them! Having like-minded people in your network is valuable and soul-nourishing. That being said, we do not grow as individuals by trying to fit into someone else's skin. Join the networks, follow and interact. Every time you do, people are learning from YOU and benefitting from YOUR expertise. Different perspectives, new knowledge and collaboration support growth, in all directions.

Mantener una actitud humilde y abierta a aprender es vital, no solo como persona sino como profesional. En el momento que dejamos de avanzar es el momento en el que empezamos a retroceder. Aprende, estudia, lee, escucha, aplica...

Eso puede estar bien al inicio de tu carrera como orador profesional, pero has de buscar tu propia voz. Nada peor que ser una copia (mala) de otro.

Actually, I disagree with this premise as a neurodivergent public speaker. I believe that one of the best ways to learn from the best is to accept that you are the best at being uniquely yourself in your field. In my lived experience, it’s not about following the leaders in your public speaking field—that can lead to unhealthy comparison and pressure. I believe the key to public speaking is accepting your inner leadership as your North Star. Instead of studying others, record yourself and study your communication patterns. Focus more on what accommodations open you up to being at ease with being yourself and trusting in ways of communicating + thinking uniquely as yourself, it will eliminate the need to pattern yourself after another.

If you make yourself an expert, you are an expert! I love learning about the latest and greatest, through reading, yes, BUT, what I find I learn most from is hearing people's stories. I have questions that I ask myself as I read, to make sure I am analyzing and synthesizing the information through my personal lens. When you quote and credit others when speaking it adds depth and an additional layer of credibility. It also shines the light on others who are a source of knowledge and therefore growth. Never hesitate to turn the spotlight on others

An example I have heard is that of the King with no clothes. Every person who was in the king's presence praised his appearance. However, he was not wearing any clothes. Do not blindly follow the herd as on occasion the entire company may be wrong. It is wise to check up the references, quotations, and sources are correct.

Reading books, magazines, articles, business newspapers, etc. provides a rich trough of material that can easily find its way into a story you can use. I tend to "rabbit hole" (following links to an interior subject) and end up in foreign arenas I would never have known about. If something catches your attention, you can bookmark or notate it for later use in speaking or writing. Since our brains don't retain everything read, I recommend an "Idea" journal where you can jot down those thoughts, and tag its purpose (e.g. a speech, book or article, for research; or, to jumpstart your NEW idea, or TEDtalk. BTW, Listening to books is a great alternative.

Attending events and webinars are also great places to learn what NOT to do. If an event or webinar feels like it falls flat, you should use it as a learning moment to take notes on what doesn't work. Then, you won't make the same mistakes when hosting your own. Similarly, I always try to be the person or provide the thing that I needed as a learner or participant. Putting yourself in both the speaker's and listener's shoes is critical for this type of understanding.

There are many ways to find willing listeners for practice and trying out new or different stories, styles and techniques. When experimenting with something new, it helps to feel relaxed and comfortable in your environment, likely some place you have been to or spoken at before. These places can be as diverse as someone's home, a library, church, meeting hall, civic center, yoga studio, arts or cultural arts center in your hometown; school or college, art gallery; restaurant, a public or private garden, etc. You may also want to ask for feedback at the end. This may be easier if you know some of the audience.

For me, feedback starts with self-assessment. Giving myself a score from 1-10 after watching the event video recordings allows me to keep what worked well and think of ways to improve what didn't go so well. Learning from my past public speaking mistakes often puts things into perspective when it comes to improving my next deliveries. Also, asking for feedback from the audience, the event organisers and mentors has helped me uplevel my speaking skills. I've improved significantly over the years and stay open to learning and developing more.

What I’ve found to be very useful is asking my audience to provide feedback at the end of my speaking engagement. I ask very specific questions about how I made them feel and if they felt the info was relevant, useful and needed not only now but would it be in the future as well. Last, I ask them on the feedback questionnaire if my staff or I can contact them to discuss further.

The key is to make it human, not perfect. Cut yourself some slack. Perfection in communication is not only elusive, but outright unattainable. Trying too hard will make you phony and cause you to detach from your audience. It is a foolproof recipe for disappointment. Make it OK to make mistakes. Mentally regroup and re-adapt as they occur. Correct yourself, if you have to, then shrug it off and carry on. It happens to the best of us, no matter how well you prepare.

It's important to assess the tension in the room before you do this, but a little public self-depricating humor goes a long way. If you're at a moment of incredibly high tension, ignore the mistake and keep trudging. A little psychological tension has fizzled. Get it back by pausing a few sentences later. However, if you are at a point of lower tension or diminished attention and you mess up, jab at yourself. At a high mass, I forgot where I was and paused too long--everyone knew what had happened. Without changing my serious expression, I simply said, "My train of thought boarded at the station. Did I mention this was live and these robes are hot?" I built the tension up again by beginning to speak slowly and then rising in modulation.

Contribute to conversations, or create your own, that include part of your story used within your presentation. Much like crafting the perfect pitch in a business networking group, you can see how different audiences respond to your messaging and how engaged they are.