3 Tips for Impactful Public Speaking

Public speaking is the #1 fear for most people, even more so than death! I've been doing a lot of it lately and I'll be honest with you...

...I get nervous EVERY SINGLE TIME. I get this familiar little butterfly feeling in the top of my stomach and I can't eat, I can't think straight, sometimes I can't even hold a conversation with someone because I'm so flustered.

But one thing I know for sure: as soon as I have the mic in hand, and I start talking on stage, all my nervousness melts away. And I always laugh at myself afterward.

"What the heck was I so nervous for???"

If you have a presentation coming up, if you have a talk to give to an audience, I have three tips for you that have helped me stay calm and carry on.

Before your talk: Calm your nerves.

I love eating oatmeal with bananas before I give a talk. It's easy on my stomach, it's brain food, and it's a light meal.

I love to sit by myself and listen to a guided meditation on Spotify.

I don't usually go over my material/slides because hopefully the info is already logged in my long term memory. (I don't think I have to remind you that you should have practiced your talk leading up to your big day!)

Hot tip if you're at a hotel and your outfit is wrinkled...instead of using an iron you can turn the shower on full blast, full heat. Hang your outfit somewhere in the bathroom and shut the door. Leave it in there steaming for 10 minutes and the shower gets rid of the wrinkles! If you're water-waste conscious, this is a terrible thing to do but I'm serious when I say I hate ironing lol.

During your talk: Make eye contact with an engaged few.

You'll notice that some people in the audience will be making eye contact with you and nodding "yes" to what you're saying. These are gems, we love gems :)

Glance around the room during your talk and keep making eye contact with these gems and match their energy. If they start looking down to take notes, or if they start looking at their phone, find another gem. They're always out there.

And if you're in the audience, be a gem.

At the end of your talk: Leave your audience with "actionable takeaways".

It's great to have slides during your presentation/talk. I always like to have my last slide be: actionable takeaways. I also encourage the audience to get their phones out and take a quick picture of that slide so they have it for reference later.

When you have actionable takeaways at the end, it really drives home your message and gives the audience "homework". It also solidifies the fact that your talk had a purpose.

I have a lot of friends who are wonderful public speakers who have years if not decades of experience. They've told me the butterflies never go away. Orlando Haynes ??? told me even the most experienced speakers in the world still get those pre-talk jitters. I'll be on his podcast next week, make sure you tune in, he's awesome!

If you have a talk coming up, save this newsletter article for later and I wish you the best. There's a chance you'll feel nervous like I do, but I KNOW you'll deliver a great talk! Comment below what the topic is of your upcoming talk or presentation (big or small).