My 5 Tips To Improve Your Public Speaking

Public speaking is really… like a sport in my opinion ! No, really, I’m not kidding ! 

After all, if you are good enough, you can even become a public speaking world champion. Yes, there is such a thing ! 

I am not there yet, and probably will never be… but the thing is: I see public speaking as an opportunity to showcase my art and creativity to the public. Whatever the size of the audience is. 

Therefore, I permanently try to step up my game. And here are my 5 favourite tips in this field. 

#1 Stay fit

Public speaking is all about energy. 

Energy is communicative, energy makes people want to listen what you have to say. You want to be energetic when you are on stage. That’s what your audience wants to see. 

I tried caffeine right before a speech back in the days, but well... that was not doing it. 

The real solution was much simpler than that… and to be fair, more demanding. You just need to stay fit. 

That’s why I’m exercising a bit. On a daily basis. Even when I am traveling. 

I took this habit some years ago, and now it is part of my daily routine. 

One hour per day to sweat a bit. 

When you think of it, it is not that much. And I can tell you, it does help me find this energy I need when I need it. 

We have all heard the benefits of regular exercise. It has made a huge difference for me.

You want to be great at public speaking ? In my opinion, you should start exercising on a regular basis. 

#2 Work on your creative skills. 

As long as they are willing to, anybody can give a presentation. However, nobody can do it the way you do. 

And to get better at this, you need to be creative. 

Here also, our mind needs to stay sharp. You need to keep working on your creativity to always push its limits. 

That’s why everyday, I try to craft something. It could be a blog, a video, a picture (I recently got into this)… 

It does not really matter, I just want to create something that will make me think differently. Constantly. 

This is my way of staying creative. And when I get to prepare my public speach, I’ll certainly find new innovative ways to do it. 

Creativity is king when it comes to public speaking : definitely you must work on this skill. Daily 

#3 Look for inspiration. Constantly. 

Some of us are lucky enough to get those sparks of inspiration. 

They have an idea that goes through their mind, they sit down and work… and a brilliant masterpiece comes out of it… 

I wish I was that good, but I am not, really… However, I know that inspiration is everywhere… so I seek it constantly. 

I read books, blogs, I watch videos… I try to do this everyday. I’m not spending hours on it, maybe no more than 30 minutes.

But I do it EVERY SINGLE DAY. My ? daily inspiration session ?, that’s how I call it. 

If I can get at least one new idea, one new way to see things, that was a good investment of my time I believe. 

 The great thing ? In today’s world, it has never been as easy.

In a few clicks you can have access to everything I just mentioned. 

So open your mind and seek for wisdom and new ideas. And do it on a regular basis. 

This will constantly re-shape the way you think. And one thing I am sure of : your creativity skills will thank you for this. 

#4 Spend more time writing. 

I remember how I used to prepare my presentations. 

I would sit in front my computer… and open Powerpoint immediately. That was a big mistake, right here…

Don’t get me wrong : Powerpoint is a powerful creative tool and I like it very much… but to create something different and unique, I believe you should start by organizing your ideas. 

And by writing. 

A great presentation should even be like a story. 

A beginning, a middle, an end. A hero facing a conflictual situation, looking for a solution. You get the idea. 

Even when it comes to pure science, we can prepare a script like this.

Even when it comes to pure science, we can use the power of stories. 

Now when I want to prepare a new presentation, I start by writing a script. 

I write down my ideas, I do some research, I add more, then I let them sit. 

Then I go back to the document, re-organize everything, articulate everything around stories or clinical cases… 

I don’t write down everything obviously, but it gives me a skeleton of how I want my presentation to look and feel. 

And when this is ready, I finally open Powerpoint. 

And then creating the visuals really feels easy. 

#5 Always practice

Back in the days, I would prepare a Powerpoint. Have a quick look at it the night before the event. Then show up and deliver it. 

However, remember what we said at the beginning : public speaking is a sport. Really. 

And like in every sport, you don’t just "show up" for a game. Before walking on the court, you MUST practice. 

That’s the only way to get better. Whichever sport you are playing. 

The exact same applies to public speaking. 

I was amazed to learn that TedTalks speakers sometimes practice more than a year before actually presenting, They polish all the little details : their tone, their gaze, their gesture… 

When I learned about that, I felt really bad. I never did any of this… 

TedTalk speakers are like public speaking rockstars. If you do public speaking, they are definitely worth studying. Or at least watching from time to time.

Like them, before going on stage, you should practice. Maybe not for an entire year of course but at least a few times. That would always be a great investment of your time I believe ! 

Since I started doing that, when I walk on stage, I feel great. I feel more comfortable. During the entire talk, I know exactly where I am going and what I want to achieve.

That is the power of practice. And that’s why I believe everybody doing public speaking should do this. 

To sum up...

Becoming a great public speaker is not only about knowledge. It takes hard work. And extra steps. 

And those of course will require more time from you, more energy, more thinking. 

But truth being told : that is what you need to put in if you ever want to create a masterpiece. 

And I believe it is well worth it. If you put in the work, nothing, really nothing can stop you here ! 

And you, do you have any favourite tip you would like to share ? If so let me know because I am definitely interested !