How To Be a Better Speaker – The Short Honest Truth
For any skill, the only way to improve is through practice. This is not the same as reading or watching, even if you feel you are learning. Reading and watching only help if you apply what you learn while you practice. Most people do not practice, which is why most people are bad at most things, including public speaking.
Speaking is actually several skills combined: writing, storytelling and performing. A good presentation combines them into one experience. To be a good speaker requires studying and practicing all three.
People worry the most about performing. The best possible way to improve performance is to (surprise!) practice. Here’s a simple way:
Take a few minutes of your material, even if just a rough outline, before you make any slides, and do a practice run.
- Record it on video (you don’t have to, but it helps).
- Take notes on places where you get lost, where your points can be clearer and any distracting habits you might have. Watch the video to help identify them.
- Think through some adjustments, write them down if you like.
- Repeat
And when each segment feels good, move on to the next few minutes. Then do it all together. Practice is the only way to improve habits, improve your thoughts and get comfortable with your own material.
One important part of practice is thinking. Think about these questions:
- Why is your audience there? What problem are they trying to solve?
- What 5 questions do they want you to answer on the topic?
- What work do you need to do to give great, practical answers?
- What can you remove to get to the answers faster?
- What’s a simple outline of topics that gives a sense of progression?
- Who will you do a practice version of your talk with to get their feedback?
Many speakers don’t spend enough time crafting the central message of their talk. Instead, most get lost in surfaces: trying to look and sound good. But the reason people show up to a conference or presentation is rarely for superficials – it’s to get answers and encouragement. The experience is not about the speaker, it’s about the audience.
At any event, the one lecture that solves the most problems for the most people will be the best remembered. If you give the audience ways to solve their problems, they’ll overlook many superficial mistakes. This requires hard work. Good public speaking is always based on good private thinking.
When you see a presentation that is smart, polished and looks natural, never forget how much effort was required to make it seem so effortless. There is no magic trick or secret despite what some books promise – there’s only thoughtful effort.
Related:
- Read my bestseller, Confessions of a Public Speaker, with honest chapters on practical advice for everything you need to be a better speaker (Free chapter on managing fear here)
- Archive of public speaking advice on this blog
- Download the free “how to prepare for a talk” checklist (PDF)
(Note: originally posted on Quora)
I teach a course (series of workshops, really) Professional Communication Skills in several Master programs at an Italian university. None of my students are native English speakers. Public speaking is one of the main skills emphasized and evaluated in the course. I will certainly forward this post to all of my students…it sums up the lessons and the experience of presenting to an audience.
As Janice points out, this piece is a summary, and a very good one. I have nothing to add, except in the sense of a “sidebar.”
I will never forget Dale Carnegie’s image of the greatest magician of his age standing in the wings, before going on stage, repeating, “I love my audience.” Obviously the great magician didn’t need to do this, yet I am sure it helped.
To me the “take away” is that public speaking is a gift to the audience—implications:
Secondly, as Scott would say in his paragraph after the bullet points, “It’s not about you”
Firstly, as the Holy Bible would say, “Perfect love casts out all fear.” Meaning, by focusing on the gift I feel less stage fright, and I feel good. I can say that because I have been public speaking for years in Toastmasters International.
A related skill that takes practise is that of commenting in a public meeting, or commenting on a blog. Sometimes people have stage fright, or are afraid that 20 minutes after they comment they’ll feel like idiots going, “Why did I post that?”
I have two bits of advice:
First, think before you speak.
As they tell radio operators in the armed forces, it is OK to plan out, or even write down, what you are going to say.
Second, check motivation.
Exactly how is your contribution going to help the group? Sometimes we don’t have any true reason to speak.
Equally important, check yourself by asking, “Is this for me or the group?” Mixed motivations are OK, we all want to get attention, and to serve our ego, but if our motivation is not mostly for the group, then it is best to keep silent. There will be other chances to shine.
No guarantees: If I think and check I might still feel like an idiot after 20 minutes, but at least I’ll know I tried to do the right thing.
Hi Scott, This is exactly what I tell my listeners all the time. As a presentation specialist, people hope that I will tell them a short cut or give them a magic line that will help them present better. Regrettably for them hard work is the only solution. I leave them often quite disappointed. Your short essay gives me some more handles how to engage them and leave them with more than just hard work. Thanks for that. I also will have a closer look to all your publications. There is still so much to learn.
“The experience is not about the speaker, it’s about the audience.”
Sadly, so many talks are about the speaker. The speeches I most enjoy are the ones that inspire me to think differently, act in ways outside my comfort zone, and/or become a better person.
Hi Scott, thank you for your lessons in the subject of the public presentation. I think that the article is very useful for all. Everything depends on our training and audience. Last week I presented the lecture at the university. It was the challenge. I was well-prepared for speaking but everybody wanted to show me that I should have changed everything. Without training before the event, it will be difficult to win this battle.
Definitely agree with this: “The experience is not about the speaker, it’s about the audience.”
Most of the “bad” speeches I’ve listened to were ones where the speaker was continuously talking about himself/herself.
Hi Scott,
You nailed the main point in preparing a presentation. While it sounds so simple, it hardly is applied unfortunately. We love spreading the word and having people suddenly getting it and turning around their presentations!
Thanks for your efforts in leading the way!
PS Loved the book!
Every speaker is dreaming of becoming a better speaker. You can achieve success when you know how to deliver a great speech that looks ‘effortless’, and you’re 100% right that it requires much effort. I agree that practicing is a key to success, but sometimes you can face other unpredictable factors. For example, stress…
To keep on speaking without making a bad impression on your audience, you’d better know how to fight against stress, and here are some tricks and tips: http://presentationskills.me/stressful-factors/
Being a successful speaker is a hard thing to do, and your primary task is to get ready to face different obstacles without worries.
This is a truly valuable info that you share with us we rally thanks you for this…
The fear of speaking or performing in public is fairly common. In most cases, it is deeply rooted from early childhood. We have developed a very successful hypnosis protocol to help anyone with this fear of public speaking.
I am grateful for your suggestion to record yourself speaking on video to become a better speaker. I would think that it could also be helpful to invest in speaking training from a reliable service. My dad wants to become a better speaker, so I will pass along these tips.
It was really interesting when you explained that recording yourself can help you become a better public speaker. My son is going to be taking a public speaking class in high school next year and he really doesn’t like standing in front of others. It might be a good idea for him to take some kind of coaching class for public speaking before he starts his next semester.