Paul Woods

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Most people fear public speaking… in fact for most, it is their greatest fear of all.  I was one of them. 

But now I rather enjoy getting up in front of people and talking about stuff - whether it is for 1 minute, 10 minutes or a whole hour.  How did I overcome my fear of public speaking?  By doing it!  And doing it again… and again and again and again.  After a while you realise that it is not as bad as you first thought

However… if you are still on that journey from nervous wreck to confident speaker, I found a public speaking checklist  full of tips to help you through your trauma!

This list was published by Prue Moodie in the May edition of CPA Australia’s “In the Black” magazine…

Don’t

• Read from a speech
• Go against your personality style
• Forget to explain why the subject is important
• Use word-heavy slides
• Tell the audience you are nervous
• Thank the audience for their time
• Tell jokes

Do

• Memorise your speech
• Check the technology is working
• Have someone introduce you
• Allow your eyes to rest on individuals or groups - for a few words only
• Pause for a couple of seconds occasionally
• Move - a step or two - to illustrate a point
• See the humour in yourself and the subject (but not in your qualifications)

What a great list for those new to public speaking!

There is plenty I could write about speaking… and I might make mention of a few things every week or two moving forward.  In the mean time if you are interested in learning more about how to build your public speaking skills, here are two great resources that you should check out:

TJ Walker’s Speaking Channel
http://www.speakingchannel.tv/

This is a great resource where you can learn all the intricacies of public speaking.  Check out “Speakcast” - they are very good video tutorials that everyone should have a look at.

Garr Reynolds’ Presentation Zen
http://www.presentationzen.com/

Presentation Zen is great if you are interested in how to use PowerPoint to assist you in delivering your message to your audience.  Note - the answer is not more bullet points!

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