Public Speaking - An empowering tool

Communicating is an essential life skill. The first person we talk to is ourselves. This is probably the most important dialogue in our lives. Another important dialogue is the one we have with others. This influences how we interact with others, how clearly we express ourselves and how connected we become with people around us. If done in a skillful and respectful way, public speaking can increase your sense of connection with people, increase life satisfaction and promote health. If done skillfully, presenting can be a powerful and transformative skill. Given my experience in the tech sector, I will share the challenges and opportunities of public speaking in the fields of science and technology. Many tech leaders want to talk eloquently and with conviction when speaking in front of an audience. Effective public speaking is incredibly empowering. It can help to motivate and inspire people and is an especially precious skill for people in the tech industry who want to promote their ideas.

Photo by Product School on Unsplash

If you have ever watched a TED Talk, a movie, been to a conference or to the theatre, you have probably come across some very eloquent and talented speakers. What do eloquent speakers have in common? Good speakers communicate with clarity, passion and intent. They know how to use pace and create dramatic pauses. Great speakers are deeply comfortable with public attention. Now that you have an idea of what a good speaker looks like, the next step is to master the skills required.

1. Know the contents of your talk/presentation. While you can adapt your script in front of the audience, having a structure of your talk outlined beforehand is important. Structuring your thoughts before speaking helps you to stay eloquent and on topic.

2. Know your motivation for communicating. Remember why the speech, TED talk or presentation you are giving is meaningful. What is motivating you to give this talk? Why is it important to you and why should it be important to your listener(s)? It can be useful to include some of these reflections in the introductory and concluding remarks of your speech.

3. Focus on your sensations. Allow yourself to feel what arises in the moment you present. The body gives you energy. You can use this energy to inspire and focus or enter in fight/flight mode.

4. Think of presenting as an opportunity:

   1. An opportunity to teach and inspire other people. Keep the audience in mind. How will they benefit from the presentation? A good speaker thinks about what the interests of the audience are and why they came to the event. This allows the mind to stay open and receptive.

   2. An opportunity to be challenged. If you find presenting challenging, you can view it as a journey of personal development. Even just getting up in front of a crowd is already an achievement.

   3. An opportunity to grow. Keep the bigger picture in mind that your journey of growth as a speaker will require steps along the way.  

The psychology of presenting

The body will activate the fight or flight response if it senses a threat. If you perceive a presentation as a threat, this bodily response will be triggered. This is likely to happen the first times you present. Remember that the fight or flight response unlocks a lot of energy in you. It is about how you channel this energy which is important. Can you transform it into focus and motivation, rebalancing in the moment? Humans are very social creatures and can perceive another person’s emotional state. Hence, if you feel confident, you are likely to radiate it and inspire the feeling of confidence in others. Feeling confident during a presentation requires several conditions to be met.

Even though this list seems long and challenging, confident presentation skills are worth learning. The transformative potential of eloquent communication is massive in the tech industry. If you have further questions, I have included the details of a public speaking coach I have personally worked with and recommend to you.

Geoffrey Huck is a public speaking coach, specialised in helping business owners and leaders with a technical background. People turn to him when they want to become more confident in social situations and deal with speaking anxiety. His approach mixes public speaking techniques with behavioural sciences. You can find summary tips to his approach here. A link to his website can be found here and his LinkedIn here.