Speaking Presenting and Preparing

by John Bandler

In my life I have learned a lot about speaking, and I have taught a little about it.

Personally, I went from being shy as a student, to being an Army officer, state trooper, prosecutor, and conference speaker. By now, I have done extensive public speaking. I am better and more comfortable at it now because of practice and effort (not because I am a "natural").

I teach part-time, and in my courses students research and write a paper, and give a presentation to the class on their research. Initially, this was a live presentation, but I realized some students stopped coming to class, perhaps because of their fear of speaking. After polling students each semester, I realized how many fear speaking in class, and for more formal presentations. I realized students needed some resources on speaking (and on writing, but that is a separate group of resources).

Everyone and anyone can get better

The first point is that everyone and anyone can get better at speaking, to improve how they present, their confidence and comfort.

Do not tell yourself you hate it and walk away from it. Embrace your discomfort and improve how you do it. This is especially important for introverts and shy people. (I created a video especially for this group)

They main key for this is practice and effort. The more you do it, the better you will get. Each time you do it, you need to put in effort on the main principles (including preparation).

"Introverts" usually need to work on their confidence and comfort, that comes with practice. Usually they put the time in to research what they are speaking about. They may have done the assigned reading but are afraid to speak in class, or they prepared their presentation well but are uncomfortable delivering it. Practice and repetition gets them more comfortable, with each speaking opportunity.

"Extroverts" often need to work on their substance. Sometimes they are so comfortable and confident speaking that they don't put enough effort into their research and investigation about the substance of what they are saying. They may speak confidently in class (even though they didn't do the assigned reading) or confidently present their presentation which needed more effort to prepare.

[I put these terms in quotes because it is hard to categorize people as anything, much less introverts or extroverts, but it is a helpful generalization here).

Preparation and practice is essential

If you know you are going to speak on something, preparation is key. This includes research (investigation), organization, thought, and effort.

Practice is important (a part of preparation). Hear yourself say it as you say it, see how long it takes and how it comes out, record yourself and watch it.

As you prepare, have some confidence in yourself (but don't be overconfident).

Present and speak

Here are some pointers:

Arrive on time (or early) so you are not rushed.
Try to relax, breathe, have some confidence.
Make eye contact, posture upright, hands down (don't cover your mouth, face, or rest your head on your hands).
Don't rush yourself. At the end of your sentence is when you can get a good breath in, then use that for the next sentence.
Soft talkers should focus on projecting their voice. Get a lungful of air before you start your sentence, project your words across the room, don't be afraid to be heard. Practice increasing your voice volume and projection, you can improve it (just like you might practice throwing or kicking a ball)

In sum

Presenting and speaking are important skills, and you can and should improve yours. If you are in high school, college, graduate school, or law school, that should be part of your learning experience.

Preparation is key, so is practice. Do your best, you don't have to be perfect.

Each time you prepare and then speak is an opportunity to improve