Advanced public speaking

So, you’ve done some public speaking before, and given a presentation. You know how important it is to practise… to speak slowly and clearly… and to look at your audience. That's great! Once you’ve had the chance to speak in public a few times, and feel more comfortable in front of an audience, there are ways to “level up” your skills. “New level unlocked… advanced public speaking?” Whoaaaaa Before, your goal was just to create a speech and give it without being nervous. But can you...

fascinate your audience with an exciting speech? That’s your new goal! Here are some tools you might need. A megaphone? To clear this level, you’ll need to vary your tone, volume, and speed when you speak.

Talented speakers don’t read everything in a monotone voice. They don’t only SHOUT. And they don’t talk super slooooooow. Instead, they try to add a bit of variety to the way they speak. The tone of your voice can give information about the content of what you're saying.

While a raised voice can communicate urgency or anger, a bright tone can show your excitement and passion. Another good reason to think about how your voice sounds? Remember: usually when you give a presentation or a speech, your audience is only listening to your words, not reading them, so they’re relying on your delivery to get the message. So try to vary your tone, volume, and speed in a way that makes it engaging for people listening. And what about the superhero suit?

You can also make people understand what you’re saying, before you even say anything at all. A raised eyebrow, a smile, good posture… People who watch you speak can get an idea of the feeling and attitude behind the words you're saying - from the way you use your body - your physical behaviour. If you’re talking about something fun and exciting, like how much you love horse riding, try to have a happy expression: smile! But if the topic is more serious, don’t laugh or smile the whole time. Instead, try to have an expression that matches the seriousness of what you’re talking about.

Body language can help you strengthen your message and make your speech more interesting! Sometimes, you may want to use your hands, or move around. That’s also body language! If you’re talking about how big something is, you may want to show the size with your hands so the audience can imagine it. Like when I did this jumping competition, the obstacles were this tall!

Yes, exactly! But, be careful! Moving too much can be distracting. If you’re waving your hands a lot and running around, people might not be able to focus. And if you’re nervous, you might be moving more than you realize!

One technique to avoid fidgeting when you’re nervous is just to wiggle your toes inside your shoes. It’s a way to release your nervous energy in a way that won’t distract your audience. And the final item, a projector... I guess I can use this to show a slideshow! Great idea!

Visual aids can add a lot to a speech. Things like graphs and images can be helpful to highlight your points. But a screen that is crowded with small text, too many colours, or dizzying animation can take away from what you’re talking about. Instead try to prepare visuals that are clear, simple, and easy to see from anywhere in the room. Yeah, that looks great!

It looks like you’re ready to give a captivating presentation! Level clear!