The above podcast is courtesy of Brendan from MasterTalk on YouTube.
Public speaking, much like leadership, is NOT something you're born with, but rather something you learn over time if you know exactly what to work on.
1. Master Silences
Silences are the biggest difference between great and exceptional public speakers. The top speakers in the world use this technique to make their presentations better instead of seeing them as a sign of weakness. That's why it's absolutely crucial that you learn to master the art of silences.
2. Master Filler Words e.g. ah, uh, eh
Saying filler words in a presentation detracts the quality of your entire pitch, so it's very important that you learn to remove them altogether before you think about giving an exceptional presentation. By replacing these filler words with silences, you'll be able to get one step closer to mastering this.
3. Master Your Audience
The quality of your presentation is solely determined by how much your audience LOVES you. Thus, it is important that you're always thinking about how to craft your presentation in a way that your audience will be able to fully understand what you're saying and get behind you.
What is the goal of your presentation? Teaching, motivation, entertainment?
Understand the needs and desires of your audience.
Communicate their needs back to your audience to get them excited.
Tell stories and analogies.
Stay energetic.
4. Master Eye Contact
Eye contact is a tricky subject because it varies based on the space you're in, the number of people in the audience and your ability as a speaker. But don’t look up to the ceiling. Look at the people in your audience (but don’t focus on just one person).
5. Master Posture
Most students assert they don't need coaching on posture, when in reality, most of them make two big mistakes when speaking: legs are too far apart and the famous leg tick, where they frantically move their feet for no reason. Brendan always recommends Sticking Together, where you essentially glue your feet together to avoid these problems until you're in a comfortable position to present.
Bonus Video: 5 Advanced Public Speaking Tips
We explore the powerful tools that the best communicators in the world utilize to make their presentations perfect in this week's episode of MasterTalk.
1. Master Impromptu Speeches
I do not know what I'm going to say next as much as you do. But, through my way of speaking, I'm going to CONVINCE you that I do so that with some practice, you will too.
Speakers who have mastered the art of presenting anything to anyone with no preparation have mastered the following three things.
They use silences to masterfully buy time. Instead of standing up and worrying about what to say next, they raise their glass, confidently look at the room, and say nothing to buy time.
They have strong facial non-verbal cues. Through their face, they convince you that they’ve practiced their speech 100's of times.
They keep eye contact with their audience at all time to never hint that they have no clue what’s coming next.
2. Master Vocal Tone Changes
Vocal tones have nothing to with singing or being a news reporter, but rather deciding in advance where you want to change your tone, in other words, artificially using them to grab the attention of your audience.
For speaking tones, have a few honest friends tell you if they enjoy hearing your voice to figure out how to adjust your voice for a mass audience.
High Tones project optimism, positivity, something amazing happening at the company, or an exciting future for the organization moving forward. I usually use high tones when I present a solution to a problem or when I’m presenting what MasterTalk is to prospective clients.
Low Tones are mostly used to emphasize the key message of your presentation, or the moments that really matter that can be somber, extremely vital, or emotional to hear.
3. Master Audience Obsessively
Take your level of obsessiveness with your audience to the next level. It is the only way to master any of these tips. Here’s a trick you can use to really bring it to the top 1% of speakers.
Practice talking to an audience that doesn’t exist. When I would participate in business competitions, most of them consisted of a judging panel that was NEVER from the actual company. In order to win, I needed to pretend as if they existed in the flesh which meant being inspired by what they are doing, raving over the mission and embodying that in full, Then, when the audience was real, it was easier for me to present.
Get a friend to act like your audience and point out every flaw that you don’t understand about them and their needs.
4. Master Your Pace
Mastering pace means understanding how you normally speak and aligning what you normally do with the way you present. This is known as aligning. Most people speak faster in presentation mode than if they are conversing at lunch. That because they have a different mindset in presentations (get over it as fast possible). The key in speaking is to speak at the same speed for both.
5. Master the Unknown
From my experience in theater, I’ve learned that some of the best performers were also the most fearless. The best presenters can give a keynote under any circumstances, no matter what challenge is thrown at them.
Fall in love with disaster. No matter what happens, whether it’s a broken mouse or projector, or forgetting to put your slides on a USB so you have to present without them, don’t let anything falter you.
For business or one-on-one public speaking coaching inquiries, you can reach Brendan at brendenkbusiness@gmail.com.
5 Public Speaking Tips