After 4 years of giving oral presentations and finals, I consider myself kind of a veteran of public speaking. While I still struggle with the typical anxiety-induced stress, I do not stutter and confuse myself as much as I did when I first started. Furthermore, I enjoy talking in public or in front of my teachers, as someone who expresses themselves better with speaking rather than with writing. Now, by any means I’m a master in this area, but through my experience I gained some knowledge I’d like to share. Some of these tips may appear pretty damn obvious, but believe me when I say you MUST remember them. A lot of them have to do with body language and self-confidence, so consider that as well. Without further explanation, here they are.
MOST CRUCIAL TIP THERE IS: Study (duh). Not just read, highlight and memorize. Study well through the material, understand it, make connections between concepts and topics. Actually get to the mean of the subject you’re studying. When you really do comprehend what you are studying, you’ll be able to make coherent explanations, useful examples, generalizations, etc. People will most likely tell if you memorized something out of the books or if you feel insecure because you didn’t study enough. Get familiar with the content you’re working with. After all, you are demonstrating you have mastered the information, so you might as well do it.
Introduce & Conclude. Plan to start by giving a short resume of what you’re going to say (think of it as an abstract). Be clear and brief, you don’t want to spoil your entire presentation. In the end, build a concise conclusion. Again, it should summarize what you just said and reference to the main topics covered as well, but be conclusive.
Prepare your mind. Prepared to be judged. Your hearers aren’t going to sentence you to death, but you’ll still stand in front of them, while they are evaluating you. You’re going to be looked at and listened to. If you’re not accustomed with being the center of attention, you won’t enjoy this (I know the feeling). Anyways, I learnt to accept that this was not going to destroy me. Public speaking is a common situation that you’ll probably face several times in your life so you might as well get used to the idea.
Practice makes perfect (or the closest to it). Practice it until you’re tired of it. In front of a mirror, a family member, your friend, your pet, anything. What works best for me is to start in the beginning of my study schedule (when I first start making notes, reading the texts, etc) and develop from there. So my first practices will probably last 5 min, but it actually helps me to get used to “saying out loud” and builds a base for what’s about to add on. Record yourself if you can. Note down whenever you get lost or if there is a certain topic you’re unsure about.
Try to be didactic. Act like you’re giving a class to a group of students. Teachers actually need to understand and process the material before actually explaining it and intending to make other people comprehend it. This method will actually improve your studying abilities as well.
Measure your time. If your presentation is said to last, for example, 20 min, practice it in your house lasting 25-30 min. In my case, when I’m giving an actual presentation, I often tend to speak quicker than normal and may unintentionally pass some unimportant information, so this sets me ahead of time not be left short.
Build a guide. Whether it’s a mind map or a list, this outline will guide you through your presentation. Most teachers won’t mind as long as it isn’t your whole study material (ask beforehand). Write key words only (avoid definitions at all costs), connect with arrows, highlight important points. Whatever you find more comfortable with. You can also use flashcards – I prefer the mind maps better. But remember to be minimal. We only want this to be a memory-helper, not a whole book. This will help you if you get lost or do not remember something, as well as serve as a reason to look down if you’re feeling anxious and want to avoid eye contact (don’t abuse of it though).
Drink lots of water (just remember to go to the bathroom before the presentation, nobody wants to run out the classroom with a full bladder) and use chapstick. You won’t believe how dry your mouth and lips will be after talking for so long.
Practice your breathing. Breathing properly will help you release anxiety, reduce stress and actually improve your talking abilities. Here are a some youtube tutorials: +, +
Think before you speak. Talk slowly but firmly and loudly (don’t scream). You’ve already practiced it, so it’s not like this is your first time doing it, but take your time to actually hear what you are saying.
Play with your voice. Use intonation to emphasize, pause after an important statement (and to catch air), speed up through irrelevant topics. Basically, make your speech dynamic and expressive. Here you can find more information about this.
Watch your body language. If standing, avoid leaning on the wall, putting your hands inside your pockets or crossing your arms in front of your body. Whether you’re standing or sitting down, keep your back straight, shoulders relaxed, chin up high. Here is a TED talk about body language and confidence that will make you understand this a lot better. Also, use facial gestures and gesticulate with your hands – this has the same intention as playing with your voice.
Make eye contact (or try to). Look at people’s eyes - or just slightly over their heads or the point between their eyes if you are closer. Nothing screams “I got this sh*t” more than making eye contact.
Read you hearer’s face/body language. Are they falling asleep? Gradually raise the volume of your voice (this has happened to me). Do they look confused/angry/upset? Maybe you just messed up, maybe they have gas; if they don’t interrupt you, then continue. Do they look interested? Good job, go on.
Buy yourself time. If you get lost, avoid using “ummm… yeah… so…” Use more formal “buy-timers” such as “As I was saying…”, “In other words”, etc, and rephrase what you just said to buy yourself some time. Now, look at your outline. Continue.
Nobody’s perfect. If you mess up, excuse yourself, breathe and reformulate/correct yourself. If you are asked with a question you do not know the answer to, be honest.
Be prepared to be interrupted and/or asked questions at the end. In this part, understanding the material is key since you’ll build your responses right there. Before answering, breathe in and take your time to formulate your explanation. Ask the teacher/classmate to rephrase the question if you did not understand it or just want to buy yourself time. Make your answers honest and authentic.
Be meticulous. Are your clothes ironed? Is your hair brushed? Think of this as a job interview, where you have to look presentable in order to create an impression. Avoid very tight tops or scarves that may alter your breathing ability, and therefore your voice. Consider wearing daily appropriate makeup. Use deodorant (you’ll sweat).
Smile. Smiling actually boosts confidence and creates an easy-going environment between your hearer and you. You don’t really need to show the back of your throat, just make a mild smile and relax your facial expression.
Watch TED Talks. See how confident they look? Copy some postures, gestures, ways of speaking and interacting with the hearers until you find a style you’re comfortable with. Practice it.
Tea is your friend. Hot drinks will relax your throat muscles, therefore improving your breathing ability and voice. I often prefer chamomile tea over coffee, but whatever works for you. Also, nobody wants to hear someone’s sore throat (especially your group members who’ll have to cover you if you are aphonic).
Don’t let your teacher speak. This might not apply to all situations, but during a final you’ll be expected to talk a lot and demonstrate what you studied in a coherent way. So if the teacher is constantly asking you to repeat yourself or correcting you, it’s not a good sign. This is the advice a college teacher actually gave me after my first (terrible) oral exam. And it has worked ever since.
Or, on the other hand, let them speak. Said college teacher also advised us of “chatty” teachers. Most of college teachers will want to see a future colleague in the student they are evaluating, so take advantage of this. Dialogues are way better than monologues, believe me.
Fake it till you make it. My first oral final was horrendous. I didn’t understand the material, I couldn’t explain myself and my teacher immediately noticed. So after that experience, I didn’t feel confident enough to even stand in front of my friends. Through the years, I understood that “faking” my confidence did actually improve the way other people looked at (and listened to) me. Maybe you didn’t get to study everything, so “fake believe” that you did - it can actually boost your memory and you’ll remember it from your classes. This applies to every situation you feel incapable of fulfilling, I promise.
Become a Better Speaker. More tips because why not.
Megan Washington: Why I live in mortal dread of public speaking. Heartwarming insight of what a speech impediment feels like and how can beauty be derived from it.
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