Public Speaking

[h0llywood]

Thanks for the tip guys very good ideas that I will use. It's not so much that I don't know the subject but that I'll be nervous. I think ill go with slides that have bullet/talking points and I will elaborate on each.

Given it's Texas, I'm assuming it would be a bad idea to start it off with steers and queers joke. And 85% of audience will be female.

[Darth Biscuit]

Being confident in the topic you're talking about and knowledgeable in it has always been the key for me.

 

I've spoken many times at professional groups and given seminars on topics that I deal with daily in my job.  Knowing the topic thoroughly has allowed me to not worry about WHAT I'm saying.  I always have a presentation prepared that's at least 1.5 times longer than what the time allotted is, as I inevitably speed it up as I go along.

[pstall]

Thanks for the tip guys very good ideas that I will use. It's not so much that I don't know the subject but that I'll be nervous. I think ill go with slides that have bullet/talking points and I will elaborate on each.

Given it's Texas, I'm assuming it would be a bad idea to start it off with steers and queers joke. And 85% of audience will be female.

If it's that many women avoid multiple sports analogies.

Be self deprecating about being married or a dad and how good a wife you have and all she does and you will have won them over.

[OneBadCat]

I was in Model UN and did some theater in college. My advice would be to find a auditorium or an open space where you can practice your stage presence and speech. Know the words you want to say like the back of your hand but understand the concepts you are presenting even more. That way your speech will be more genuine like a conversation and in the event you forget what your saying you can easily catch your thoughts.

[pstall]

I was in Model UN and did some theater in college. My advice would be to find a auditorium or an open space where you can practice your stage presence and speech. Know the words you want to say like the back of your hand but understand the concepts you are presenting even more. That way your speech will be more genuine like a conversation and in the event you forget what your saying you can easily catch your thoughts.

Exactly. I like walking thru ahead of time both to get a good time down but also flow and rhythm.

I even put an extra note etc to tell myself when to either ad lib or share a story if time allows.

This is a good back up system based on how the crowd is responding.

[electro's horse]

it's pretty easy tbh

[electro's horse]

nothing lightens the mood like some casual racism

[nickzz]

if you have 5 months... Prepare your dick off. Knowing what you're talking about will give you the most confidence, and will make s good impression.

[Captroop]

Approach and start conversations with perfect strangers.

 

It worked for me in Journalism school. I was a total introvert when I started J-school. But naturally I had to start interviewing people, and the first thing we did was MOS (Man-on-the-street) stuff. Going up to perfect strangers to get their opinions or a sound bite. I was terrified at first at the idea of bothering a stranger. But after a couple interviews, the introductions I made became easier, the conversations flowed better, there was less anxiety and hesitation.

 

The same skills translated to other areas of my life. I can give speech in front of 100 people and never break a sweat, I can approach a group of girls and strike up a conversation, I can sit in a job interview with total confidence.

 

I don't know why it works, but it does. Maybe because you see that the anonymous faces in the crowd are just people with flaws and personalities just like you, then the idea of a group of them isn't so scary. They're not a faceless "audience" that's judging you, it's just a collective of individual who, like you, aren't sitting around pointing out your flaws and waiting to hurl rotten produce at you if you slip up.

 

You want my advice? Talk to strangers completely out of the blue. Humanize the idea of anonymous people. When you get to the point where you can strike up and maintain a conversation so fluidly that after 5 minutes the guy would have you be a groomsmen at his wedding, you're ready.

[Anybodyhome]

Thanks for the tip guys very good ideas that I will use. It's not so much that I don't know the subject but that I'll be nervous. I think ill go with slides that have bullet/talking points and I will elaborate on each.

Given it's Texas, I'm assuming it would be a bad idea to start it off with steers and queers joke. And 85% of audience will be female.

 

Well.... if it's Texas, they're pretty much used to people saying stupid poo...

 

 

[PhillyB]

go for the old mussolini routine