Public Speaking Tips for Newbie Presenters

Whether you’re a newbie presenter or someone who’s done many presentations, you may still find yourself becoming uneasy or daunted. After all, every presentation must feel different even if you’ve done them so many times.

So what makes professional and impressive public speakers so different? What makes them so successful? 

One answer is this: Their passion for their subject just shines through.

It’s not enough that you know so much about your topic. What makes your presentation so engaging and exciting, not to mention memorable, is that your passion comes through. And your audience will sense that and will be attracted to what you have to say.

However, not everyone who has passion can translate this into engaging speeches and presentations. This is why we have prepared for you these tips to help you get started.

Remember Your Goal

It can be easy to get lost in the excitement, in the crowd, or the jitters that you may often feel. It’s important to translate your passion into an actionable goal that will dictate your presentation from the first slide to the last applause.

When you’re speaking in public and presenting, the last thing you want is to go on and on without a particular topic in mind. You can’t be rambling. It helps to have a slideshow to help you focus on your topic. This will also help you keep an organized theme throughout your presentation, so it flows much more smoothly.

Have a Presentation Templates Companion

These slides can serve as your guide. However, don’t fall into the trap of reading from them. Keep your slides concise but interesting. For help with great presentation designs, sites like FPPT.com offer a diverse range of free PowerPoint themes and presentation designs to help you create impressive-looking decks. Having this as a companion can also help you cut your time in half as compared to creating your own branded slideshows from scratch. 

With these templates that are easily customizable, and are usually pre-arranged already, you can finish with your material soon. This frees up more time for you to rehearse and prepare, as well as to psych yourself up for an awesome, effective time in front of your audience.

Make Your Speech More Brain-Friendly

While the Behavioral Economics concept is not new, it is on the rise in 2020s. Behavior Economics let you understand the psychology of why people buy. You can use this knowledge to unlock secrets on your audience’s brain and apply tiny changes on your speech and slides that make a big difference.  

Applying behavioral economics to presentations you can prepare your slides thinking on your audience’s brains. With some straightforward strategies, you can make your presentations more brain-friendly, persuasive and engaging.

Convey Facts, But Tell A Story

It’s not enough that you’re listing the most accurate, latest research and statistics. Your audience will not appreciate it if you’re just droning on about figures. You have to have the story behind the numbers.

Tell them a story they can relate with, and people will also care about what you have to say. This will make your speeches and presentations more engaging. 

For example, if you’re speaking about your business, tell a story about a customer who found value and benefit in what you have to offer. Or maybe a story about how their lives have changed, or at least made easier by your product or service.

If you’re talking about updates on a particular situation, bring up an anecdote. Use real stories as an example. 

With this, you have to know your audience. Create your example based on what you think your audience finds interesting. This will make you more relatable and they know that you know them too. This creates a relationship that makes your presentations more effective.

Practice, Practice, Practice

This is perhaps one of the most overlooked tips in public speaking. However, it is the most effective. No one becomes an expert speaker overnight. It takes hits and misses, even for the most seasoned public speakers. 

This means you have to always prepare and practice, not only the speech but the voice modulation while delivering a speech. Gather up friends or family members, even just one you feel comfortable practicing with. Present to them how you would in front of a real audience. Recording your rehearsal can help to play it and spot errors or ways to improve the speech. Do this iteratively, until you feel comfortable with the way you delivered it. This way, you become more familiar with your material and more confident to deliver the speech. And the more familiar you become, the more natural you’ll be by the time the actual presentation comes.

It’s normal to be nervous from time to time, but understand that this is perfectly normal.  In fact, 40% of respondents to a Gallup Poll reported that they suffered fear of speaking when delivering a speech in front of an audience. The fear of public speaking is higher than going to the doctor, which scored a 9% of respondents. Learn to find a way to overcome what gives you the jitters, whether it’s through meditation or exercise. By being confident and relatable, your audience will relate and trust you. They will start to listen. 

Attending communication workshops is another way to marginally gain experience and make more effective speeches

Final Words

Many jobs and positions require delivering presentations to small or large audiences. Keeping your audience engaged is not an easy task, but with the tips covered in this article a presenter can deliver better presentations that are engaging and captivate the audience at the same time.

We also saw that rehearsing a presentation or speech is crucial when it comes to combat fear of public speaking. 

Author Bio:

Julian is a self-taught presentation designer and digital entrepreneur. He runs several online businesses. When he is not creating presentations, you can find him coding or running a half marathon outside.