Public speaking basics

1
Public speaking basics
2
What is public speaking?

• Public speaking is anytime you have to speak in
  public!
• But the reality is that this basic idea scares
  more Americans than going to the dentist,
  falling, or death!
• This presentation will give you public speaking
  basics and help you realize some good
  presentation skills at the same time.

3
Fears

• While most people fear public speaking there are
  some very simple ways to get around it
• Practice
• Practice
• Practice
• By practicing you get around the reason for the
  fear, messing up in front of people.

4
Before the presentation

• Preparation is key!
• Figure out your thesis.
• Write down the structure for your presentation.
• Introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Read it out loud.
• Edit your writing.
• Read it out loud again.
• Put it into your electronic presentation.
• Practice again.

5
Basics of Public Speaking

• Know your topic
• Your are the expert of the topic you have chosen.
• Nobody in the room knows more than you so make
  sure that you know it thoroughly so you can teach
  others.
• Know your audience
• What do they find funny? What are they
  interested in? What would they like to hear
  about your topic?
• Find a hook
• A hook is an interesting, funny, or creative
  beginning to your presentation. The first 30
  seconds of a presentation are very important so a
  good hook will keep your audience focused.
• Be yourself
• If you try to do what your friends would do, you
  will mess up. Just be yourself and you will feel
  the most comfortable!
• Stay on point
• Do not discuss topics that are not important to
  your presentation. They will distract your
  audience and you will lose your focus.
• Do not repeat yourself
• Do not repeat yourself. ? Repeating a point
  more than a few times sounds like you do not have
  anything else to say. So avoid repetition.

6
Confidence

• Project a calm, confident tone while speaking.
• You are the expert on the topic so you have
  nothing to worry about!
• Audience members can tell when you are nervous or
  do not know what you are talking about.
• Confidence can be gained through good preparation
  and effective practicing.

7
Tips

• Attitude is everything!
• Preparation is key
• Confidence comes with practice
• Refer to sources correctly
• You will need to have outside sources for your
  information in the presentation. Make sure to
  know how to pronounce names, and you know the
  authors main idea correctly.
• First 30 seconds are the most important!
• This is the hook.
• If you have a creative, witty, or interesting
  introduction, you can hold the audiences
  attention for the rest of the presentation.
• Strong conclusion
• Just like the introduction, have a strong message
  the audience can take away from your
  presentation.
• Avoid just repeating your introduction and your
  thesis statement.
• Action statements make good conclusions.

8
Good luck!

• Be yourself, practice a lot, and prepare and you
  are sure to blow your audience away!