Public Speaking

51 Tweetable Public Speaking Tips

Tweetable Public Speaking Tips

Like so many precious jewels, good advice can also come in small packages.

A growing number of public speaking specialists are turning to the social media site Twitter to offer nuggets of knowledge that can help aspiring orators.

In just 140 characters, they tell us valuable things to make our presentations better.

Here is a compilation of some of the best public speaking advice from
@MelSherwood_, @VoiceExpert, @maidenmuse, @1publicspeaking, @PublicSpeakers, @UofTPS, @ruletheroom, and @LSPR_PSC on twitter. Some of the tweets are my own compilation.

Follow them and others for regular updates and inspiration for making your presentations better.

Advice about content

People can't read and listen to you at the same time so keep your slides simple with powerful images and minimal text. Click To Tweet It's a fact that people Tweet during presentations. Be prepared by including Tweetable sayings on slides (140 characters) and read slowly. Click To Tweet Make sure everything you say during your speech is related to your topic. Even if you tell a joke, it should be related to your speech. Click To Tweet Concentrate on telling at least one good, true story in your speech. Make sure it has good flow and is capable of being referenced again. Click To Tweet Include one good call to action with each public speaking presentation. Do not confuse your audience with too many demands. Click To Tweet Put your Twitter handle on every slide. Make it easy for your audience to share what inspires them. Click To Tweet Keep the type on your slides to a minimum of 30 point type font or larger, and limit words on the slide to 20. Make them listen, not read. Click To Tweet Read your prepared speech out loud to determine in advance if there are awkward phrases or difficult to pronounce words. Click To Tweet Use lists as a convenient way to get key information across and as a technique to help remember things. Click To Tweet If your speech is too short, research and find more good information to fill in the time gap. Another one more relevant story. Click To Tweet Spend 60 percent of your time researching and preparing your content, and 40 percent of your time practicing your delivery. Click To Tweet Present your statistics by relating them to common references in people’s lives. Limit your use of graphs and pie charts. Click To Tweet Add a little humor to lighten the mood for your audience. You don’t need to tell jokes; just be humorous in your observations. Click To Tweet Leave your audience with a highly memorable closing vision or quotation. Repeat it and let it ring through the room. Click To Tweet Include short links “for more information (FMI)” on each slide. People often make notes of that and traffic is high afterwards. Click To Tweet

Advice about delivery

Reframe your public speaking nerves as excitement. Use the adrenaline to give your presentation energy and enthusiasm. Click To Tweet Your body is communicating constantly even though you may not be aware of it - what is your body language saying? Click To Tweet Leave the appropriate distance between you and your audience; don't speak from too far away or too close to them. Click To Tweet It's not enough to get the message to your audience. You must get it INTO them and get the right response OUT of them. Click To Tweet People would rather be entertained than educated. U may need to find ur 'inner performer' to get ur business message across. Click To Tweet To be effective your message must have a clear sequence and a logical flow. Think before you speak. Click To Tweet Try to memorize your remarks if you can prepare your speech in advance. Then perfect your delivery. You can ad lib easier this way. Click To Tweet Don’t fidget. Playing with your hair, chewing on your nails, adjusting your clothing, tapping your pen are all annoying to watch. Click To Tweet Watch famous speeches on video. Study the presenter’s delivery of the speech and watch how the speaker engages their audience. Click To Tweet Avoid using the podium if you can. It creates a barrier between you and the people you are trying to reach with your remarks. Click To Tweet Use a timer to determine the length of your speech. This will help you to edit the speech and stay within the given time. Click To Tweet If you are standing on the stage, move each time you start a new topic. Stay at least five seconds in each position. Click To Tweet Make sure to focus on getting your audience’s attention right from the beginning of your remarks. Use an attention grabber to open. Click To Tweet If you aren’t excited about your topic, you can’t expect your audience to be. Show your enthusiasm right from the start. Click To Tweet Take your time while delivering your speech. Be calm and conversational. Do not rush through on a rapid sprint to the finish line. Click To Tweet Even if the setting is informal, never speak while chewing gum. It distracts your audience. Sip water if you must, but sparingly. Click To Tweet The more often you smile, the more positively your audience will respond to your message. Just do it at the appropriate times. Click To Tweet

Advice about confidence

Love your topic. To be able to speak with confidence, select a topic you are very knowledgeable about and share your insight. Click To Tweet Your voice is a sales & marketing tool. Use it well and it can build your individual & company brand. Speak with purpose. Click To Tweet Find one person who looks nice and trustworthy and focus on them. That takes away the feeling you are addressing a group. Click To Tweet Visit your hairdresser on the day of the speech. Purchase a new article of clothing. Feeling that you look good boosts confidence. Click To Tweet When you get to the podium, take a deep breath and look right at your audience and smile. Practice your pace and breathing. Click To Tweet Be your authentic self. Sincerity is a quality people respect and admire. Your audience will appreciate your honest contact with them. Click To Tweet Dress appropriately for the event and to enhance your image. If you question whether or not something is too informal, it likely is. Click To Tweet Remember that good posture reflects confidence. Stand with your shoulders wide apart and your weight evenly distributed. Click To Tweet Imagine your audience leaping to their feet to give you a standing ovation. This will boost your confidence and help it happen. Click To Tweet

Advice about preparation

Be crystal clear on the objective of your presentation; if you're not clear it won't be clear to your audience either! Click To Tweet Research your audience so that you know who they are, why you are presenting to them and what they are expecting to hear. Click To Tweet if there's a name or word that's difficult to say, please practice the pronunciation prior to your presentation. Click To Tweet Promote your speech in advance using the event hashtag. Do this the day before and the morning of your presentation. Click To Tweet Visit the venue before you give your speech. Checking out the lighting, microphone, and seating arrangements. Stand at the podium. Click To Tweet Try to meet some audience members before you speak. You will be more relaxed if you feel friendly with your audience. Click To Tweet If you are going to use a white board or projector, make sure in advance that you have appropriate cables and that speakers work. Click To Tweet After meeting a client to get specifics on your keynote address, send them a note summarizing the key points to be covered. Click To Tweet Arrive at least half an hour prior to your address to have time to check all the technology and then mingle with your audience. Click To Tweet Trust your technology, but keep printed copies of speech notes in case of a dead battery or theft of your tablet. The show can go on. Click To Tweet

1 Comment

  1. This is a great post Ashish. All the tips are useful and form a practical summary. Definitely going to make use of them, thank you.

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