Public Speaking Do’s

1. Be Prepared and be Prepared to be Flexible

First know what you are going to talk about. If you are very new to public speaking, write the
entire speech up, and practice speaking it again and again until you feel confident that you know
your top points.

• Write how you talk.

• Practice your speech with all your visuals.
• Look for Opportunities
• Look up from notecards! Don’t read directly off of notecards.
• Say it simply, straightforwardly, in your own words.

2. Smile and Be Welcoming

First, remember to breathe. Secondly, remember to smile. Really, even if you make mistakes,
people will forgive you, and sympathize with you, if you are nice, genuinely smiling and
welcoming. When you smile and look people directly in the eye – they usually smile back giving
you a confidence boost during your speech.

3. Pay attention to body language

Use your hands to talk without being a weird.

A certain amount of pressure can enhance performance.
Change your mindset so you can use nervous energy to your advantage.
Think of your speech as a conversation with one person.
Focus on one friendly face at a time, talk to that person as if he/she is the only one in the room.

4. Engage with Your Audience

Know the needs of your audience and match what you say to their needs. Keep the audience
interested throughout your entire presentation. Put what you have to say in a logical sequence.
Tell them where you are going. Refer back to what you said earlier will remind your audience.
Audience will be happier if they know where you are in your speech, and where you are going.

Public Speaking Don'ts

1. Don’t Be Over-rehearsed – Be Real

While you should be prepared, don’t be over-rehearsed. Nothing is more boring than a speaker
who is only speaking from memory, and not engaging with the audience at all. Be in the
moment, don’t sound like you wrote a great essay or a blog post about the topic and you are just
reading it aloud.
2. Don’t Ignore Your Audience

You will be able to see what topics really interest people, and which are not, don’t ignore the
cues (like leaning forward and smiling – they probably agree with you. Or yawning and checking
phones– you might be boring them). If someone is raising their hand – don’t ignore it, let them
voice their opinion and ask a question. Or at least tell when you will allow questions.

3. Don’t Disrespect Your Audience

Don’t disrespect your audience, and never present yourself as the only expert of your subject
matter, and the smartest one in the room – this is when someone in the audience will ask you a
question you will not know an answer and you will look foolish. So always respect your
audience.

4. Don’t Be Afraid

Really, don’t be afraid. The people in the audience have come to listen to you because they think
you are brilliant and you have something to say. People want to see you succeed. Stand with
your head up high, smile, and be ready to be brilliant. Don’t be afraid, you know what you are
talking about!

Ending

Be prepared to wind up quickly or condense the final stories. Repeat your major points. Don’t
fade away. Give appreciation and end you speech.

Thank You