Contents
Public Speaking Basics
How to Prepare Your Presentation
How to Select and Present Content
Overall Organizational Structure
Body Structures
Presentational Aids
Delivery
How to Practice Your Speech
How to Take Questions from the Audience
Common Public Speaking Problems and Solutions
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Common Public Speaking Problems and Solutions
No matter how much you prepare and practice in advance, not every presentation will go smoothly—equipment may break, the audience may be rude, or you may feel nervous. But if you plan ahead, there are concrete steps you can take to cope with the most common presentation pitfalls.
You’re Nervous
Jitters and nerves are common among public speakers, particularly inexperienced ones. Don’t dwell on your nervousness and view it as an obstacle; instead, accept it and try to draw on it productively. Remember the following:
- Repeated practice will give you confidence.
- Don’t apologize to your audience for anything.
- Try to develop a routine that you do to combat nervousness. Try breathing, stretching, taking a drink, taking a brisk walk, or whatever helps put your mind at ease.
- Don’t fight nervousness. Accept the energy that it offers and try to use it.
- Just prior to your presentation:
- Let your body relax, let your arms dangle, and tense and release your muscles from your feet to your head.
- Breathe deeply.
- Don’t sit with your legs crossed.
You’re Nearing the Time Limit
If you’re getting close to running out of your allotted presentation time, you may panic and be tempted to blaze through your remaining material at lightning speed. But rushing is never a good idea.
- Cut out material rather than talk faster. A rushed presentation always is worse. Your audience doesn’t need to know everything.
- Plan beforehand what you’ll cut in case you start to run long. That way you can monitor your progress with a clock or watch throughout your presentation, and if you realize early that you’re running long, you can cut segments out along the way.
Your Audio/Visual Equipment Breaks
Even if you set up your equipment carefully, a component might malfunction or break. Don’t let a such minor setback shake your confidence or derail your entire presentation. Instead, prepare yourself in advance with a plan B:
- Print a copy of your slide show beforehand so that you can work from it even if it can’t be projected.
- Relax. Don’t apologize or mention the malfunction unless you have to do so.
- Either move on, take a short break to fix the problem, or get help.
- If you can recover and move forward successfully, your audience will be impressed and respect you even more.
You’re Not Sure Whether to Use Notes
Many speakers wonder whether they should use notes. If you feel that notes are necessary, by all means use them. However:
- Always practice beforehand to gain confidence and to keep yourself from having to rely too heavily on your notes.
- Rather than hold notes in your hand, try placing a piece of paper with a couple of guidelines on a nearby table for support in case of emergencies.
- Avoid using your visuals too heavily as notes. Doing so may cause you to overuse the text on your visuals and to turn toward your visuals rather than face the audience and engage them.
You’re Competing with Food
Never try to compete with food—in most cases it simply won’t work. If there’s food in the room, provide a break for people to eat, or tell them before you begin that they should get their food first.
You Encounter Rude or Hostile Questions
Be prepared to deal with hostile or confrontational questions. They can crop up anytime, but particularly if you’re dealing with a skeptical audience or are addressing a particularly controversial topic. Should this occur:
- Remember that you’re in control. Never lose your temper. Avoid defensiveness, and never respond sarcastically or in a manner that belittles the person who asked the question.
- Take the questioner’s hostility in stride and try to be genuinely helpful in your response.
- Do what you can to defuse the situation. Move through the problem slowly or defer the question/comment to a later date.
- If the question or comment is a suggestion, thank the person for it genuinely and move on to the next question.
Your Audience Is Skeptical or Defensive
If you sense that your audience is, or will be, skeptical about your authority or material, you can plan for that in advance. In particular:
- Stick to straightforward, logical, supportable arguments.
- Don’t make provocative or controversial statements.
- Avoid grand, unsupported assumptions.
You’re Working Alongside Multiple Presenters
Although presenting alongside one or more colleagues can reduce your nervousness, it can also lead to problems if you fail to plan ahead and end up stepping on each other’s toes. To avoid this, keep in mind the following:
- Know one another’s strengths and weaknesses beforehand. Who likes to lead? Who is better with details?
- Listen carefully to one another during the presentation.
- Avoid contradicting one another unless absolutely necessary.
- Avoid fighting to answer a question.
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