6 TEDx Secrets to Strong Public Speaking

1. Find the main idea of the speech

Problem

One talk - one thought. Sounds clear. But how to find that most important thought, if there are so many of them?

Experts often fall into this trap. They have many ideas in their heads, each of which seems important. “We must tell about everything, otherwise they will not understand me,” such people think. They want the best, but the performance is too confusing and fails.

Solution

Take a piece of paper and a pen. You need:

Determine the purpose of the speech: to inspire, sell or increase the number of fans of your personal brand (followers on Instagram).
Write down what people will remember after the performance. It should be one clear thought. For example, after a motivating presentation, the audience will remember that it is not scary to stumble on the way to a dream.
Divide the sheet into two parts. In the left column, write down the most important thing you wanted to tell. Usually these are interesting details and facts. Record in the right column, without which the speech will lose its meaning. Written down on the right are steps to achieving the goal, and the left column is filled with details-amplifiers. Your goal was filled with meanings and became the main idea of the speech.

Recommendation

After the speech, people memorize 1-2 topics. Filter meanings and don't overdo it.

2. Pack a thought into a storytelling format

Problem

72 hours after the performance, people remember only the stories told. If they are not there, then you were in vain.

Storytelling is the art of telling compelling stories. A complex thought turns into an understandable one if it is beautifully packaged. Storytelling becomes masters after practice.

Solution

There are two types of storytelling.

1. Motivating storytelling. It is structured like this: thesis, history, repetition of the thesis, call to action.

Thesis: do not trust people who say that you cannot do anything.

History: I got a job on television, and after six months I wanted to become the face of the TV channel. They told me that my eyes were too narrow, and I would never become a leader. I began to work on myself, to stay in the office until the night. I have now received this position.

Repetition of the thesis: do not trust people who say that you cannot do anything.

Call to action: do more and better than others. Then you will be successful.

Every story has a hero. He wants to achieve something. For the sake of the goal, he goes on a journey and meets a monster. In my case, it was the CEO. The hero fights against him and comes out victorious.

2. Classic storytelling. We tell a story where the thesis is spoken at the end.

History: as a child, the doctor gave me a disability and forbade me to go in for sports. The maximum that I could lift was a kettle of water. I didn't believe it and trained at home with dumbbells, then swam. As a result, now I am doing a lot to take part in the most difficult endurance test - the triathlon.

Thesis: never believe those who say that you cannot do something. Then you will be successful.

Recommendation

Your personal experience and world practice are endless sources for stories. At the center of the story should be a hero who is going through a change. It cannot be business or something abstract. Only a person.

3. Defeat stage fright

Problem

Most of all, the speaker is worried 10-15 minutes before the speech. This is a trait of all speakers, there is no escape from it. Humble yourself.

Solution

Self-control lies in three planes:

Body. Get a good night's sleep the day before your performance. Don't teach or prepare a visual presentation, just sleep. Eat 2-3 hours before your performance.

Drink 0.5 liters of cool, still water an hour before going on stage. Red spots will appear on the face from adrenaline. The audience will see this and think that you are not sure of yourself. Water will prevent this from happening.
An experience. We learn to swim and ride a bike. The story is the same with performances. Experience is important, I call it syntime. This is the time spent on stage. The more, the better. The optimal level is 10 hours. That is why many trainings do not work. The presenter speaks, the rest sit and write, but there is no practice. If you don't have the synth time, practice live streaming on Instagram. Four live broadcasts for half an hour, and the level of performance will increase significantly. You can remove the ethers later. The main thing is to start doing.
Techniques and chips. For everyone, take a deep breath and exhale 10 times. For introverts - fighting stress through fine motor skills. Take a rosary or Rubik's cube. Twirl or fiddle with your fingers. For extroverts, talk to someone 10-15 minutes before speaking. At least by phone.

Recommendation

Observe these rules, then the experiences will recede.

4. Fix common mistakes

Problem

The speakers repeat the same mistakes. But they can be fixed.

Solution

Here are my top 5 common mistakes:

To hammer in preparation or to prepare the night before the performance.
Joke on stage if you've never done so. Jokes are a separate instrument of influence. It is prepared at the script level and tested many times. No improvisation. Very few are capable of joking really funny and without preparation.
Talk to the presentation, not to the audience. Do not turn your back or half-turned to people.
For the first 10 minutes, talk about yourself, list certificates and regalia. On the stage, the main one is the spectator. Talk about him and for him.
Do not set a goal for the speech. Newbies just go out and perform. A great goal to start with is to have three people come over and take a picture with you.

Recommendation

Check your performances against a checklist of common mistakes.

5. Make the listeners happy

Problem

The first performances are going smoothly. Then there is less fire and less enthusiasm in the eyes of the audience, although you are doing everything right.

Solution

Try these four recipes:

Study as much professional literature as possible. Books, webinars, or chatting with colleagues are fine. The higher the professionalism, the higher the ability to make clear recommendations.
Try a negotiation presentation. Come, shoot the audience's request and build your speech on its basis. Prepare a visual presentation on general topics. Audience questions tend to be repeated. This format develops flexibility in thinking. In addition, the audience is not ready for it, so it reacts more actively.
Watch your skin, hair, and physical condition while performing. It is always more pleasant to look at a healthy person.
People come to personality. Content is secondary. Find a passion and surrender to it. There must be something other than the main job. You will be recognized by this additional trait. "O! This is the one who loves fishing / collecting stamps / swimming."

Recommendation

Develop. Then you become more interesting to the audience.

6. Be human

Problem

You prepared yourself, found the main point, overcame the stress, and took the stage. And then a new misfortune: the movements are constrained, the posture is unnatural, and you look like a robot.

Solution

People are natural when they are happy with themselves. They are satisfied with their social status, the amount of money, their position in society, they are healthy and look good.

If a speaker looks unnatural on stage, then he is unhappy with himself.

I worked with a speaker girl. She felt uncomfortable on stage. We started to figure it out. It turned out that she had long dreamed of an expensive accessory, but did not dare to buy it. She bought it and wore it to every performance. She liked herself with him.

Unnaturalness is dissatisfaction with oneself. Naturalness is when you don't need to prove anything to anyone.

Recommendation

Cover basic needs.

The rules seem simple, but few follow them. Work on yourself, prepare for performances in advance, be confident in your strengths, stand out, train, increase your synttime, then everything will work out for you.