Public Speaking

I will be presenting at the Annual Conference for the Association for Middle Level Educators (AMLE) this October, in Austin TX, which is a giant leap out of my comfort zone. Austin and the accompanying queso dip is totally within my comfort zone however, so I have that to look forward to...

Thinking about putting together a presentation and making sure that my first experience of speaking in front of a collection of colleagues from around the country, is at first quite daunting- but also exciting. In anticipation of this, I have begun to do some research about what makes a presentation engaging, and something that the audience actually wants to pay attention to. All of us, students and adults alike, have opportunities to become better at public speaking and engaging an audience. The following tips may help you to be more effective and interesting the next time you have the opportunity to speak in front of a group of people. 

1. Rehearse out loud, and with props or slides you plan to use. Practice in the room where you'll actually do the presentation, if possible. Listen to how the words sound coming out of your mouth, so you can avoid tongue twisters or awkward phrasing.

2. Speak slowly and loudly enough so the person in the back of the room can hear you.

3. Make eye contact with various members of your audience. If you make eye contact with them, they're more likely to make eye contact with you and remain at attention.

4. Some rules about using slides:

• Do not read off your slides word-for-word; this can make you feel more comfortable because you're just reading out loud and not really having to think about presenting, but it's boring for your audience and they're more likely to zone out while you're talking. 
• Use just a few words per slide. 
• Use images that directly tie in to what you are saying. An image is more likely to stick with a person in the audience, even if they don't remember exactly what you were saying. 
• Keep lists to a minimum; do not have more than 5-6 items on a slide. (I'm taking this advice right now, and am about to wrap up this post.)

5. Act excited and enthusiastic about the idea you're presenting; if you come off as bored, your audience will almost certainly be bored by you and your presentation no matter how much good information it contains.


I don't know about you, but I will certainly be using these strategies as I practice my presentation, and in October when it's time to chew my last tortilla chip, wipe the queso from my mouth, and speak with the audience!