How to Give a Great Talk
Almost everyone, especially mentors and leaders, eventually has to get up in front of people and give some sort of speech or talk. It can be as simple as doing the announcements or as complex as delivering a sermon.
Here are ten most important things I’ve learned about public speaking . . .
- Prepare and practice – The more you prepare and practice your talk, the better it will come off. Your confidence will go up; allowing you to be less nervous and more genuine.
- Call to order with silence – Go to the podium, center yourself, and start making eye contact….the room will get quiet very shortly. It takes guts, but you’ll actually get a better start if you have everyone’s undivided attention.
- Make eye contact immediately – Attempt to look every person in the audience in the eye at least once. It will bond you to them, and it will relax you!
- Talk about yourself first and make it funny – It will make you ‘real’ and the audience’s laughter will relax you. Take the edge off and relieve the jitters. People love stories; they relate to other people through stories AND they remember them. The more personal, the better…and the more transparency and humility you display, the more engaged the audience will become.
- Tell them what you’re going to tell them – Sell them on listening to you….build tension as to why this is important. Use illustrations that connect with every demographic in the crowd.
- Make your talk simple in its content – A single point is best, but never try to get across more than three. Use keywords to make your points stick; people remember keywords and phrases.
- “Net out” your point to a sentence or phrase you want people to take away – “Do for one what you wish you could do for everyone” is my favorite example. Start your preparation by nailing this ‘net out’ sentence down. Don’t give up until you’ve got it and you love it!
- Me, We, God, Me, We – This is a great pattern to use in doing a talk when it’s about subjects of faith. Start by talking about yourself (me) and engage the audience with a personal story that tells why the subject is important to you. Then expand to everyone (we)…here’s why this is relevant/important to you and to all of us. When the tension is the highest, then unpack your “net out” point, slogan, or principle. After you’ve explained what God has to say about the issue, then connect it back to yourself (me again). “Here’s how this principle has helped me.” And then finally, inspire others (we) to apply and embrace what you’re saying. “Imagine if we all . . .” (Thanks Andy!).
- Your hands are a tool in your toolbox – Keep your hands quiet until you are ready to gesture. When you gesture, REALLY GESTURE…when you’re done, then be done and put your hands back in a quiet place.
- Close with a story – an emotional word picture that brings your “call to action” to the fore. Again, preparation is key as this is likely the part people will remember. Use this story to “tell them what you told them”, summarizing and repeating your “net out” phrase to reinforce what you said. End on time, or a little early if you can.
And when you’re done, land the plane. Don’t keep circling, repeating yourself, looking for ‘amen’s’ or ‘alleluias.’ It was your job to talk, their job to listen. Hopefully, they didn’t finish before you did.
Question: Why is public speaking so nerve-racking for you? Tell us here.
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Responses (2)
A wonderfully practical post Regi, thanks for simplifying this for us. So, my $94,000 question related to this topic is, how does Andy Stanley remember his sermons so well since he doesn’t look at notes (i’ve only seen him on video). Does he use a TelePrompTer? Or does he memorize them?
Personally, I get terrified of public speaking but have to do it on occasion with our youth group. My main reason for it racking my nerves? I think it comes down to a fear the crowd won’t like what I have to say.