public speaking advice please

jon_1ukjon_1uk Posts: 672MI6 Agent
at the beginning of December I shall be talking to an number of people from work about my Cancer situation
as we are a Healthcare insurance company we are holding a mens health awareness week and i have volunteered to tell
my story from the start to my remission ..it needs to last 10 -15 mins and questions at the end.
Although i work in the same company as my" audience" i wont necessarily know them all.
any tips please?

Jon
"some men are coming to kill us, we're going to kill them first"

Comments

  • Sir Hillary BraySir Hillary Bray College of ArmsPosts: 2,174MI6 Agent
    Jon - First off, I hope you are well. This sounds like a topic you don't need to prepare materials for, as I'm sure you know it by heart. Set the stage by introducing yourself, but otherwise, just go up and tell your story. The more you can make your audience feel you're "one of them", the more likely they'll be to take appropriate steps for themselves, which it sounds like is the whole point of the event. I'm sure you can tell your story with a natural progression -- symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, reactions, current status -- that has both factual and emotional components to it. Trust me, you'll have no trouble filling the time.
    Hilly...you old devil!
  • Number24Number24 NorwayPosts: 21,699MI6 Agent
    If you write it all down, staple the pages together. Use larger letters, wider space between the lines and more paragraphs than you normally do. Mark key words and sentences by underlining or colouring them.
    If you are better at improvising or learning it by heart you should still write something down, such as the key parts of your speech and what you would highlight if you wrote everything down. All of this will help you find where you are and avoid forgetting anything important in just a quick glance at the page.

    Please use a test person to practise on if you can. Try reading it while he/she is in the next room preparing a meal or something. Audiences are rarely completely quiet or focused on the speaker. If the person hears you fine you are talking clearly and loudly enough. Read it later in front of the test person. Ask for feedback on your body language and the speech in general.

    When you make the speech, make sure you look at the audience as often as you can. Not just the space where they are sitting, but at the individuals. Look at different people throughout the speech, not just the same persons. Props, jokes, anecdotes and illustrations are good. If you use presentation software make sure you don't just read the text on the screen, those are just talking points.

    Good luck :)
  • Mr SnowMr Snow Station "J" JamaicaPosts: 1,736MI6 Agent
    Here's a couple of links you may find useful.

    https://www.extension.harvard.edu/professional-development/blog/10-tips-improving-your-public-speaking-skills

    https://www.inc.com/brent-gleeson/20-tips-for-mastering-art-of-public-speaking.html

    And try not to say 'ummm' and 'aahhh' if you get to a point when you're not sure what to say. Just pause, stay silent and get yourself back on track. Think 'The King's Speech' if you've seen the film - very good by the way. And as 24 said, maintain eye contact as much as possible - never look down to the ground.

    Finally. you probably don't need to be told this but avoid coarse language at all costs. Even if you're emphasising a point, it is not necessary and will cheapen the presentation. Remember where you are and who you're talking to. You're not at the MCG bagging the umpires or Collingwood ;) .

    It's up to you but if you feel inclined please post here to let us know how you get on.

    Anyway I hope some of these tips help and good luck. :) -{
    "Everyone knows rock n' roll attained perfection in 1974; It's a scientific fact". - Homer J Simpson
  • Revolver66Revolver66 Melbourne, AustraliaPosts: 470MI6 Agent
    Hi guys! Thank you for all your assistance. I read these tips and they helped a lot! I did it and It went well. I got plenty of good feedback which was encouraging.

    I also had a few people say that I went to fast. I bounced from one point to the next without giving people time to digest the previous one, so that left me feeling a little flat. But on the whole I would say it went pretty well. The positive feedback was very positive so i'll go with that and be mindful to take pauses inbetween points for next time.
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