How to excel at public speaking

Clearly define and lay out what you will be talking about at the start of your speech. Aim to create content that is broad enough to appeal to the interests of any type of individual. A breakdown in communication, and subsequently reduced engagement, occurs when an audience becomes lost amongst the nuances of a message – niche can be negative. By immediately mapping out the structure of a speech, an audience will be able to follow the flow more easily and gain more from the experience.

Humour varies tremendously and its use within a speech requires careful consideration. The golden rule is never to be offensive – even if the audience is a familiar one, it will comprise individuals with varying personal thresholds. While delegates are unlikely to complain that a keynote speaker was not funny enough, they will certainly protest if they feel they have been spoken to rudely or if somebody has been personally attacked. Humorous stories are a great way to engage an audience, but they should not rely on the ‘big payoff’ or punchline at the end: their purpose is to take people on a journey that is enjoyable throughout.

Anecdotes can certainly enhance a speech, but care should be taken in terms of their delivery. A speaker should take the time to provide background to a story: anything time-specific should be contextualised so that an audience can relate to the period it is set in, regardless of age or background. This rings especially true when a speaker recounts a personal experience on which they have built their profile, lest their credibility be lost to a portion of the delegates who cannot relate to the memories it is intended to evoke. Indeed, if relaying personal achievements, these should be shared with humility and purpose. The audience want to be educated, not to celebrate the success of the person on stage. Always remember: the audience are actually the true stars.

How you present yourself from the start of your speech will define how your audience relate to you throughout it. From avoiding slouching and limiting hand gestures, to speaking in a measured, modulated tone, body language has a powerful impact on perception. Clinging onto the lectern for dear life will give the impression that you’re out of your depth. Aim to be upbeat, relaxed and affable in order to give your audience confidence in the journey that you’ve promised to take them on.

A speaker should strive to achieve long-lasting impact on an audience irrelevant of its composition. This means utilising every tool available to deliver a full experience that makes each delegate feel they’ve truly been ‘in the moment’ with that speaker. Visual enhancements, such as presentation slides and videos, can be useful here. These should be content-light and will allow, in a diverse audience, different delegates to focus on different stimuli while remaining focused on the speaker’s content throughout.