Today I want to share the things I learnt to make public speaking easier. Before I start, I want to say I’m naturally okay at talking to larger amounts of people. If you have severe social anxiety, these tips might not be for you and you might not find them that helpful. That’s okay! Work on your health and don’t feel bad if public speaking isn’t your thing.
Mistakes are okay and expected -You will fumble your words or forget some things. You will stutter or stay silent for a bit too long. You will notice a typo in your presentation. It’s okay and your audience won’t care. They won’t even notice most of the time. Don’t get consumed by your mistake. If it’s big, apologise and correct yourself. If it’s small, let go and continue with you speech/presentation.
Loosen up -Even the most serious talks and presentations are not THAT serious. Loosen up, joke a little bit (keep it in appropriate amounts of course), make fun of yourself a bit. This isn’t life or death situation and your audience will appreciate human approach
They’re all just people -This follows up the previous point. Your audience is consisted of people who will understand when you make a mistake. People who want to see a pleasant human being on the other side. Large groups of people may look intimidating but they have the same thoughts and worries like you do. They will understand your feelings and mistakes
Move -Use your hands, be expressive! It creates a better connection with your audience. Also make sure to change the tone of your voice accordingly. Monotone speech won’t hold anyone’s attention
Look at your audience -Choose people to look at. Preferably people who are listening to you and are responsive, so you can feel the communication. Also, looking at individuals makes them listen and pay more attention
Loud and clear -Speak loudly and clearly. Make sure your voice carries well in the room and everyone can hear you well enough
Don’t read or recite -This one is especially important for presentations. Keep your notes or presentation simple. Reading or reciting things becomes boring very quickly and you will lose the attention of your audience
Don’t be afraid of pauses -People often make funny noises when they get stuck, simply to avoid being silent. Don’t be afraid of silence! It’s okay, take a pause to catch a breath or to remember a fact. Sometimes pauses can even work as a great dramatic tool
Know your topic -People have questions and that can be scary. Make sure you feel ready for those questions. Know what the fancy words in your presentation mean. Know a little more than you talk about. And if you don’t know the answer? Don’t panic, apologise, admit that you don’t know and offer a follow up on the subject later
Admit emotion -You can say that you’re nervous! You can admit your uncertainty. It’s okay! Once again: your audience is full of people who will relate to you
Get to know the room if you can -Familiar environment will make you feel better and a little more confident. Visit the room if you don’t know it already, if you can
Time will go by quickly -Before you start it seems really daunting and scary but it will go by and you’ll be done before you even notice! You’ll be okay, I promise. Even if it goes poorly, you’ll forget it eventually. It does not matter forever
I hope I helped and if you have more tips and adice, feel free to add!
1. Get up early.
I know, it’s easier said than done. But it is going to be hard for the first 15-20 minutes, maybe even the first hour, but make yourself some coffee, and get the fuck out of that bed.
2. Do 3 useful things right after you get up.
This doesn’t have to be ‘cram one lesson’ or ‘take 500 pages of notes’. No. Brush your teeth, make yourself something nice to drink, comb your hair. Wash your face. Literally whatever you find useful, do it. It may take 10 minutes, but you will feel instantly better when you see you’ve done something.
3. Organize your study space.
I don’t mean organize all your highlighters by color. I mean arrange everything so it is within your reach. That means when you sit down to finally study, there won’t be any need for you to get up and get something.
4. Take breaks.
It’s easy to start scrolling through instagram, or facebook when you sit by a 200 page book. Trust me on this. But set an alarm when you plan on taking a break. Make the break your instagram time, or facebook time, or just chill time. Whatever you do, organize your time so you don’t leave anything out.
5. Divide your shit.
So you have a 300 page chapter to read. Or a 30 page paper to write. Divide it into smaller parts. For example, I will read through the first 30 pages and then take a break. Repeat. Or, I will write 3 pages and then relax. Repeat. Literally whatever shit you have, divide it into smaller chunks and then just tackle the chunks.
6. Don’t listen to music with lyrics.
There are a ton of ‘study music’ or ‘motivational music’ playlists on Youtube. Blast that. That way, you won’t find yourself mouthing the perfect lyrics to Shape of you, and not knowing shit about what you’ve been reading. I’ve been there one too many times and it’s just wasting time.
7. Don’t feel bad about not responding to texts, or not hanging out with friends.
There is time to study and time to play. No between. By all means you should go out and have fun. But your work time can only be your work time. That text can wait, that coffee date can wait. During the break you will have more than enough time to catch up. And your friends should understand that, after all, this is important to you so it should be for them too.
8. Drink water! ! !
This is the most used tip, but trust me, you get tired much quicker if you’re not hydrated. Get a nice ass bottle of water and fill that shit up. Everytime you finish a paragraph take a sip. (At least!)
9. Don’t worry too much.
I’ve lost countless hours by panicking and trying to reason with myself why I should just quit. And let me tell you, it’s very easy to get stuck in that vicious circle. But when you begin to worry, take a deep breath, drink some water and just do. Read that sentence. Write the opening line to your paper. Underline that unknown word. Just do. It will not go in vain. No effort is ever useless.
10. Relax.
You are not the first one to have trouble with this. You are not the only one struggling with this material. But you can do it. It is possible. In 10 years you won’t remember that godawful task or chapter. But you will remember taking shit into your hands. And that feeling when you accomplish your goal is going to be worth all the while.
That’s about it, worked for me. Just be real with yourself. Good luck and may the odds be ever in you favor!
Stick by your word and stand firm with your boundaries. Don’t allow people to poke, probe, and push your limits, boundaries, and no zones after you told them not to. Don’t be fooled, all people need is one warning to get the memo that something is off limits, but no one will respect a person who is all talk and no action. Put action behind your words, no one will take your words seriously if you don’t, empty threats get you nowhere. People only continue trying you when they know/think they can get away with it. Say it with me, first times a warning, second times a done deal. Don’t disrespect yourself by going against your boundaries and personal code.
“Will it be easy? Nope. Will it be worth it? Absolutely.”
— Unknown
you know how you can feel yourself starting to develop a crush on someone but it’s still very faint so you kind of feel like an old man standing on a hilltop, sniffing the air like ”ah yes… there might be a storm coming”
How to activate your "happiness chemicals"...
DOPAMINE ~ the reward chemical
Complete a task
Doing self care acitivites
Eating some food
Celebrating your little wins.
OXYTOCIN ~ the love hormones
Playing with a dog
Playing with a baby
Holding hands
Hugging someone
Giving someone else a compliment
SEROTONIN ~ the mood stabiliser
Meditating
Running
Be in the sun
Walk in nature
Swimming
ENDORPHIN ~ the pain relief
Laughing exercises
Essential oils
Eating dark chocolate
Running
I don’t procrastinate. I proactively accumulate guilt-contingent motivation.
“A healthy relationship is where two independent people just make a deal that they will help the other person be the best version of themselves.”
— Unknown
• 20th June 2021•
My self-sabotaging trait would probably be my inconsistency.
I have plans scheduled out for the day but it frizzles out on the third day. And I'm not proud of that.
I don't know if I burn out really fast or I'm just not willing to help myself. Like girl, get your priorities straight.
If you’re constantly doubting who God is, it’s because you’re allowing life to speak louder than truth.
And to work hard, it includes self-discipline and consistency.
“Difficult doesn’t mean impossible. It simply means you have to work hard.”
— Unknown