Yol · 12 Stations · 12 days · Career & Business › Communication
Speak in Public with Confidence
A speaker who stands up with a clear message, a simple shape and a story worth telling, nervous perhaps, but no longer run by the nerves.
This won't make the nerves disappear. Most seasoned speakers still feel them. It will give you a message you can say in one sentence, a structure you can hold in your head, a story that lands and enough out-loud rehearsal that the nerves stop running the show. Bring a real talk to aim at, and practise out loud. Reading alone won't get you there.
The road, station by station
01Your nerves are normal, and the room is on your side
~5 minfrom Confessions of a Public Speaker
Today’s Station — start →
02Talk about what you've actually earned
lockedfrom The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking
03Find the one line your whole talk hangs on
lockedfrom TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking
04Give them something they can picture
lockedfrom Made to Stick
05Three points, short enough to remember
lockedfrom Talk Like TED
Milestone
Your talk on one page
Pick a real talk you have coming up. On a single page, write its throughline in one sentence and the three points that carry it. If a point doesn't connect back to that sentence, cut it or rework it.
06Open with a gap they want closed
lockedfrom Made to Stick
07Carry your point inside a true story
lockedfrom Talk Like TED
08Close with intent: plan your last thirty seconds
lockedfrom The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking
09Rehearse until it sounds like talking
lockedfrom Talk Like TED
Milestone
Full run-through, watched back
Deliver the whole talk out loud, hook, story and close included, to a friend or a camera. Watch it back or ask for honest feedback, then write down one specific thing to fix before the real day.
10Let your voice and body carry the words
lockedfrom TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking
11Work the room: pack it, check it, read it
lockedfrom Confessions of a Public Speaker
12When it goes wrong: recover, answer, learn
lockedfrom Confessions of a Public Speaker
Milestone
The real talk
Give the talk to a real audience, such as a meeting, a meetup or a class, and take at least one question. Afterwards, while it's fresh, write down what worked and what you'll change next time.