Public Speaking 101: Focus on Your Topic & the Words Will Come
Icon by Martin Smith from The Noun Project
A study from last year confirmed that many people find public speaking to be more anxiety-inducing than death. As such, when practicing for client pitches, boardrooms and the stage, we often nervously prioritize style over substance by focusing on how to say things (your tone, pace, gestures, etc.) rather than what to say.
John Coleman suggests that we reverse our approach by focusing on what to say, not how to say it:
Focus on memorizing key stories and statistics, rather than practicing our delivery. If you spend your time on how to say something perfectly, you’ll stumble through those phrasings, and you’ll forget all the details that can make them come alive. Or worse, you’ll slavishly read from a PowerPoint or document rather than hitting the high points fluidly with your audience. If you know your topic, the words will come.
Trust your knowledge of the subject matter. Pick your key points and let the words find themselves.
