My podcast this week is from the Effective Public Speaking book.
Enjoy!
The Podcast:
The Transcript:
I’m Johanna Rothman, and this is Johanna’s 60 Seconds of Writing WIP for August 30, 2024, where I read an excerpt of just a minute of some writing in progress.
This is from the Effective Public Speaking book.
Because your audience wants you to succeed, they will give you the benefit of the doubt for much of your presentation.
Why does the audience need to give you the benefit of the doubt? Because sometimes, you provoke them into challenging everything they thought they knew. When conference organizers worry that half of my audience loved my talk and the other half hated it, I know I provoked a lot of thought.
You do not need to be a “perfect” speaker, because that is impossible. What I think is perfect might not be what you think is perfect.
However, the more enthusiasm you bring to your topic, the more likely the audience will start with you and stay with you throughout the presentation.
You can do that if you focus on the audience. Not on how clammy your hands are, or if you're breathing too fast, or whatever other signs of nervousness you might have.
While you might think you feel fear, consider an alternative explanation: nervousness or excitement. (I'm not discounting fear. However, many people label nervousness as fear.)
Link to the video.