Public speaking is one of the biggest fear of the human race. And still, in some sort of way there are also people who doesn’t find it scary at all and of whom it is like second nature. How is that possible? I consider myself fairly good in public speaking and I believe you can be good in public speaking as well, you only need to realize something! Let me share some insights.

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to present a prototype of a product we (our project-group) made. This project was about biomedical technology and we had to create a solution somebody can use for a problem which people with hemiplegia (paralyzed on one side of the body) encounters. Well, we had a pretty good idea with a pretty nice prototype. First there was a round of poster presentation and after that the best groups were selected and they could present their idea in front of the whole audience (around 400 people) and for a jury. We had that chance.

I was the one who made the prototype and I was the one who practised with it, so I had to present our idea. Not a problem. Of course, everybody has shaking hands in front of an audience, but there is a difference between shaking hand and blacking out.

So I grabbed the microphone and presented our idea. Couple of jokes, a good story and of course a great idea. And we won! Pretty cool!

Anyway, back to my original point, about public speaking. Being afraid is just natural. Of course you are afraid. You are putting yourself out there, showing your vulnerability and if you make a mistake everybody will laugh. You can only lose. And that is exactly where I want to talk about.

Speaking in front of an audience doesn’t mean you can only lose, it means you’ve already lost. How about that?

Not a nice thought, but true. The moment you grab the microphone there will be people who don’t like you. Who don’t like what you are wearing, don’t like how you talk or are just completely not interested. You have already lost the moment you decide to speak in front of an audience.. To emphasize this point, when I walked up and grabbed the microphone, somebody (this was told to me later) was saying ‘why does he has to do this in his ISCOMS-vest?’ This vest is the sweater of the International Student Conference where I am taking place in the Executive Board. To present my idea, I needed a vest, so I was just wearing it. So there was already an opinion about me!

This means you can’t only lose, because you’ve already lost! This means you can only win!

The moment you walk up the room people will already hate you, the only thing you can do right now is convince them that their initial thought was wrong, you are not somebody they should hate, they should like you (or at least your story). Now the only questions that is left is how to do this?

How to make an audience love you

• Don’t take yourself serious. You’ve already lost right? So make sure you understand that you are a loser. Don’t try to be an arrogant, parental person. Be on the same level as your audience, don’t try to stand above them.
• If you are nervous – tell them! I had shaking hands when I presented our prototype and there was a camera on those hands (which projected my hands on a big screen). So I spoke out that I had shaking hands (i.e. ‘Of course, I am deadly nervous now, so my hands shake’). This cleared some air and it evokes empathy. And as my audience were all students, this was exactly what I could use!
• Put naked chicks in the presentation. Well, not actual naked chicks. I wrote a post about this before, this is from Friends, where Joey tells Ross: ‘Start with a joke and put naked chicks in it’. This is exactly what you need to do. Make the presentation fun, even for a serious subject. Laughter is one of the best way you can get the audience with you. Make a joke, just have fun on the stage!

Well, that is my view on public speaking. Now I must tell you I’ve had acting classes, so I know what it means to be ridiculous on a stage, but I think anybody can do this. It doesn’t take courage, it only takes a realization. Realize that you have already lost, that you can only win. When you realize this, you will also find ways to win. Make a joke, don’t take yourself too serious and be honest. You will win the audience for you and you will win the presentation. Good luck.

I really like to give presentations, because I can transfer a message, say what I want to say and especially because I can connect with an audience, feel the adrenalin in their veins and feel their enthusiasm about my subject!

And I want to talk about the last reason. Feeling their enthusiasm. This requires something from your side. The audience needs to be able to resemble with you, to connect with you, understand you, feel you. You need to be compelling with your audience. They have to feel with you and they need to be sucked in your enthusiasm and they need to be taken on a trip to the wonderful information you are giving them.

Get in people their mind when you are talking in front of an audience
These tips require more than 5 people, there is a certain group vibe you need to trigger, so it won’t work with less than 5 persons in the room.

• Naked chicks. Joey (from Friends) gives Ross two tips for his first lecture at the University. Either ‘start with a joke’ and ‘naked chicks’. With naked chicks I don’t mean actual naked chicks in your presentation, cause that will be probably evoking reactions you don’t want to get. But I mean something your audience wouldn’t expect. A funny picture, a beautiful picture. This doesn’t only takes place in the powerpoint, but also in your story. Tell them a great story, which may not be related to the subject at all. Make great examples. Be remarkable. Your story needs the naked chicks, they need a reason why people are listening to your very story. These naked chicks are the reason people came to your lecture and also the reason why they talk about your lecture.
• Start with a joke. The other tip Joey gave to Ross. If you want to capture your audience right away, start with a joke. Make them laugh. Or start with introducing yourself in another way than they are used to. Sit on a table. ‘Look nonchalant’ or something like it. Don’t be the guy in front of the desk ‘Hi, I am Peter and I am going to talk about Microfinance.’ These kind of introductions doesn’t work. Maybe a funny picture? Don’t say anything at all, just show them the picture and start talking. Break the ice. I like to tell a little anekdote and introducing myself afterwards. In this way, people are actually interested in who you are and what you are going to tell!
• Keep it flexible. Don’t say ahead of your presentation ‘I will answer question at the end of my presentation’. Don’t give us that crap. If somebody raises his hand, answer the question. In that way you show your flexibility and people will be pleased if you answer their questions!

Make listening to presentations interesting again. Put a couple of naked chicks in your presentation and it will be a big improvement. Any presentation tips? Share them in the comment section.

From who do we learn more? Our fellow students or our teachers? Our teachers you would say, they are the expert. I’m not sure about it, if a fellow student deeps out the material and gives a presentation about it, you can learn a lot from them. This leads to the following subject, a serie of presentations from students instead of your teacher, a presentation period.

What is the ‘Presentation Period’

It is a period in which not your boring, mustache wearing teacher is teaching you, but your sparkling fellow students (and you!) is teaching you about a subject. In the period there is one big topic, and your classmates will cover every subject about it and have a presentation about that topic.

Your class will be divided in several groups and these groups prepare a presentation about a subject. This means deep out the material, know more than you should know and make it explainable to the class.

Why a Presentation Period works

• They will have your attention. You don’t listen to your teacher all the time, but if you don’t listen to your classmates, friends they will get really angry. So you will be polite and listen. Which means more knowledge!
• You will deep out a subject. You will get an expert on one subject, which actually feels great to know everything about it. And with upcoming tests, you don’t have to learn that subject anymore!
• About all the subjects there is an expert. In your class, there is at least one expert know on a subject. So if you are close to a test, but doesn’t get it completly, ask the guy who had his presentation about that subject! He/she will be wanting to tell about it and will be capable to tell about it.

Why a Presentation Period doesn’t work

• Students don’t know that much. Most stuff will come from wikipedia, and that can be wrong. Or the girl/guy will get it wrong and explains it wrong. Most of the times they don’t know the answer on questions and the teacher has to interfere.
• Students aren’t always there. Which means a ‘Sorry kids, no presentation today, Casy is sick.’ Which means a mess in the schedule most of the times.
• Students can be boring too. Maybe not on a saturday evening, but at least in class. When they start to talk in their monotonous voice you can get fall asleep as easy as with a teacher, and this time your fellow students will be mad too! Oops!

The Presentation Period can be a good alternation to your regular teacher, but it doesn’t have to be that fantastic. Ask your teacher to do it once, and see how it works out. Oh and wait, ask for it discrete, your fellow students won’t like it when they have to do presentations!

Once you had your killer introduction, you are ready for the middle of your presentation.

• More explanation about the subject, some space to make the problem bigger!
• You come up with different solutions, and arguments for it or against it.

This part is more boring than your anecdotic introduction and now it is even more important to keep your audience interested, because this is what you really want them to tell!

Keep being interactive. The key to a succesfull presentation. Keep asking questions to some people in your audience, as I said in the introduction. They will be awake, and stay awake if you question them more often. The second sort of questioning you have to do is the ‘does everyone understand?’ No, they won’t react, but it is a good gesture

Keep it interesting. Yes, this is a more boring part, but it doesn’t have to be! If you keep the dry math and all short, the class will be kept interested. Keeping that guys, who aren’t interesting in anything but girls, interested is a great challenge.

Be humoristic. Your class needs a laugh one at a time. Just make jokes, be sarcastic and you know what I mean, just make them laugh.

With these tips, your presentation will be more fun and more interesting, what do you want more?

The beginning of a presentation, introducing your subject and especially: Getting the attention of your class! How to do it?

I already mentioned my physics teacher, who says ‘err’ 25 times in 5 minutes.