23 Powerful Public Speaking Tips to Boost Your Pitch Skills

Public Speaking Tips to Boost Your Pitch Skills
  • Impromptu, Off The Cuff Speech Tips from The Wall Street Journal:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-overcome-your-terror-of-making-an-off-the-cuff-speech-1543851913 

  • Shift your focus toward your listeners and away from yourself.

  • Asking yourself, “What are people waiting to hear from you?” 

  • Keep answers succinct and clear. 

  • 3 easy to remember steps to get your points across without rambling: State the problem, describe the solution and summarize the benefits.

  • Use a “what, so what, now what?” mental road map—stating the issue or topic, explaining why it matters and laying out next steps.

  • Practice speaking off the cuff: Speak up in meetings, volunteer to give toasts or step up to the mic to ask a question at a conference.

  • Be aware of your body language under stress and avoid misleading tells. 

  • Treat your anxiety as a normal response and tell yourself: I’m excited.

  • How to Hide Your Nerves When Giving a Speech from Fast Company:  https://www.fastcompany.com/90269420/5-ways-you-can-hide-your-nerves-when-giving-a-speech 

  • Breathe: focus on the exhale. 

  • Pace Yourself:  Take a whole body approach to speaking, control and grounding your speech in your natural rhythm. 

  • Move From Your Center: Move from your core–not just your arms, to control nervous hand gestures.

  • Stretch Your Vowels: Focus on stretching out your vowels, slurring your sounds together, so you sound sharp and clear.

  • Stand Solid: Put one foot slightly ahead of the other–shoulder width apart to avoid swaying from side to side. 

  • Public Speaking Tips That to Reduce Anxiety and Improve Your Performance from Harvard   https://www.extension.harvard.edu/professional-development/blog/10-tips-improving-your-public-speaking-skills 

  • Practice and Prepare: Take the time to go over your notes and practice presenting your speech - record yourself, or get a friend to watch and provide feedback. 

  • Know Your Audience: Learn about your listeners and create your speech for them.

  • Organize Your Material: Grab the audience’s attention in the first 30 seconds.

  • Adapt to Audience Feedback: Watch your audience and adjust your presentation to their response to you.

  • Be Yourself: Let your personality shines through so your audience will trust you. 

  • Tell Stories: A story provides a personal touch in a speech that audiences like.

  • Don\'t Read: Maintain eye contact with the audience and use a brief outline to jog your memory and keep you on task.

  • Control Nervous Gestures: Use nonverbal communication that delivers your message. 

  • Limit AV Aids: Audiovisual aids can distract your audience so use them sparingly to enhance or clarify your content.

  • Start and End Your Speech with Strong Messages: Capture your audience right from the start with a bold stat or story, not a canned introduction. Conclude your speech with a strong summary.

  • Learn More: Pitch Tips for Salespeople, Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners  http://www.thesalesassassin.com/sales-blog/pitch-tips-for-salespeople-entrepreneurs-and-small-business-owners 

This checklist was created by anthonycaliendo

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