Richard Smith's seven tips for public speaking

1. Know your audience
The more relevant your material, the more engaged your audience will be, so tailor your content. You want to communicate in a way that’s interesting, entertaining and easily understood. As a guide, no sentence should be longer than 21 words, otherwise your audience may start pulling out a packed lunch and forgetting why they embarked on this road trip with you to begin with.

2. Organise your content
Your speech should have a logical narrative, including a clear introduction and conclusion. Beware of using jargon and use bullet points (rather than reading directly) to give a more impromptu, dynamic performance. Using analogies, painting pictures with words and sharing elements of your own life experience will make you appear more human and confident at the podium. An audience will always remember a good story and not the Venn diagram your daughter helped you create the night before.

3. Practise, practise, practise
Rehearse your speech multiple times. Like an athlete, this will help you develop muscle memory of what it feels like to be in control and relieve nerves. I often practise a speech while driving, using the dog as my audience. Record yourself, or present to a friend to refine your delivery and timing. Treat your voice as a musical instrument and consider the punctuation in your speech as part of the musical notation you’re playing.

4. Use visual aids wisely
Less is more and visual aids should complement your speech, not compete with it. Death by PowerPoint is never humane. Sometimes a phrase, photo or a single word can have a much greater impact than that spreadsheet of red type on a green background. Even a picture of you drunk at graduation, or of the family dog, may generate humour, empathy and a way into your topic. It goes without saying, however, that the Comic Sans font and pictures of cats must be avoided.

5. Manage your nerves
If possible, practise your presentation at the venue so you can learn how to ‘own’ the space. Use a microphone if provided, as it offers more control over your sound. Before taking the stage, practise some relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or visualisation, but remember some adrenaline is normal and can be channelled into active listening, voice projection and careful sentence formation. Slow down. Pauses, rather than ‘ums’, will convey a sense of control. Oh, and always ask where the toilets are.

6. Engage with your audience
Seek out eye contact and small nods, which provide feedback about how the talk is being received. Invite interaction to keep your audience involved; this also helps build a connection and makes you seem more edgy and dynamic as a presenter. Regard the interaction as if you are playing a game of verbal tennis and remember, given half a chance, the audience really does want to love you. Above all, have fun.

7. Provide a strong conclusion
Summarise your main points and present a clear call to action, closing thought or personal vision. Providing a memorable ending in the form of a story or quote can reinforce your message, leaving a lasting impression – and the possibility that someone could even shout you dinner afterwards.

Richard Smith is a senior content producer with the Media Productions team at the University of Auckland. He has produced educational programme material for more than 40 years and was a lecturer at the University in broadcast communications.