Advocacy work involves a great deal of public speaking – whether it’s in front of a legislative committee or members of your own organization or community. Speaking before an audience calls for many skills that don’t come naturally to most of us, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from participating in the democratic process. Below I’ve listed ten tips that I hope will help the next time you find yourself speaking publicly.
- Know your audience and your message. Will there be questions at the end? What will grab their attention? What will they want to see and hear from you?
- Practice. Yes, this is an obvious one, but it’s the best way to overcome those pre-speech jitters. The point is to be as prepared as possible and know your talking points.
- Get feedback. Practice in front of a friend or video tape yourself and send it to a friend for a critique.
- Don’t read unless you have to. Keep bullet points or an outline handy but try to avoid straight reading if possible.
- Be yourself. Use humor and tell stories to help break the ice and be more comfortable overall.
- Be aware of your body language. Avoid nervous gestures like fidgeting or being stiff.
- Make eye contact. This will help you engage with your audience.
- Use pauses. Remember to pace yourself and ensure you’re not going too fast.
- Embrace the challenge. Try to enjoy yourself and remember that you are passionate about this issue.
- Don’t be too hard on yourself. Everyone gets nervous and most people aren’t perfect at this. Generally, the audience is on your side.
Got any other pointers for public speaking? Comment below!