I'm always surprised by the amount of advises in rehearsal.
I like to give public speaches, but I organize myself completely differently. I spend much time making Slides that are easy to follow and logically ordered, and in each I know that I can say a little more or a little less without disrupting the message. I know that I can count on 1 slide = 1 min. Unless lots of images.
I don't rehearse as I know that I prepared well my slides. Then during the talk I add more or less informations naturally depending on the time left and on the facial expressions of the audience. I usually finish exactly on time.
Usually I read my slides and think about what exactly to say only just before the talk.
I find this way more natural, and less scripted, and I usually get compliments on my presentation and naturalness. I think rehearsing removes much of the naturalness of a talk, unless that aspect is worked extensively, but that could sound a little too scripted for my taste.
One trick that I use often if I tend to forget some information that is important to say, is to put one word that trigger the information IN the slide, but in very light Grey, and in a natural place, like close to an image. So if I ever forget what to say, I have my landmarks in each slide to guide me.
I do almost your method, except I do the presentation a few times as practice to make sure the flow works. When I give the presentation it's not scripted, but since I practiced it is much easier for me to improv. My slides are typically very sparse and simply act as a trigger for which part of the topic I'm speaking on at that time.
But, to your point, I agree that your method is the best way if you know the subject matter. When I practice it's mainly for transitions/flow and not the information.
When what you’re presenting is something you have actual knowledge about, it can be easier to say what you think rather than stress about “sticking to the script.”
True of public speaking just as much as interviewing.
Many people unnecessarily stress about public speaking because they believe the script is the only thing that matters.
Though I admit there is no one size fits all when it comes to speaking.
I often tend to integrate talking passionately about a topic in my head with an imaginary interlocutor. While not directly being a rehearsal in itself, it really helps with developing ideas and chaining concepts - at least for me.
I guess everyone is different in regards to handling the pressure when talking in public, but I do agree that you can feel it, most of the time, when someone rehearsed too "scholarly".
On the one hand, I tend to not do formal rehearsals a lot of the time. On the other, I also find that if I give a live talk for the second or third time, it often is better because I find some things that worked in my head don't work as well on stage.
All that said, an overly-rehearsed talk can come across as stilted/reading from a script.
Good advice. One of the things I suffer from is speaking too fast, and yet to find a good solution for it. I put a sticky note on my screen reminding me to slow down these days, but it only helps so much.
Another comprehensive guide for tech-speakers is https://speaking.io/ by Zach Holman.
Mind-body techniques provide a good solution to this.
First exercise. Breathe out. Take a full breath in for a mental count of 2. Hold for a mental count of 4. Breathe out for a mental count of 6. How do you feel?
It sounds ridiculous that this does anything. But it relaxes you because your brain recognizes the rhythm of a contented sigh - then rushes to put you in that state. Do that the moment that you stand on stage. Do it again any time you need it. You'll be amazed at how much of a difference it makes.
Next exercise. Put, commas, in. The act of standing silent is an act of control that leaves you feeling in control. Trying to slow down results in, "I'mRacing,I'mRacing, SlowDown, I've slowed down, I'mRacingAgain!" But putting in a comma makes it easy to slow down.
This has a second benefit as well. If we're feeling nervous silence is hard on us. So we put in those filler "ahs" and "ums". It is very rare for people to be conscious of how much we do that. Instead we process it subconsciously, as an awareness of anxiety. And our awareness of our own anxiety, creates more anxiety, and off we go!
And so I like to say, "Put in a pause, or you'll say your ahs!" Try it. Those commas really work.
The third thing is this. When we stand in front of an audience, most of us get a shot of adrenaline. We frame it as "social anxiety". But it's really not. It's social adrenaline. If you learn to interpret it as "on a rollercoaster" instead of "there's a tiger", it goes from scary to fun.
This takes a bit of practice. But (with the mind-body skills), less than you'd expect. And it is easy to find a place to practice if you join a local Toastmasters club.
I wonder if speaking fast is a problem in and of itself. Bryan Cantrill's talks are some of the best around, and he talks very fast. For other speakers, I usually put them at 1.5x speed.
It seems to me that the problem isn't speaking fast per se, but almost speaking where you're tripping over yourself unconfidently. Bryan, for example, often does trip over his words, but he's confident in what he has to say and enunciates very clearly (he's basically yelling).
During the pandemic I made a few Youtube videos, basically public speaking without an audience. I was amazed at how hard it was, I spend hours and hours trying to speak with any confidence. Funnily enough though, at tech meetups, I'm pretty comfortable presenting in front of everyone even though I see others struggle so much. Not sure what's the difference.
I think one of the problems with speaking for video is that you're self-conscious and feel you need to be perfect. When I started doing a lot of recorded presentations during COVID, I just felt uncomfortable in a way that I didn't with an in-person audience.
The problem with speaking fast predates 2x speed by decades. From what I've seen it's usually the result of not rehearsing beforehand - beginners tend to panic and speak fast as a result while experienced speakers overestimate how much information an audience can retain and/or how short a minute is. Experienced speakers can tune it in real time, though, and rehearsal time is expensive so they simply don't.
People have been speaking too fast in public since the beginning of public speaking. It's just nerves making us press forward too quickly, and sometimes people are worried it will be too boring if they speak slowly. I was taught to speak far slower than is comfortable - and it will come out just right.
I've taken a few public speaking classes and I remember one made a point of remembering to pause.
I also remember a senior IBM exec who, during Q&A at analyst conferences, would make notes (or seemed to) which served a few purposes including just taking a few seconds to collect his thoughts.
You know, I think that might certainly have something to do with it, but I've also noticed that anytime I'm using tech (video call/voice call) the conversation is at a much faster pace.
It's as though the natural state of the machines and tech is so fast, that we're trying to keep the information transmission as dense as possible so we can end the call.
Side note, I was watching an interview with Cory Doctorow and because of the tv segment style, both he and the interviewer were BLASTING through their talking points.
I wonder how much of our speech is being affected by the "say as much as you can before commercial break" model.
Which is something I have zero interest in doing. If it's a good/interesting podcast, it's not about getting fed information "efficiently" for me.
That said, I have recorded some podcasts with people where I felt I really needed to go into Audacity and have it automatically cut out a bunch of pauses because there were just too many of them.
I've also found that having both video and audio of yourself is a great way to uncover both visual and audio quirks.
It’s different for everyone. I love public speaking but tend not to over-rehearse. Also, I prefer smaller conferences and meetups than large sprawling ones.
I love to give talks but I find I only do them at science conferences where I’ve submitted things out as an invited speaker at universities. How do I find new places to give talks about my interests?
Depends on your hobbies. I'm into cybsec, there's a ton of small events where you can either be on stage (so submit a proposal), but there is often what we call "rumps" which are usually unplanned 5 minutes talks about a subject. They're a great way to practice.
Besides that, i guess schools/student groups that seek professionals. Non-profits works as well, I did that when I was younger (advocacy).
I'm always surprised by the amount of advises in rehearsal.
I like to give public speaches, but I organize myself completely differently. I spend much time making Slides that are easy to follow and logically ordered, and in each I know that I can say a little more or a little less without disrupting the message. I know that I can count on 1 slide = 1 min. Unless lots of images.
I don't rehearse as I know that I prepared well my slides. Then during the talk I add more or less informations naturally depending on the time left and on the facial expressions of the audience. I usually finish exactly on time.
Usually I read my slides and think about what exactly to say only just before the talk.
I find this way more natural, and less scripted, and I usually get compliments on my presentation and naturalness. I think rehearsing removes much of the naturalness of a talk, unless that aspect is worked extensively, but that could sound a little too scripted for my taste.
One trick that I use often if I tend to forget some information that is important to say, is to put one word that trigger the information IN the slide, but in very light Grey, and in a natural place, like close to an image. So if I ever forget what to say, I have my landmarks in each slide to guide me.
I do almost your method, except I do the presentation a few times as practice to make sure the flow works. When I give the presentation it's not scripted, but since I practiced it is much easier for me to improv. My slides are typically very sparse and simply act as a trigger for which part of the topic I'm speaking on at that time.
But, to your point, I agree that your method is the best way if you know the subject matter. When I practice it's mainly for transitions/flow and not the information.
This is how I present as well.
When what you’re presenting is something you have actual knowledge about, it can be easier to say what you think rather than stress about “sticking to the script.”
True of public speaking just as much as interviewing.
Many people unnecessarily stress about public speaking because they believe the script is the only thing that matters.
Though I admit there is no one size fits all when it comes to speaking.
I often tend to integrate talking passionately about a topic in my head with an imaginary interlocutor. While not directly being a rehearsal in itself, it really helps with developing ideas and chaining concepts - at least for me.
I guess everyone is different in regards to handling the pressure when talking in public, but I do agree that you can feel it, most of the time, when someone rehearsed too "scholarly".
On the one hand, I tend to not do formal rehearsals a lot of the time. On the other, I also find that if I give a live talk for the second or third time, it often is better because I find some things that worked in my head don't work as well on stage.
All that said, an overly-rehearsed talk can come across as stilted/reading from a script.
My own (similar) advice from 2016: https://csswizardry.com/2016/06/speakers-checklist-before-an...
Good advice. One of the things I suffer from is speaking too fast, and yet to find a good solution for it. I put a sticky note on my screen reminding me to slow down these days, but it only helps so much.
Another comprehensive guide for tech-speakers is https://speaking.io/ by Zach Holman.
Mind-body techniques provide a good solution to this.
First exercise. Breathe out. Take a full breath in for a mental count of 2. Hold for a mental count of 4. Breathe out for a mental count of 6. How do you feel?
It sounds ridiculous that this does anything. But it relaxes you because your brain recognizes the rhythm of a contented sigh - then rushes to put you in that state. Do that the moment that you stand on stage. Do it again any time you need it. You'll be amazed at how much of a difference it makes.
Next exercise. Put, commas, in. The act of standing silent is an act of control that leaves you feeling in control. Trying to slow down results in, "I'mRacing,I'mRacing, SlowDown, I've slowed down, I'mRacingAgain!" But putting in a comma makes it easy to slow down.
This has a second benefit as well. If we're feeling nervous silence is hard on us. So we put in those filler "ahs" and "ums". It is very rare for people to be conscious of how much we do that. Instead we process it subconsciously, as an awareness of anxiety. And our awareness of our own anxiety, creates more anxiety, and off we go!
And so I like to say, "Put in a pause, or you'll say your ahs!" Try it. Those commas really work.
The third thing is this. When we stand in front of an audience, most of us get a shot of adrenaline. We frame it as "social anxiety". But it's really not. It's social adrenaline. If you learn to interpret it as "on a rollercoaster" instead of "there's a tiger", it goes from scary to fun.
This takes a bit of practice. But (with the mind-body skills), less than you'd expect. And it is easy to find a place to practice if you join a local Toastmasters club.
I wonder if speaking fast is a problem in and of itself. Bryan Cantrill's talks are some of the best around, and he talks very fast. For other speakers, I usually put them at 1.5x speed.
It seems to me that the problem isn't speaking fast per se, but almost speaking where you're tripping over yourself unconfidently. Bryan, for example, often does trip over his words, but he's confident in what he has to say and enunciates very clearly (he's basically yelling).
During the pandemic I made a few Youtube videos, basically public speaking without an audience. I was amazed at how hard it was, I spend hours and hours trying to speak with any confidence. Funnily enough though, at tech meetups, I'm pretty comfortable presenting in front of everyone even though I see others struggle so much. Not sure what's the difference.
:-)
I think one of the problems with speaking for video is that you're self-conscious and feel you need to be perfect. When I started doing a lot of recorded presentations during COVID, I just felt uncomfortable in a way that I didn't with an in-person audience.
Do you think one's tendency to speak faster originates from listening to podcasts at 2.x+ speed?
The problem with speaking fast predates 2x speed by decades. From what I've seen it's usually the result of not rehearsing beforehand - beginners tend to panic and speak fast as a result while experienced speakers overestimate how much information an audience can retain and/or how short a minute is. Experienced speakers can tune it in real time, though, and rehearsal time is expensive so they simply don't.
People have been speaking too fast in public since the beginning of public speaking. It's just nerves making us press forward too quickly, and sometimes people are worried it will be too boring if they speak slowly. I was taught to speak far slower than is comfortable - and it will come out just right.
I've taken a few public speaking classes and I remember one made a point of remembering to pause.
I also remember a senior IBM exec who, during Q&A at analyst conferences, would make notes (or seemed to) which served a few purposes including just taking a few seconds to collect his thoughts.
You know, I think that might certainly have something to do with it, but I've also noticed that anytime I'm using tech (video call/voice call) the conversation is at a much faster pace.
It's as though the natural state of the machines and tech is so fast, that we're trying to keep the information transmission as dense as possible so we can end the call.
Side note, I was watching an interview with Cory Doctorow and because of the tv segment style, both he and the interviewer were BLASTING through their talking points.
I wonder how much of our speech is being affected by the "say as much as you can before commercial break" model.
Which is something I have zero interest in doing. If it's a good/interesting podcast, it's not about getting fed information "efficiently" for me.
That said, I have recorded some podcasts with people where I felt I really needed to go into Audacity and have it automatically cut out a bunch of pauses because there were just too many of them.
I've also found that having both video and audio of yourself is a great way to uncover both visual and audio quirks.
Not for me. I listen at 1-1.25x, and not an avid listener. I just speak fast, especially in english
How to speak from Patrick Winston at MIT is my go to. A must watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unzc731iCUY
A collection of related resources: https://gist.github.com/macintux/5354837
I love public speaking, think I'm above average at it, and am aiming to do more of it. Has anyone here tried Toastmasters?
Went to my local group last week and was pleasantly surprised with the quality of speaking.
Would heartily recommend Toastmasters - get's you lots of practice, encouragement and you can learn from some excellent speakers.
They do a variety of speaking formats. Exercise!
It’s different for everyone. I love public speaking but tend not to over-rehearse. Also, I prefer smaller conferences and meetups than large sprawling ones.
I love to give talks but I find I only do them at science conferences where I’ve submitted things out as an invited speaker at universities. How do I find new places to give talks about my interests?
Depends on your hobbies. I'm into cybsec, there's a ton of small events where you can either be on stage (so submit a proposal), but there is often what we call "rumps" which are usually unplanned 5 minutes talks about a subject. They're a great way to practice.
Besides that, i guess schools/student groups that seek professionals. Non-profits works as well, I did that when I was younger (advocacy).
if you don't fancy toastmasters, sign up for a beginner's improv class in your area.