Tag: author tips for public speaking

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Recognize Success

July 27, 2021– Friday will be our last official day of this month’s theme which is Public Speaking for Authors. I hope you have enjoyed the content and put the tips that we’ve given you into action.

Today we’re talking about recognizing your success as a public speaker and why it’s important to step back and evaluate how far you’ve come and if you’ve reached your goals. Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Define what your goals are. You can’t hit a target that you can’t see! If you don’t know what your goals are for your public speaking career, how will you know if you reach them? Maybe your goal is to do a certain number of public speaking engagements per year; maybe it’s to have a bigger audience, or perhaps it’s to lengthen your presentation time; whatever your goals are, make sure you define them clearly.
  2. Look at the big picture. Take a moment to step back and look at the big picture. Have you improved your speech? Are you more comfortable speaking in public now than when you first started? Look at everything that has improved and list things you still need to work on while appreciating how far you’ve come and how much has changed.
  3. Set new goals. What would you like to accomplish next? Do you want to charge more for your speeches? Add more value to your content? Have more public appearances? It’s important to set new goals for yourself.
  4. Continue to learn. Continuous knowledge in your area of expertise, public speaking, and everything included in being an author will only serve you as you grow your skillset. Keep learning and expanding! The more you learn, the more you earn.

Goals, success, and accomplishments are different for everyone. Define what yours are as an author/public speaker and get to work!

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Too Fast, Too slow, Just Right

July 15, 2021- As we continue our theme of public speaking for authors this month, I’d be doing you a great disservice if I didn’t touch on something that seems obvious-speed.

I’m not talking about the action movie; I’m talking about the speed of your speech! Here are four tips that will help you perfect your next presentation:

  1. Too slowly. If you speak too slowly when talking to your audience, you’ll risk putting them to sleep. A regular, conversational tone and pace are best. Remember to use pitch and inflection to keep your audience engaged. Visualize that you’re speaking with a friend; this is the correct pace to use.
  2. Too quickly. If you speak too fast, people will not understand you or the message you’re trying to convey. We all know people like this, and the ridiculous pace at which they speak is obnoxious when you’re trying to figure out what in the world they’re talking about. Plus, speaking too quickly makes your audience deem you less intelligent.
  3. Consider the pause. To hammer home the main points you want to make during your presentation, consider pausing for three seconds after asking a question or making a statement and don’t shy away from using a pause for effect. Short, calculated pauses allow your audience to digest what you’re saying. Don’t go all William Shatner on your audience, though; they’ll pay more attention to how you say things rather than what you’re saying!
  4. No Mumbling. Articulate your words, annunciate in the right places, and don’t use words that you’re unsure about the meaning of. Yes, people do this all the time to make themselves seem more intelligent. Don’t do this; you’ll only end up embarrassing yourself! Mumbling makes you come across as insecure, shy, and less than the expert you are.

Tone, pitch, cadence, words, and body language are essential to giving a great speech as an author. Stay tuned as we continue to dive into this subject for July!