This is part two, of the 9 Secrets to public speaking.
If you haven’t watched part 1, click on the box to watch it.
Secret number 5 is creating a jaw-dropping moment.
Bill gates started off his TED talk in 2009 saying: Malaria is spread by mosquitos, I
brought some here, there’s no reason why only poor people should be infected.
And he opens a jar of mosquitos.
Everyone was on the edge of their seats.
Emotionally charged moments are memorable.
They allow people to take in information more vividly.
It could be an interesting fact, or even a disturbing image.
Dr. Jill Taylor brought a human brain when she gave her talk about her experience with
a stroke.
or It could be an idea, someone once said “We can bring woolly mammoths back” during
a talk on DNA research
Over time we may not remember most of Bill Gates’ speech, but we will never forget
the mosquitoes.
these Memorable moments also create interest and attentiveness.
They’re also great headlines to going viral as well.
The phrase “Bill Gates releases swarm of mosquitoes on Stage” was trending on twitter
right after his presentation.
Secret number 5 was creating a jaw-dropping moment.
You’ve probably realized by now that facts have little to do with how great a speech
is.
That’s why great speakers aren’t all geniuses with super high IQs.
A great speech is determined by the ability to captivate an audience’s attention.
Creating jaw dropping moments is one example of that.
Humour is another.
Secret number 6 is humour.
Incorporate humour into your presentations.
What if you are giving a business presentation and you have to be serious?
How can other people take you seriously when you delivering a funny speech?
Well, humour and funny are two very different things.
Funny involves telling jokes, you don’t want that unless you’re a comedian.
The best way I can describe humour is understanding the emotions of your audience so well, that
you can form a sense of familiarity that makes them feel like they are not the only ones
who have that feeling.
If that explanation was confusing, don’t worry about it.
Someone once said, a successful person does not focus on trivial matters, instead, they
focus on the big picture, so you can come back to that explanation, but in the meantime,
make it an effort to incorporate humour into your everyday interactions.
You’ll find that you’re already humourous, notice WHEN you do it, and take a mental note
on how you’re doing it.
Notice how other people use humour.
That selective attentiveness alone will allow you to become an expert in no-time.
Secret number 7: it’s all about the numbers.
The maximum length of a TED talk is 18 minutes because it is long enough to bring a point
across.
Any longer and you’ll risk losing the audience’s attention.
So keep your presentations to a maximum of 18 minutes.
Our brains can only take in a certain amount of information at a time, 5-9 main points
to be exact.
Try to focus on 5, 7 if you must.
You also notice that the number 3 is everywhere?
There are 3 books in a trilogy.
There are three medals in the olympics, three brown bears, three little pigs.
There was a TED talk called how to tie your shoes in 3 minutes, and was a big hit.
While 5-7 main points is great for your presentation, 3 would work as well if you didn’t have
a lot to talk about.
Have no more than 3 supporting points for each of your main points.
The average speaking rate of the best ted talks is 163 words per minute.
It really depends on your speaking style and the type of presentation you are giving, but
generally, if you are anywhere between 140 to 190 words per minute, you are alright.
Secret number 8: engage all the senses.
We’ve heard of the saying, a picture’s worth a thousand words.
But that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
When we give a presentation, we are only making use of one of our 5 senses, auditory.
The audience hears our speech.
If we were to include gestures, and pictures, it becomes visual as well.
The more senses we engage, the better.
If we could deliver our message while activating all 5 senses, we can supercharge the emotions.
You might be thinking, isn’t it kinda hard to include smell, touch, and taste into your
presentation.
I want you to close your eyes and think of a juicy steak, grilled perfectly, with a nice
charred exterior and juice oozing out of it when you take that first bite..Notice how
you started to salivate.
We don’t have to actually bring a skunk into the auditorium to stimulate smell, we
can stimulate these senses through our words.
Secret number 9 is stay in your lane: Do what you’re good at, and continuing doing it.
If you are a great motivational speaker and enjoy motivating others to having a positive
attitude in life, don’t give a speech on technology.
Stay in your lane.
This goes back to passion too.
By staying in our lanes, we’ll have more passion in our presentations, and we can more
easily teach the audience something new on a topic we are already familiar with.