Four national winners from our International Public Speaking Competition share the tips and tricks that drove them to success
With thanks to Rebecca Preen (Thailand), Markus Aksli (Estonia), Germaine Chuabio (The Philippines) and Maxwell Duncan (England & Wales)
Know what you want to say
Before you have anything to express, you have to know what you think – you have to think. And once you think you know what you think, challenge yourself. Try to argue against yourself or to convince yourself that you’re completely wrong on the subject – it’s an enormously helpful way to clarify your thoughts. MA
Entertain your audience
Knowing your audience, knowing who you’re speaking to, is vital. But all audiences are alike in that they want to be entertained. And they can be entertained in a multitude of ways. They can laugh, they can cry, but they all want to feel something. Personally, I would avoid statistics like the plague, and tell a story instead. Make it personal to you and authentic – that’s a good way of making people feel something. MD
Be natural
When I was preparing for the grand final of the IPSC I took it to extremes. I asked whichever hotel we were staying in if I could borrow the ballroom to practise. I had my mother there listening to me, coaching me exactly on my intonation, my hand gestures, everything. I was tweaking my speech down to every last detail, but I didn’t win, and the feedback to me was that I came across as too prepared. You need to be natural to build a rapport with the audience. GC
Write it down and note the feeling
Write a first draft, then figure out what you don’t like about it. A good way to do that is to go through it sentence by sentence, and try to rewrite a better version of each sentence. It’s as if you’re trying to see if you’re standing on solid ground when you say it. Does your speech feel good to say out loud? It should sort of feel solid and neat and, if it does, then you can throw away the script entirely. MA
Alchemise nervousness
Turning anxiety into excitement is just a mindset – the biology is the same. Your body is trying to protect itself and that’s why you’re feeling the shakes. But I’ve found that three things work for me. The first is to rename and reframe the narrative, and to tell myself that this is something that I’m prepared for and that I’m going to enjoy. Second, I give the anxiety a job, so I look at the room and really ground myself and turn that into something magical. And then the third thing is to hype yourself up. You don’t need to give yourself that horror script in the background. Back yourself and know that you’re capable of doing this – speak to yourself kindly. RP
Relax
No matter what happens, it doesn’t matter. Don’t think about it. You’re not going to be defined by what happens at the IPSC. You’re not even going to be defined by what you study at university, so relax. GC
The power of the pause
Giving yourself time to think, and giving your speech time to land with your audience is something that’s very, very valuable. You might occasionally start to ramble, or feel your heart pumping as your speech gets out of pace with your breathing but, again, remember the power of the pause. MD
Answer the questions
Giving a good speech is in some ways the easy part. If there are follow-up questions, as there are at the IPSC (and which contribute to your mark), it’s answering these well and with integrity that will set you apart. To be able to do that you have to really know your subject – so prepare well – and listen to the question you’re being asked. And don’t be afraid to clarify it if necessary. RP
Take a minute
Try to orient yourself before you give the speech. Take a look at the stage or the room and think about what you’re here to talk about, why it’s important to you, and the frame of mind you need to be in to do that well. And then trust yourself that you can do just that. MA
