Speak Up: Five Public Speaking Takeaways

Over the past few weeks, I have spoken at various events - panel discussions, workshops and presentations. Most of them were in different areas of the cleantech industry, so I had to prepare for each presentation individually. Over the last few days, I have been reflecting on the experiences, what I can take away from them and I would like to share a few insights with you.

*disclaimer: I don't work at BDC, this was at an event

#1 Preparation Is Key

Practicing for a speaking engagement is so important and a good strategy to calm your nerves. If you have prepared well, you have done what you can. There's always room for improvement, but personally, it reassures me to know that I have prepared well. You know what you're going to talk about, you know the topic and the questions you could ask. You don't have to be an expert, but a certain level of understanding is helpful and also shows you where your own limits lie.

At the start of one panel, I mentioned that I was still learning in this area too and was looking forward to learning about this sector together with the audience. I also prepare cue cards with some key messages to make sure I can pick up again somewhere if I forget the words or lose the thread.

#2 Start Your Presentation Strong

Start your presentation or moderation strong. I try to memorize the first few minutes of my presentation, I practice them on my walks with my dog, in the shower or while cooking to make sure I can deliver the opening remarks fluently. This also sets the tone for the rest of the event and probably calms your nerves too.

#3 Public Speaking Takes Practice

Many friends tell me how much they dislike public speaking and how much anxiety they feel about it. But at the end of the day, it's practice. Firstly, you get used to speaking in front of people and secondly, you also get to know yourself and what you need to be successful on stage. I said yes to many requests in the last couple of weeks, knowing that some of the speaking engagements are totally out of my comfort zone. That's the only way I can grow and learn to speak in public. Especially as someone whose English is a second language, I benefit greatly from these opportunities.

#4 Prepare Some Audience Questions

One thing I often do is to prepare some questions for the audience. Either as an icebreaker at the beginning or for the Q&A session at the end to warm up the audience. Especially the icebreaker questions can be quite simple.

#5 Wear A Power Outfit

Last but not least, I always make sure that I wear something that I feel comfortable in and that is professional. I call it my power outfit! Don't wear anything that you pull on all the time, if you sweat a lot, don't wear a shirt that shows it, wear shoes you can walk in, and don't be afraid to wear colours and patterns. 

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Do you have any tips and tricks on how we can all work on our public speaking skills? At the end of the day, it's a step out of our comfort zone for most of us.