Let the words flow. How to perform in public

There are few elements in student life that evoke such contradictory feelings as public appearances. There are those who love them. It seems, however, that they belong to the minority, because the great majority do not like presentations or even questioning in the classroom. How to work on the art of presentation to become a good speaker? Let the words flow.

At a time when almost anyone can pick up a smartphone, create an account on YouTube and open their own channel presenting a video blog, it would seem that publicly presenting your arguments is not anything complicated. You sit down, talk, record, throw it so that others can watch you. It turns out, however, that for many teenagers it is still a problem. Getting out of your comfort zone and facing your audience can be quite a feat.

In order to prepare as well as possible for such a situation, it is worth working on yourself. The exercises are not particularly demanding or complicated. The main thing is to take them seriously. In adulthood, expressing your views skillfully is the key to success.

Where to start?

The topic is the most important. Regardless of whether it seems distant or close to you, read it carefully. While it may seem as if one glance is enough and you already know what you want to say, you often exhaust your speech after a few sentences. This is not the point.

To better understand the topic, read your topic several times (preferably aloud). Take a piece of paper, a pen or felt-tip pens and make a speech plan. It doesn't have to be extensive - it's just a framework that will help you choose the right content.

Plan and what next?

Do you already know roughly what you want to tell? Great. Now it's time for the information gathering phase. Paradoxically, it turns out that it is easier to talk about things that are not very close to us (but also not completely foreign). Then we are motivated to look for interesting facts and explore the topic.

When the statement is about completely unknown content, it may turn out that the preparation time will be very long, which will effectively discourage further preparations. With a seemingly simple topic, it is easy to be fooled by self-confidence and, as a result, we can be very poorly prepared (from the series: "I probably know everything about this topic already, so I don't have to try and find out more").

So that the notes used to organize the necessary information are not too extensive (it is difficult to perform when you have a pile of pages in your hand), it is worth reaching for economically profitable solutions, e.g. scrapbooks (i.e. graphic notes). A word supplemented with an image based on associations can produce great results.

Do you need to be able to draw to be able to note graphically? Not really, actually: not at all. You need a plain, white A4 sheet (preferably smooth), colored markers, a bit of willingness and a bit of faith that you will succeed. When reading the text (you can do it twice to be sure), you try to remember the most important issues. Then you give them a shape that you associate with specific elements. Even if your notes resemble incomprehensible scribbles to an outsider, do not worry. Everyone creates their own record and processes facts in a different way, depending on life experience. Sometimes I even think that the more absurd associations / references we create, the better they will stay in our memory. Just see how easy it is to talk about the philosophers of the Enlightenment using pictures.

The world belongs to the brave

You know the topic, you have notes, you are ready for the first rehearsals. Time to take the next step. Speech training is ahead of you. You can laugh, but nothing does every speaker as well as speaking ... in front of a mirror. Is it stupid to talk to yourself like that? Not at all. You have a unique chance to get used to the sound of your own voice in a non-standard situation (especially if, instead of speaking to a mirror surface, you choose to record yourself on a voice recorder, which is also a great way to repeat messages from various subjects). Also watch the facial expressions carefully. Sometimes a slight, unconscious grin can be read as a lack of confidence or hesitation. And yet you care about presenting yourself as best as possible. When you step into the center of the room, you have to feel that you are the right person in the right place. Maintaining the correct body articalure helps in this. Observe your reflection. Are you standing upright with your shoulder blades slightly pulled back or are you huddled in your arms? Remember that body language is not only the result of our emotional states, but can also affect them.

Must Read: A child at school is a student, not a scholar!

And here is a little anecdote. I once had the pleasure of performing in front of an audience of 300. Of course, I was very happy to have this opportunity, but the closer I was to the performance, the more nervous I felt. I knew I couldn't let anyone down and I had to give my speech, but in the end I didn't feel like it. All joy evaporated, giving way to uncertainty mixed with stress. Fortunately, I remembered that when I stand, straighten my back (stop slouching like I want to run away) and take a few easy breaths, things could improve. Even if at first I did not fully believe in the effectiveness of this procedure, I had nothing to lose. It turned out that thanks to such a simple trick, I not only mastered my nerves, but even felt joy and excitement again. My confidence is back.

Do you have a smartphone? That's great, because it definitely has a built-in recording function. Everything that has happened so far has led to the preparation of a short film simulating the performance. I know many people feel uncomfortable with the camera. But what is a recording of you in the face of a forum presentation?

The undoubted advantage of preparing such a recording is the fact that we can share it with others. This is a great opportunity to see your workshop with the eyes of outsiders. Perhaps they will pay attention to something we have not noticed. Or maybe we will receive a tip thanks to which we will be able to work on a specific element of our workshop.

It is not without significance that such leaving our comfort zone affects our sense of worth and allows us to distance ourselves a bit. For the shy, he gives confidence, and if he is too self-confident, he can point out minor flaws that are worth working on. We get a unique opportunity for self-analysis.

Have you tried? Are you ready!

If you have worked through all the tips diligently, you are ready to appear on the forum. All you have to do is decide to deliver a lecture (not to be confused with reading what you previously wrote on a piece of paper). Take a deep breath, look ahead, and you're ready to start.

Finally, one more piece of advice. Once you are in front of an assembly, find one or two friendly faces among the listeners. Imagine that you are addressing your words first and foremost. Look back at them from time to time. A slight smile will not hurt either.

The most difficult first step, but think about the fact that public speaking will no longer be terrible for you. You have that power within you.