- Speak to the back of the room.
- Keep your chin up. Body language is often more impactful than the words you are saying.
- You are as confident as you feel.
- Speeches should be, ideally, memorized. Second best is off-the-cuff with bullet-point notes. Worst is read straight off the page without looking up.
- The audience is anonymous. Who cares what they think. Still…sometimes you need to pause for effect/laughter.
- Mean it.
- Have one point. Make sure that point is clear by the end of the speech.
- Be funny, when appropriate. Hint: it’s rarely inappropriate. Yes, you can even be funny at funerals if you know what you’re doing.
- Know your audience.
- Powerpoint sucks when it’s not used correctly. It’s a tool, not the focus, of any presentation.
The post Ten things I've learned from making speeches appeared first on The Good Men Project.