An Easy Framework For Learning To Speak Publicly

I have been practicing public speaking seriously for two years if you don’t count my time as a teacher.

Along the way, I have done all sorts of things to try to get better:

Over-preparing

Watching Ted Talks

I asked people who spoke regularly for advice

Etc.

And all of these things helped me a ton.

But if I had to start all over again (as a beginner), this is the simple framework I wish I had for learning how to speak publicly:

Step 1: Accept the awkwardness

For most people, speaking publicly feels weird, it’s stressful, and is anyone else getting sweaty? Public speaking isn’t comfortable at first. Accept that.

Step 2: Record yourself and watch the recording

Do you really sound like that? It’ll become normal soon, and you’ll think you sound like yourself. Watching your talk is the best way to improve in my experience. Every little thing you did that wasn’t great will stand out like crazy. Write these down and give yourself some grace and move to the next step.

Step 3: Pick one thing to work on next time

You’ve got a list of things you’d like to work on. Pick the one that stood out the most and work on improving that area next time you give a talk.

Commit to making small changes

When you're first starting, this is all that matters. Small changes add up, and you will end up far from where you started.