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5 Tips from a Public Speaking Pro

By January 7, 2015One Comment3 min read

Public. Speaking. I do it a lot. And I have a lot of tips on it, because I think I’m pretty awesome at it. 🙂 Here are some thoughts for you guys, and if you’re giving a speech soon – GOOD LUCK.

Before you even think about booking one, there is something you need…

On having self esteem

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Public speaking takes a lot of this, and if you don’t naturally have it, you need to figure out a way to get it. Meet with someone. Map your life backwards. Dive deep. When you have self esteem, you give yourself the audacity to dream big. And that rules. More here.

Got it? Good. Now…

On booking speaking engagements

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You need to show that you can get an audience. You don’t get paid if you’re not bringing any value. If you’re not well known yet, guess what? Speak for free. That’s right, I said it. I wrote an article about the ROI of working for free here. Check it out.

On preparing for a keynote

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You’re only as good as your last speaking engagement. It doesn’t matter how amazing of a career you have had; treat every keynote like it’s going to be the only one you ever get to do. Treat the audience like an enemy AND a friend. I talked about it here.

On setting that first impression

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What tone are you going to set when you walk out on that stage? Let the audience know that this isn’t going to be a waste of their time, that you’re going to be unique and AWESOME. Crush it from the first moment. Lead with something weird, random. Wake the audience UP. More here.

I know what you’re thinking. “Gary, all this is easy for you, you’ve got so much ENERGY.” Well…

On being introverted

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It’s true. Look at some of the most successful ones. Mark Zuckerberg. Evan Williams. David Karp. True, some of that is because a lot of business happens behind a screen now. But none of that should stop you. If you have good ideas and solid business goals, introversion won’t stop you. No big personality necessary. But you know that’s how I roll. 😉 More here.

PSST by the way…I’m giving my first ever speech in Germany this year, and look forward to returning to London to talk too. 🙂

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