Discover the ultimate guide to delivering a captivating presentation! In this video, we break down the best strategies to engage your audience, structure your content, and boost your confidence. From crafting a compelling story to mastering body language and using visuals effectively, learn expert tips to make your next presentation unforgettable. Perfect for students, professionals, or anyone looking to shine in front of a crowd! Subscribe for more tips on communication and personal growth. #PresentationSkills #PublicSpeaking #CommunicationTips #HowToPresent #EffectivePresentations #SpeakWithConfidence #PresentationHacks #BusinessSkills #ProfessionalDevelopment #PublicSpeakingTips
00:00Once you've found an idea that you're excited to share with an audience, you're ready to start putting together a talk.
00:11Deciding on a clear through line is an essential part of developing a strong talk.
00:16Another important piece, though, is picking a presentation plan.
00:21There are many ways to prepare for and deliver a talk, and it's important to find one that's right for you.
00:26One of the first key decisions you need to make is whether you will a write out the talk in full as a complete script to be read, memorized, or a combination of the two,
00:36or b come up with a clear plan for your talk without scripting it so you can speak to each of your points in the moment when you present.
00:45For most speakers, the best way to say what you really want to say in the most powerful way is to write a script.
00:52Then get to know the script so well that it becomes part of you.
00:56This takes a lot of work.
00:58Imagine you get to watch a friend trying to memorize his talk over the course of a week.
01:03Let's say that you ask him every day to give the best version of the talk he can give, just from memory, without using any notes.
01:10You will notice something odd.
01:12Early on in the week, your friend will be very exciting to listen to.
01:17His talk may seem a little disorganized because he doesn't actually know any of it by heart yet.
01:22He simply does his best to give you the information he knows in approximately the order he's planned.
01:28But his passion about his idea comes through.
01:31A few days later, you will notice a change.
01:34He will have reached the point where he knows quite a bit of the talk by heart, but you won't feel the same excitement you felt from him at the beginning of the week.
01:43You might feel his stress instead.
01:45You hear him saying things like, let's see, just a minute, or let me start that again.
01:51He might even sound a bit like a robot, as though he's not actually thinking about the things he's saying.
01:58These are clues that the talk is being recited rather than spoken with meaning.
02:03It's hard for an audience to connect to a speaker who presents in this way.
02:07But if your friend keeps working on memorizing his script, you will notice a thrilling change by the sixth or seventh day.
02:16Suddenly, he really knows his talk.
02:19He knows it so well that remembering the words is a snap.
02:23He can concentrate on the meaning of what he's saying again.
02:27He has the passion he had on day one, and now he knows his script by heart as well.
02:33Remember this if you decide to memorize your talk.
02:36Choosing to memorize is great.
02:38You're giving yourself an excellent chance for a huge hit.
02:41But it's important that you keep working on memorizing until you've passed this stage where the talk sounds recited.
02:49You have to know the words so well they seem like they're part of you.
02:54You must keep practicing past the robot stage to the stage where the words flow out freely.
03:01Another thing to ask yourself if you plan to write a script for your talk is what kind of language do you want to use?
03:08Spoken language or written language?
03:11The language we use in everyday speech is different from the language writers use.
03:16Harvard professor Dan Gilbert tells his students to speak their talks into a recorder before writing them down.
03:23The students then use the words from the recording as the first draft of their written script.
03:28This helps them make sure the language they choose sounds natural when said out loud.
03:34But again, every talk is different.
03:37For some speakers, using elegant language like that you might find in a book is the perfect way of expressing their idea.
03:45Take a look at this memorable moment from Amanda C. Gorman at a TED-Ed Student Talks event in 2018.
03:52Most of my life, I was particularly terrified of speaking up because I had a speech impediment,
03:58which made it difficult to pronounce certain letters, sounds, and I felt like I was fine writing on the page.
04:04But once I got on stage, I was worried. My words might jumble and stumble.
04:08What was the point in trying not to mumble these thoughts in my head if everything's already been said before?
04:13But finally, I had a moment of realization where I thought if I choose not to speak out of fear,
04:21then there's no one that my silence is standing for.
04:25This is a powerful piece of writing and it's meant to be heard that way.
04:29Even though the language is not like everyday speech,
04:32Amanda's powerful poetry makes us feel we are in the hands of a masterful writer.
04:37It's the perfect language for this talk.
04:40For some scripted talks, the speaker chooses to bring their script on stage with them to read from.
04:46This can be a perfectly wonderful way to present.
04:49But if you choose to go this route, it's important to know your script well enough
04:53that you can still give your audience the sense that you are with them in the moment.
04:58Mean every sentence as you read it.
05:01Look up from the page as often as you can and make eye contact with your audience members.
05:06It might even be a powerful choice to let go of your script toward the end of your talk
05:11and speak the conclusion directly from the heart.
05:15Some speakers choose to give unscripted talks.
05:18There are many kinds of unscripted talks.
05:21What they all have in common is that the speaker is not trying to recall a specific pre-written script while on stage.
05:28Instead, they are thinking about the subject matter
05:31and looking for the best words to communicate their points in the moment.
05:35Some speakers doing unscripted talks use a set of notes to guide them.
05:41Some choose not to have any notes at all.
05:44There are many wonderful benefits to unscripted talks.
05:47They often sound fresh and alive, like the speaker is really thinking out loud.
05:53If this is a comfortable style of speaking for you and your talk is about something you know very well,
05:58an unscripted talk could be your best choice.
06:01But it's important to know the difference between unscripted and unprepared.
06:06There is no excuse for not preparing for an important talk, whether you choose to write a script or not.
06:13So how do you prepare for an unscripted talk?
06:17A lot will depend on what type of journey you plan to take the audience on.
06:22A talk built around a single story will be a lot easier than one where you're trying to explain complicated research.
06:30But the key is to go back to the metaphor of a talk as a journey.
06:35Ask yourself what each step of the journey looks like.
06:38It can be helpful to create a label for each step, a mental note that will help you remember how to get from one piece of the talk to the next.
06:47TED speakers have very different opinions on whether a memorized script or an unscripted talk is the better way to go.
06:56But the majority of TED speakers do, in fact, script their whole talk and memorize it.
07:02And they do their best to avoid letting it sound recited.
07:05If you have time to do that, it will probably give you the best shot at delivering a powerful talk that says everything you want it to say without sounding robotic.
07:15If you don't have time to truly learn a script by heart, or if you already know that's just not the best thing for you, then don't go this route.
07:24The key is to pick a presentation plan that you feel confident about and commit to that.
07:30Whether you choose to memorize a script or read from one, or use a few notes or go without notes entirely,
07:37you will still end up with a talk that is well-prepared and passionately delivered, so long as you put in the time.
07:45Spoken words offer something that printed words can't, the human voice.
07:50Let us help you find your voice with the next video in this series.
