Deacon Dan: 5 steps to confident public speaking

Have you had that dreaded request, “Can you give a short presentation on…?” Where do you begin? What do you need to do to be successful?
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As a public speaker for over 40 years, here are some of my observations.

Step 1: Say "yes"

Step 2: Develop your plan and your research.

1. Who is the audience to whom you will be presenting? A classroom of children will need an entirely different presentation than a group of adult learners; a group of technical people will expect different content than a group of managers; a client presentation will be very different than an internal company presentation.
2. What is the purpose of the presentation? Are you sharing your personal story? Are you teaching people something new? Are you showing your manager a new plan or asking for more resources? Each of these will have a different focus and purpose.
   
3. Is there a particular theme or message the audience is being given? If you are part of a larger presentation, is there a particular theme or intent to be shared?
4. How long of a speech are you being asked to prepare? Is this a short speech, reflection, homily, or a major keynote address?

Step 3: Develop your speech.

1. Prepare an outline, a plan of what you will say.
2. Determine your key points. As a rule, you should develop 1-2 key points for presentations under 5 minutes and no more than 3 points for speeches under 8 minutes.
3. Your presentation will be made of three parts: an opening where you will capture people’s attention, addressing what you are going to say and why it matters to the audience. The body of the speech is where you develop your points and the conclusion is where you recap your speech, deliver your “call to action” — the purpose of the speech.
4. Select language that supports your purpose and audience.
5. Wherever possible, use words that help develop an image of what you are saying. People will listen better if they can connect with the presentation.
6. Be aware of using slang, technical jargon, acronyms, abbreviations, or other “trade” language if it is not common language with the audience. When in doubt, assume it is not appropriate and change.

Step 4: Practise your speech

1. No great speaker gets up and delivers a speech without having practised it beforehand. You should do it in front of a mirror or record yourself so you can watch and listen to how you did it.
2. Work to memorize the speech if possible. This will allow you to interact with the audience rather than your notes.
3. Use vocal variety (change in speed of talking, change in volume or pitch) to add emphasis and engage your audience.
4. Use pauses to add emphasis. If you have just delivered a key point, people need time to register it and process its meaning.
5. Work hard to avoid the “umms”, “awws”, “you knows” and other filler words. These very quickly become distractions and turn-offs for your audience. I once heard an eight-minute speech with 37 filler words; I can’t tell you what the speech was about, but that is all I remember.
6. Ask a trusted mentor to review your presentation and offer coaching and suggestions.
7. Use this as a time to identify awkward phrases or confusing sentences and rework them to improve delivery ease.

Step 5: Deliver your speech with confidence — you are well prepared and your message will be appreciated.
For more information on public speaking, consider joining a public speaking club like the Heart of the Rockies Toastmaster Club that meets on Monday nights to allow you to work on and develop your speaking and presentation skills.

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Written by Deacon Daniel Deck. Deacon Dan has been a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Calgary since 2008, and has been doing public speaking for over 40 years. Dan joined Toastmasters in 2021 and has seen his confidence and presentation quality continue to improve steadily. For more information about Heart of the Rockies Toastmaster Club (initiated at the request of Bishop McGrattan as a renewal initiative) - contact Deacon Dan at [email protected].