Talking — a passion I discovered over time.
It’s something that happens every day, millions of times, as one person stands in front of one or many others, trying to share their knowledge, convince others about a breakthrough idea, or present financial numbers.
The ability to effectively communicate in front of an audience is a valuable and powerful skill to possess.
However, we’ve all been there, sitting through a talk that was boring, missed the point, or just wasn’t entertaining.
This begs the question — did the speaker take the time to determine the goal of their presentation? Every talk should have a goal, whether it’s to convince your boss, inspire a group of people, or build trust with investors. And that’s where the magic of storytelling comes in.
How do you get to your goal in the most captivating way possible? How do you build tension and keep your audience’s attention? By crafting an engaging story that takes them on a journey from point A to point B.
It’s surprising how few people take the time to make their talks entertaining. After all, asking for 10, 20, or even 60 minutes of someone’s time is a big ask. You need to respect their time and make sure they feel entertained during that time. If your listeners aren’t interested, you won’t achieve your goal.
Here’s a simple metric to determine if your talk is engaging — count how many people in the audience take out their phones. Everyone is just one swipe away from something more entertaining than your talk.
Rehearsing is crucial. So many talks fall flat because the speaker doesn’t know what they’re talking about or what’s on their slides. Practice your talk, even if it’s just in front of two people. Make notes of what you want to say, and practice speaking in a clear, confident voice.
Simplicity is key. Nobody can follow more than one message per slide, so stick to one message per slide. If you have too much information, split it into multiple slides. Clean and simple slides, designed by a professional or using templates, will make all the difference.
Speak like a human, using language that your audience will understand. Avoid technical jargon or complex language. Remember, the goal is to engage your audience, not to impress them with your vocabulary.
And most importantly, have fun! People like you, and nobody wants to see you fail. If you stumble, start again or take a deep breath. If you don’t know where you are in your presentation, admit it and make fun of yourself. This will win you more hearts than anything else.
It took me years to get comfortable speaking in front of others, but now I love it. I may not be the best speaker, but I believe I can entertain a group of people for a while and achieve my main goal — to open people’s minds to change and the future.
My talks are about Web3 and the Metaverse, but that’s not the main point I want to emphasize. I want to show people that change is constant and that they should be open-minded about the future.
Change can be something you can shape and use for your benefit, or it can be something you choose to ignore. But first, you need to understand it.
I believe that anyone can be a great speaker, whether you have a quiet voice or a loud one. You don’t need to be an actor. Everyone has something they should talk about, something they’re passionate about. Find it and spread the word.
Trust me, it can be so much fun…
PS:
Two of my recent talks, english and german.
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