HOW TO TALK MUCH GOOD

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Mat’s 8 Stages of Giving a Conference Talk

  1. Nervous anticipation—halfway between excited about being accepted, and fear of rejection.
  2. JOY—This is going to be so good for me!
  3. Complacency—It’s months away, I’ll start right after this project is done.
  4. Panic—Oh my god it’s October already?!
  5. Despair—Why I do this to self again why?
  6. Acceptance—I’m just going to have to do it, aren’t I? Sigh.
  7. v0mITiNg—Ideally off stage. Substitute for a period of nausea if possible.
  8. SUCCESS—Absolutely, I’d love to do it again next time!

Your results may vary, of course, and it genuinely does get easier the more you do it.

Turning a text into a talk

If you’re not used to writing for speech, you may find your text sounds a bit formal or stilted when you read it out loud. Practice listening to yourself and notice spots where the wording is awkward to see, or feels too dry. Here are some options to consider:

  • Try shorter sentences
  • Use casual language where appropriate
  • Vary your delivery - try different paces, tones, pauses

Practice staged rehearsals

In the beginning, you might need to read the whole text, but over time, try to wean yourself onto a bullet list of key points and practice from that. If it’s a longer speech, try practicing in segments. Run through your opening minutes a few times in a row, or your closer.

Tweaking timings

An effective talk makes use of rhythm - there will be parts where you can breeze through quickly, and parts where slowing down will help make your point. Experiment with your pacing, your slide changes, moments to be expansive and moments to be still.

Effective practicing

When time is tight, it’s important to make the most of your practice sessions. Some ideas:

  • Rehearse standing up; it’s what you’ll be doing on the day, and it changes your energy
  • Record yourself and listen back, if you can stand it
  • Practice without speaker notes or “next slides”, so you can tell if you really know the flow
  • Watch the clock, so you know if you’re hitting your time limit.

Preparing for problems

Probably everything will run smoothly on the day, but it’s good to think through what might happen. Could you deliver a talk without notes? Or if your slides aren’t showing up? What if the microphone doesn’t work and you need to project? It’s better to have confronted the fear, and come up with a plan, even if you never need it.

Just keep practicing

When you’re at the point that you know your deck and talk well, you can run through it without too much stress, and find more natural ways to work through your points.