Originally published on Nov 5, 2016.
. . .
Hello everyone! This is coming late but I still am pretty stoked about it.
My presentation on the TEDx stage went great. I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I’d be. Maybe because by the time I got on stage, most of the attendees were leaving because the event started late.
It was a good practice experience for me, however.
Here are a few things I learned from my pitch preparation for the event:
– Practice makes everything better. It’s hard to flunk a speech or pitch you practiced for. So practice, practice, practice.
– Create an outline of your speech or pitch so even if you forget your words, you know what to move on to.
– Move around the stage. It helps with nervousness. Be careful not to pace though, walk with purpose.
– Have a friend sit front and center, so when you look in the crowd, you can see or imagine (stage lights are bright!) a friend listening, not critics, strangers or bored faces.
These sound easy, right? I hope they help anyone preparing for a public speaking appearance.
