10 TIPS FOR CONVENTION PUBLIC SPEAKING
It is Convention Season! My current students like these public speaking tips.
1. BEFORE YOU STEP ON STAGE
a. Know your audience: Who’s in the room? What do they care about most?
b. Tailor your stories and examples to their world.
2. CRAFT A POWERFUL OPENING
a. Begin with a story, surprising fact, or bold question.
b. *Avoid “Hello, my name is…” as your first line.
c. PAUSE AFTER your Opener because silence draws people in.
3. MAKE EYE CONTACT with people in different parts of the room so everyone feels included, not just the front row.
4. PLAN FOR ENERGY, NOT JUST CONTENT
a. Conventions are busy and noisy.
b. Speak Bigger Than You Feel – larger voice and gestures.
5. VARY PACE AND VOLUME with your most important points.
Put reminders on your speaker’s notes.
6. USE THE STAGE – Move with purpose.
a. Plant yourself when making key points.
b. Don’t pace!
7. TELL RELATABLE STORIES
a. Stories connect better than facts.
b. Facts inform, but stories stick.
8. REPEAT KEY PHRASES – Anchor big ideas with repetition.
9. CHECK-IN WITH THE ROOM
If eyes glaze over, ask a rhetorical question to answer in their own heads.
