IR Theory

Public speaking is unavoidable for an IT professional: presenting your project to a team, defending your idea at a hackathon, speaking at a meetup or conference. Those who have no or little experience in public speaking often face problems: they don’t know how to prepare a speech, how to behave in front of an audience, and worry that everything will go wrong.

It’s normal to be afraid to speak in public

According to various studies, 75 to 90% of people experience stress before speaking, including even experienced speakers. Medicine has even coined a term to describe this condition – glossophobia/pyrophobia, which translates as “stage fright.” Its symptoms include heart palpitations, sweating, tremors of the lips, hands, and feet, nausea, and stiff vocal cords. 

Fear of public speaking dates back to ancient times, when people lived in communities. If someone did something wrong, they were summoned to a tribal council, publicly accused, and tried to justify themselves. These were the first public speeches, and they ended in the same way: the person died because they were not accepted and were expelled from the community, and they could not survive on their own. Millennia have passed, but this fear has remained with people on a subconscious level. We are afraid that others will not accept us and that makes us feel insecure. Many people have this fear from their school days: for example, a student is unprepared and is called to the board. He gets a “D” and is publicly condemned by the teacher. Having failed, the student begins to be afraid to speak in front of the class, and later this fear passes into adulthood. 

Good preparation and practice will help you overcome the anxiety of public speaking. 

How to prepare for a speech? 

Check how interesting the topic is. Once you have come up with it, determine what is new and useful to the audience. 

1. Check that there are no terms in the report that are not clear to the audience. If you need to explain something, think about how you will do it and what examples you will use. Think about how you will dilute your speech: to keep the audience’s attention, you should lighten the atmosphere every 20 minutes. Ask questions from the audience, show a video. Give the audience the opportunity to try something on their own – go to the website, press buttons – and their interest will only increase. Don’t be afraid to make jokes or add funny pictures to your slides. 

2. Don’t try to memorize your speech or read from a piece of paper. As soon as you look down, the audience will look down at their phones. Let the slides be your cue. 

3. Think about homework for the audience. It is advisable that immediately after your speech, people can start following your advice or using the tools you talked about. 

4. Prepare a short story about yourself. Usually, it should not be longer than a minute. Tell us about yourself: who you are, why you are here, what you will talk about. 

5. Feel free to joke and tell interesting facts about yourself during your greeting: remember that the first 30 seconds of your speech are very important. It is at this time that people form their first impression, and it is impossible to make it twice. 

6. Rehearse your speech. You can do it in front of your friends, and if you are going to an IT conference, invite your colleagues to rehearse. Let them ask you questions after the presentation. It is very likely that what you are asked during the rehearsal will be of interest to people during the presentation. This way, you can prepare your answers. 

7. Check if you are on time. Remember, if your speech is delayed, the next speaker’s report will start later, and the entire conference may not go as planned. The organizers are unlikely to like this. 

8. Give the audience a chance to get to know you before you speak. Provide the organizers with a detailed and interesting description of your talk, and write down how to introduce yourself. See what channels the information is being disseminated through and, if it is posted on social media, allow yourself to be tagged in the posts. This way, the audience will be able to get to know you before you speak. 

9. Get enough sleep before your speech. Remember that the body recovers best between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. It is advisable to put away gadgets and not sit at the computer an hour before bedtime – the light from technology affects the nerves, which makes it harder to fall asleep. It’s better to read a book or listen to something.

10. Test your equipment: make sure that the presentation starts, it is clearly visible on the screen, the sound works properly, and speak into the microphone.  

How to deal with stress before a speech? 

Both beginners and professionals experience anxiety before a public speech. There are several techniques to overcome stress. 

• Avoid sedatives and coffee. They can make you sleepy and lethargic, or, conversely, too excited. 

• Do some exercise. In a situation of danger, such as before a performance, the brain starts to produce adrenaline. Physical activity will help to reduce its level. Do a few sit-ups or push-ups before your speech, or jump on the spot. 

• Visualize a great performance. Imagine that you are already on stage, how well you are holding yourself, how much people in the audience admire you. You’re joking, people are responding, you’re doing great. 

• Have a conversation. For example, find a quote from a famous person on the Internet and talk about your attitude towards them. Whether you agree or disagree, and why. 

• Find people you know in the room. As a rule, those we know respond well to us. There will probably be some in the audience. At the beginning of your speech, you can look at your friends – you will see that they react positively to your words and calm down a bit. Then switch to the rest of the audience. 

How to behave during public speaking?

So, you’ve checked your technique, tried to relieve stress, and in a few minutes you’ll start your speech. How should you behave during your presentation? Where to look? What to do if people start to get distracted? Here are some tips: 

1. Stand up straight. One of the signs of a confident person is a straight back. 

2. Watch your voice: it is a very important tool. Greet the audience loudly and then speak quietly, adding volume to important points. Speak slowly, as you would if you were talking to a friend. Take pauses – if you read the report in one breath, it will be difficult to perceive it. 

3. Take something in your hand – for many people, this helps to cope with anxiety. It can be a marker, pen, or clicker. If you know that your hands are moving chaotically during your speech, use a prop. Do not hold the object directly in front of you with both hands, do not close yourself off from the audience. 

4. Look people in the eye and don’t forget about the back rows. Listeners like to be paid attention to. If you look away or to the side, people start to think that you are not interested in them, and therefore they may not pay you the attention you deserve. If you look people in the eye, they won’t communicate and will be distracted. 

5. It is normal for someone not to listen to you. If this happens, don’t panic and don’t take it personally. The listener may be in pain or not have slept well, or their mind is preoccupied with family or work issues. 

What to do after the speech?

• Evaluate your speech. Did you meet the time limit, how did the audience react to you, did they hear you well, and what was on the slides? Remember what went wrong so you don’t repeat mistakes. Understand what you did well and praise yourself for what you did. 

• Remember your feelings after the performance – when you were thanked or applauded, for example. Remember this positive emotion the next time you prepare for a speech. This way you will be less afraid. 

• Analyze the feedback from the audience – ask colleagues or friends how you did, what could be improved, see what is written in the comments on social media, or ask the organizers of the conference or meetup. 

• Practice it! Fear of public speaking recedes with experience. The more often you do it, the faster you will get rid of it. Increase the scale: today it’s a room for 20 people, then a conference room for 200 people. Raise your hand and speak up, prepare reports, and don’t hesitate to make toasts at celebrations. Remember that public speaking is something you will definitely need. This skill will help you greatly in your career.