Finding the story in public speaking
a Hack.Diversity event, hosted at Carbonite
Public speaking, widely reviled and just as widely useful a skill to develop, especially for our Fellows and mentors, many of whom are current and/or aspiring entrepreneurs. As David Rodriguez, a Hack.Diversity mentor and founder of rising startup Food for All, points out, “I used to be a lot more anxious about public speaking, but after starting my company, I realized I needed to dedicate time and effort to becoming a more effective speaker for when I pitch to investors.” Last night, under the guidance of our executive coach Anna Tsui, mentors and Fellows began breaking through anxieties about public speaking to emerge better storytellers. Here’s what worked:

Slowing your roll
Set up in a close-knit circle and tasked to take a turn under the spotlight to share our insecurities, what we’re looking to leave the evening with, and what’s motivating us to be better public speakers, we all felt it: some version of our bodies betraying us through the nervous energy, the dry mouth, and temporary memory loss of what we wanted to say.
To hack these symptoms, Anna directed everyone to break out into pairs, pairs who were as close to strangers as possible, with one person being instructed to tell the other a story, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. And go!, the room’s buzz gradually ramped up a few notches. Three minutes into the story, Anna instructed the speaker to slow down the pace of the story. Then slower still, but maintain constant eye contact with your partner.
Upon regrouping, we reflected on what, if anything, we experienced differently by the end of the exercise compared to the beginning.
As a speaker, Seun noted that by slowing down, “I was able to concentrate a lot better; I could picture what I wanted to say more clearly, and in more detail.”
As a listener, Angel observed, “Initially, when my partner was speaking quickly, I felt like my focus was on catching his words, making sure I didn’t miss anything. As we slowed down, I felt I had more time to absorb the story and reflect on the point he wanted to make.”
Not only does slowing down your story’s pace provide a useful outlet to concentrate your nervous energy on, it better engages the audience, encouraging them to lean in to your every word.
Visualize your space
As an effective public speaker, it’s crucial to figuratively visualize your story’s framework, to know your intention behind why you are telling your story, and to make a point by the end of it. Eddison confesses, “It’s good for me to think about what I want to say with a beginning, middle, and end because sometimes when I start talking, I don’t know when to stop!”
Then, visualize the physical space in which you will be making your presentation. In addition to practicing what you want to say during a presentation, prep how you will navigate your physical space. Familiarizing yourself with how big your stage is, where your audience will be, picking points around the room to fix your eyes on, “where the exits are!” quipped Axel, can help a lot towards making the public speaking experience a lot more comfortable.
Anchor it to you
It’s hard to engage an audience if you can’t relate to your own words. Throughout the evening we experienced first-hand as speakers, and witnessed first-hand as audience members, the difference in demeanor and tone when asked to talk about something we love vs. something we’re ambivalent about. “Next time you give a presentation,” Anna challenged, “incorporate something you’ve personally experienced. Not only will it help your words flow a lot easier, but when you’re in the story, you can transport others there as well.”

