20 Powerful Public Speaking Lessons from How to Own the Room

20 lessons learnt from Viv Groskop’s book How to Own the Room

Photo by the Inspiring Success Blog

Most books about public speaking don’t tell you what to do when you open your mouth and nothing comes out. And they don’t tell you how to get over the anxiety about performance that most people naturally have. They don’t tell you what to do in the moments when you are made, as a woman, to feel small. They don’t tell you how to own the room. This book does. Viv Groskop

How to own the room is the public speaking book everyone needs! Public speaking is something we do everyday whether thats speaking to a group of friends or speaking at work meetings.

It is something a lot of us struggle with and can cause a lot of worry and anxiety.

I realised a few pages in, that it is more than just a public speaking book, its a book that teaches you how to embody confidence, be impactful and to unapologetically take up space.

The author does this by looking at the public speaking styles of prominent women and teaches you techniques on how you can apply it to your own style.

20 lessons from How to Own The Room

1. You have a voice, you just need to feel empowered to use it
2. Being impactful is about being comfortable stepping into greatness
3. Speaking confidently is about how you feel internally
4. The more complex your ideas the slower your pace
5. Don’t be afraid to pause
6. Practice being happy high status: which is embracing the opportunity as a speaker and taking on the challenge in a relaxed and eloquent way
7. People always remember how relaxed you look
8. It’s okay to use speaking notes
9. You don’t have to be perfect
10. Don’t speak to impress speak to explain
11. Use breathing techniques and meditation to relax
12. You need to believe that you can own the room
13. It’s okay to accept nerves and anxiety and work with it
14. It’s okay to make mistakes
15. You can’t get around the fear of public speaking, you can only practice and get more used to it
16. The most confident people in the world are nervous about public speaking
17. Say yes to more speaking opportunities and create them for yourself
18. Write down your self-limiting beliefs about your speaking and counter it
19. When addressing an audience focus on the task at hand
20. It is human to find public speaking difficult. The struggle is not personal to you

Hope these lessons were helpful in your public speaking journey. Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to be notified on more content.

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