5 Tips to become an authentic speaker

It’s always a bit awkward to look at someone who’s trying to be something he or she is not. Public speakers tend to gain their skills from books, case studies, trainings and YouTube tutorials. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but only if you are comfortable using those provided methodic tools. Not everyone is able to absorb this information and turn it into a natural way of presenting. That’s why I want to give you some tips on how to prepare for your next presentation where you make the rules!

Tip 1

Use your personal qualities to your advantage

Ask yourself this: Who am I when I’m with people I’m comfortable with? How do I speak? How do I move? Am I a serious person or do I like to joke around? Do I take the lead or am I a listener? By answering those questions you will discover a lot about your personality which you can take into account while preparing a speech.

So, let’s say you are a confident person who loves to take the lead in a conversation, talking about your latest backpack trip to Sydney, the unexpected career switch you made this summer and your cat who just gave birth to four sweet kittens. Great! You’re a definitely a storyteller so let’s use this in your next speech. Take your trip to Australia as the outline of your presentation and use metaphors to refer to the main subject. Combining the sometimes boring information with an authentic engaging story will keep your listeners on the edge of their seats.

But what if you’re not a confident speaker? What if you don’t want to take the lead in a conversation? Let’s say you’re a listener. Someone who’s very comfortable with saying little to nothing. You get a bit nervous when you’re the one speaking and all eyes are on you. In those situations you try to change the subject as quickly as possible so someone else can take over. That’s great too! You don’t want to talk about yourself, so don’t make your next speech a personal one. Keep it distant or share a story that’s not yours, because all that matters is the information you want to share — it’s not about you and your personal story. Thanks to all the technical advantages of today you are able to divert the audience’s attention to something else like a short video or Powerpoint presentation — if done properly of course! Take that opportunity to give an engaging presentation while still feeling authentic and comfortable.

Tip 2

Know and believe your own story

If you don’t believe your own story, who will? It’s an essential part of being an authentic speaker to know what you’re talking about and to stand behind every word and statement. By doing so you’ll never have to mislead your audience and your presentation becomes solid as a rock. You’ll find yourself feeling much more confident, also in situations where you have to improvise. You know every detail of your story, so nothing can go wrong.

Tip 3

Don’t punish yourself for making a mistake

Making mistakes is so human! Literally everyone makes mistakes, even the great speakers or performers you look up to. (Really, they do!). If you’re being hard on yourself with every little misstep you take, you’ll end up feeling horrible and it won’t help your performance. It can even lead to anxiety. If you accept the fact that everyone makes a little mistake once in a while (that means you too!), you will feel much more relaxed and in control.

Do you still remember the names and faces of the people who made a mistake during their presentation? And do you still know what that mistake was? I bet you don’t. So if you can’t recall this, your own listeners won’t either. They will not blame you for not remembering your lines, showing the wrong Powerpoint slide or tripping while entering the stage.

Tip 4

Accept that not everyone will like your speech

It’s impossible to please every single person in the room for 100%. It can’t be done. Period. So why would you even try? If you accept that not every person will connect to your story, you can relax and focus on those who do like your speech. Of course you’ll try your best to reach as much people as possible, but not at all costs. If it means losing your authenticity, don’t do it!

Tip 5

Consider your speech to be a gift to your audience

Attending someone’s speech, class or presentation can be fun, but only if the speaker really wants to be there. Your audience will sense it when you’re comfortable, but they will also sense it when you actually don’t want to stand there. If you consider your talk to be your gift to every listener it becomes much more enjoyable for everyone. And if you think about it for a moment; the subject of your speech is something you’re an expert on, so sharing this knowledge with other people is one of the greatest gifts you can give. And who doesn’t like to get a present once in a while?

Hopefully these tips are helpful to you in becoming an authentic speaker. Every person is different, so use your unique abilities to show the audience who you really are and not who you think they expect you to be!

Want to read more or talk about the subject? Check out my articles, connect with me on LinkedIn or check my public speaking trainings with The Pitchshifters.