A YouTube video from Brian Tracy titled Six Do’s and Don’ts of Public Speaking is best either watched as a silent movie or read as this blog post

A month ago Brian Tracy posted a 5:18 YouTube video titled 6 Do’s and Don’ts of Public Speaking. As shown above, one piece of advice from it is to NOT use visual aids throughout the entire talk. But that advice was completely ignored  – it is entirely, openly captioned. It also says that if all we wanted was a visual, they we could just have read a blog post like this one.

As shown above, the captions sometimes take up almost half of the screen. Here is the entire script (~920 words) for that video, taken directly from the screen text with brackets indicating missing periods and the missing number for the sixth tip:

1)   Don’t fill every second with words. Some speakers feel as if they need to be speaking the entire time they’re on stage, filling every moment with words. But in many cases, pauses can be just as effective as speaking – sometimes even more so. A strategically placed pause is powerful and can do a lot for your audience. There are a few different types of pauses you can use. A dramatic pause can help your point stick in your listener’s minds, while a sense pause is meant to give people a moment to absorb new information. You can also use an emphatic pause to highlight an important point or a sentence-completion pause to encourage audience interaction as you start a familiar phrase and let the audience finish it. As a bonus, pauses don’t only help your audience – they also help you. Many speakers tend to rush through their speech when they get on stage. BY deliberately adding pauses, you’ll help yourself relax, slow down, and deliver your speech at a much more manageable speed.

2)    Next, don’t rely too heavily on visual aids. Visual aids such as charts, graphs, or infographics have a lot of pros and cons. When visual aids are well-designed and used at the right times, they can be a nice complement to your talk. But if you start to rely on your visual aids too often, that’s where things can start to fall apart[.] Your audience is here to listen to your speech because they wanted to hear you talk. If all they wanted was a visual, they could have read a blog post. That’s why you shouldn’t rely too heavily on your visual aids. Instead, use them sparingly. Share graphics for just a few of your key points instead of using visual aids throughout the entire talk. That way, you can make sure your visual aids are truly supporting your speech and not detracting from it.

3)   Next, don’t be afraid to promote yourself on stage [.] Do you have a product, service, or something else to promote? If so, don’t be afraid to include it in your speech! Many times, public speakers might feel that it’s pushy to mention their product in their speech. But as long as your product fits with what you’re talking about, it’s completely okay to include it. In fact, this is a way you can bring more value to your audience. Promoting yourself is an important skill. It can be a little tricky to find the balance of providing value instead of selling, but once you do, you’ll see your career and your income begin to rise. In fact, while we’re on the topic, download Brian’s ‘Five Minute Speech Formula’ by clicking the button on screen now. It’s a simplified cheat-sheet that will help you write your next speech very quickly.    

4)   Don’t fidget or pace. Fiddling with your notecards or nervously walking back and forth across the stage isn’t the best way to present yourself as a professional public speaker. Instead, practice your speech as much as you can and get comfortable with being on stage. The more time you spend giving speeches, the more relaxed you’ll feel with each one. And although fidgeting and pacing distract the audience, it’s completely okay to incorporate other types of movement into your speech if you are having trouble standing still. Just make sure that your physical movement makes sense with the speech that you’re giving. Any moves you make should be intentional, deliberate, and necessary. For example, try stepping closer to the edge of the stage to connect with your audience as you drive home an important point.   

5)   Don’t underestimate the power of practicing. Your job as a public speaker starts long before you step on the stage. Before giving your speech, you need to research your audience, prepare your talk, and make sure you’re ready to go. Not knowing your audience can be a disastrous mistake! Make sure to research your audience ahead of time so you can be sure your speech is relevant to them. Then, create a solid draft of your speech so you can rehearse it – including any physical movements you want to make – before presenting it for the first time.  

And finally [6] don’t run over the allotted time of your speech. If you’ve been given a certain number of minutes in which to present your speech, don’t run any longer. Be respectful by ending your speech on time, especially if you’re just starting off in your career. Keeping your speech concise is also helpful because your audience is more likely to stay dialed in for the entire time. Being respectful of the time you’ve been given shows humility and gratefulness, and it’s the quickest way to be invited back to speak again.

QUESTION Which of these was your favorite public speaking tip? Thanks for watching.