{"id":9190,"date":"2022-03-06T16:39:54","date_gmt":"2022-03-06T16:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/?p=9190"},"modified":"2022-09-01T11:57:54","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T10:57:54","slug":"how-start-public-speaking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/how-start-public-speaking\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start Public Speaking &#8211; 5 Keys"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_9221\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9221\" style=\"width: 1086px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-to-start-public-speaking.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9221 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-to-start-public-speaking.jpg\" alt=\"How to start public speaking\" width=\"1086\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-to-start-public-speaking.jpg 1086w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-to-start-public-speaking-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-to-start-public-speaking-1024x679.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/how-to-start-public-speaking-768x509.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1086px) 100vw, 1086px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9221\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">It Isn&#8217;t me in the picture &#8211; but that&#8217;s just how I used to feel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">How do you start public speaking?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Well, here are five ways I went <em>from<\/em> being terrified of going onto a stage <em>to<\/em>\u00a0enjoying the experience of delivering a presentation.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Volunteer to run a small discussion group<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Facebook Live<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Attend a public speaking workshop<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Volunteer to talk in a community group<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Practice, practice, practice<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Err&#8230; that&#8217;s rather vague, David. Please explain.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">OK. Here we go. Let&#8217;s start at school&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Speaking-at-school.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9234\" src=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Speaking-at-school.jpg\" alt=\"Speaking at school\" width=\"501\" height=\"395\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Speaking-at-school.jpg 501w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Speaking-at-school-300x237.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 501px) 100vw, 501px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Young David, the Monotone and Boring Speaker<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">I knew my turn would eventually arrive. And I feared it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">The only consolation was my surname began with a W &#8211; so I was near to the last on the class register.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">You see, once a week, we had a school assembly in the classroom. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">And now my turn to speak had finally come.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">So I took the easy option. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">I read something from a magazine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Monotone. Long. Boring.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">I still remember the teacher politely trying to get me to finish.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9233\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9233\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/I-read-from-a-magazine.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9233\" src=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/I-read-from-a-magazine.jpg\" alt=\"I read from a magazine\" width=\"800\" height=\"494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/I-read-from-a-magazine.jpg 800w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/I-read-from-a-magazine-300x185.jpg 300w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/I-read-from-a-magazine-768x474.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9233\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">I read from a magazine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">A Few Words<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Life went on. I left school and started work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">And like avoiding the plague, I avoided anything that might require me to speak in public.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Then one day, I was asked to lead a small church group.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">It was a discussion group. My role was to facilitate it and encourage&#8230; err&#8230; discussion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">No &#8220;public speaking&#8221; was needed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">So I accepted it. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Sometimes, at the end of a discussion, I summed things up in a few words.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">So my confidence began to grow.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9238\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9238\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Small-Group-Speaking.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9238\" src=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Small-Group-Speaking.jpg\" alt=\"Small Group - Speaking\" width=\"800\" height=\"573\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Small-Group-Speaking.jpg 800w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Small-Group-Speaking-300x215.jpg 300w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Small-Group-Speaking-768x550.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9238\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Leading a small discussion group increased my confidence in speaking<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Speaking Live<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Roll on to the 21st Century, and new media.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">I enjoyed writing. Creating content.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">So I joined the <em>Content Marketing Academy<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">It was a wonderful community of like-minded people.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Suddenly, Chris Marr, the CMA&#8217;s Founder, announced that we would be doing a challenge.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">We would be using a new live-video facility that Facebook had created, to do<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"> a&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Facebook Live 30 Day Challenge<\/span><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">I was apprehensive. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">But I felt this might give me some good experience. <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">And the live videos could be as long or as short as I wanted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">But what could I talk about?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">I decided to tell a joke. Live. Every day for 30 days.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">So I practised lots, off-air. Then I spoke directly to the camera on my phone and tried to make people laugh.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Positive feedback arrived from Facebook friends and fellow CMA-ers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">And my confidence grew a bit more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">By the end of the 30 days, I was totally enjoying the experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9240\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9240\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Talking-on-Facebook-Live-gave-me-a-confidence-boost.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9240\" src=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Talking-on-Facebook-Live-gave-me-a-confidence-boost.jpg\" alt=\"Talking on Facebook Live gave me a confidence boost\" width=\"800\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Talking-on-Facebook-Live-gave-me-a-confidence-boost.jpg 800w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Talking-on-Facebook-Live-gave-me-a-confidence-boost-300x125.jpg 300w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Talking-on-Facebook-Live-gave-me-a-confidence-boost-768x321.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9240\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Talking on Facebook Live gave me a confidence boost<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Public Speaking &#8211; The Leap<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">I had identified a big need.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">But I didn&#8217;t know how to address it. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">What, David?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Technology was developing fast. But it was leaving some people behind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">So I wanted to address that &#8211; by <em>simplifying<\/em> technology and digital.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">But I couldn&#8217;t speak to a group. I couldn&#8217;t teach. That wasn&#8217;t my thing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Something had to change.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">So I made a financial investment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Into myself. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">I enrolled on the <em>World Class Communications<\/em> workshop.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">On the train journey up to Edinburgh, I wasn&#8217;t quite sure how it would go.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">You see&#8230; this was going to be much more than sitting down to listen to some public-speaking principles from a lecturer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Why, David?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Well&#8230; in a moment of madness, I&#8217;d volunteered to be one of only two people who were going to do a three-minute talk and get feedback from the incredible public speaker and master communicator, <a href=\"https:\/\/marcussheridan.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcus Sheridan<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">So I was totally committed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">The day went great. Some useful exercises and lots of practical information from Marcus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">And then it was my turn.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">I&#8217;d practised the three-minute talk dozens of times at home. So I was reasonably confident. But it still didn&#8217;t stop me shaking.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Anyway, I stood and delivered.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">And the feedback I got from Marcus and the audience was incredibly helpful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">But most importantly&#8230; something happened in me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">My confidence took a huge leap.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4122\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4122\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/WCC-Presentation-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4122\" src=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/WCC-Presentation-3.jpg\" alt=\"Being mentored by Marcus Sheridan in the World Class Communications workshop in Edinburgh\" width=\"800\" height=\"371\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/WCC-Presentation-3.jpg 800w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/WCC-Presentation-3-300x139.jpg 300w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/WCC-Presentation-3-768x356.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4122\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Being mentored by Marcus Sheridan in the World Class Communications workshop in Edinburgh, 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Official Public Speaking: When It Becomes Real<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">When I sat across the table from Chevon <\/span><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">in Postcode, a nice rustic coffee house in Wigan, I knew I was committed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">&#8220;Chevon, I have an idea for a community group.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">And I shared with her my vision for what became <a href=\"https:\/\/techiteasyworkshop.co.uk\/how-tech-it-easy-began\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tech it Easy<\/a>, a community group that takes techie and digital topics and makes them mega-easy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">&#8220;Ooh! When can you start, David?&#8221; asked Chevon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">So the <a href=\"https:\/\/techiteasyworkshop.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tech it Easy workshops<\/a> began.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Nowadays, once a month, I present a new topic for around 45 minutes. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">And it&#8217;s talking to a public audience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Yep, real people in a real seminar room.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">I do have lots of slides to help me along. And I do pause for question and answer slots. And I do practice every presentation about 10 times at home.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">But I enjoy each presentation. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Nope&#8230; I love them!<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4120\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4120\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/David-at-Tech-It-Easy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4120\" src=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/David-at-Tech-It-Easy.jpg\" alt=\"Ready to present one of the Tech it Easy workshops\" width=\"1000\" height=\"581\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/David-at-Tech-It-Easy.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/David-at-Tech-It-Easy-300x174.jpg 300w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/David-at-Tech-It-Easy-768x446.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4120\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ready to present one of the Tech it Easy workshops<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">I have more exciting plans for Tech it Easy. The future&#8217;s bright.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">But it started because of a financial investment into my own development. That one-day workshop in Edinburgh.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">How Can YOU Enjoy and Master Public Speaking?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">So how can <em>you<\/em> go from fearing public speaking to enjoying it?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Well, let me remind you of some of the steps I took:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Led a small discussion group<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Facebook Live<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Attended a speaking workshop<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Volunteered to run a community group<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Practice practice, practice<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Continually learning<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Hey, there are now six points, David!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Yeah, that last point&#8230; I&#8217;m continually learning.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Learning Public Speaking Skills<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Even last week, I bought <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paulscanlon.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Paul Scanlon<\/a>&#8216;s <em>Communication Masterclass<\/em> audio course. Paul&#8217;s an expert at teaching communication skills, having honed his craft of speaking on stages around the world for decades.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">In 2020, I bought David Nihill&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/davidnihill.thinkific.com\/courses\/hps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hacking Public Speaking<\/a> course. David&#8217;s a brilliant comedian, lecturer, and author of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Talk-Funny-David-Nihill-2016-04-07\/dp\/B01K0VQ03O\/ref=sr_1_3?crid=20ENUWXN79H9O&amp;keywords=david+nihill&amp;qid=1647362304&amp;sprefix=david+nihill%252Caps%252C63&amp;sr=8-3&amp;_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=dwblog-21&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;linkId=b4cf752490b9b30bdfced3ffefe000a2&amp;camp=1634&amp;creative=6738\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Do You Talk Funny<\/a> (which I&#8217;ve also read and recommend) &#8211; so he knows his craft and how to teach it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Yep, you can learn lots from people like Paul and David.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">There are other paths you can take, such as your local <a href=\"https:\/\/www.toastmasters.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Toastmasters<\/a> group. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">You could even hire your own personal speaking coach.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Small Steps to Public Speaking<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">But what worked best for me was taking small steps, and building confidence with each step. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Sometimes that meant being a tad out of my comfort zone, such as when I did <em>Facebook Live<\/em>. But by picking a topic I enjoyed and felt comfortable with, I was able to grow that bit more confident&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Until one day I found myself lecturing to an enthusiastic class of people who were eager to listen and learn.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">How on earth did that happen?!?<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9196\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9196\" style=\"width: 423px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Tech-it-Easy-Review.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9196 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Tech-it-Easy-Review.jpg\" alt=\"Tech it Easy Review\" width=\"423\" height=\"218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Tech-it-Easy-Review.jpg 423w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Tech-it-Easy-Review-300x155.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 423px) 100vw, 423px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9196\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Tech it Easy workshop attendee sent me this encouraging message<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/techiteasyworkshop.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Check out TECH IT EASY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Speaking on a Cruise Ship<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Since publishing this blog post, I was invited to be a guest speaker on a few cruise ships.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Here&#8217;s my very first one.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9280\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9280\" style=\"width: 949px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-Saga-Spirit-of-Adventure-May-2022-1000.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9280\" src=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-Saga-Spirit-of-Adventure-May-2022-1000.jpg\" alt=\"Checking out the theatre in the Saga Spirit of Adventure\" width=\"949\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-Saga-Spirit-of-Adventure-May-2022-1000.jpg 949w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-Saga-Spirit-of-Adventure-May-2022-1000-300x142.jpg 300w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-Saga-Spirit-of-Adventure-May-2022-1000-768x364.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 949px) 100vw, 949px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9280\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Checking out the theatre on the Saga Spirit of Adventure<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">And oh boy! What a great experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Were you nervous, David?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Hey, who wouldn&#8217;t be? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Especially on your first presentation when you see people turning up in the theatre&#8230; to listen to you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">But the nerves soon disappeared as I began to deliver the lecture.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9281\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9281\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-speaking-on-the-cruise-ship.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9281\" src=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-speaking-on-the-cruise-ship.jpg\" alt=\"David Withington speaking on the cruise ship\" width=\"1000\" height=\"765\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-speaking-on-the-cruise-ship.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-speaking-on-the-cruise-ship-300x230.jpg 300w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-speaking-on-the-cruise-ship-768x588.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9281\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Speaking on the cruise ship<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">I suppose the secret was I&#8217;d practised each one over and over again in the cabin.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">But it was worth taking the time to do that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">The feedback afterwards was incredibly rewarding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">What did you talk about, David?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Technology, of course. I simplified technology. Just like in <em>Tech it Easy<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9282\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9282\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-Withington-Tech-Simplifier.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9282\" src=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-Withington-Tech-Simplifier.jpg\" alt=\"David Withington Tech Simplifier\" width=\"1000\" height=\"611\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-Withington-Tech-Simplifier.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-Withington-Tech-Simplifier-300x183.jpg 300w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-Withington-Tech-Simplifier-768x469.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9282\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tech Simplifier<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">It was also shown live (and on catchup) on the ship&#8217;s cabins&#8217; TVs. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Here&#8217;s a short clip from that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/thumbnail.sendspark.com\/animated\/5zh9ybly4nx2k7odrxdvud70qssa93uq.e92d8594d0b62fbfb4885f91e19fa21d9845bad9\/sendspark-animated-thumbnail-5zh9ybly.gif'); background-size: contain; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: center center; margin: 0 auto; animation: playable-reveal 1s; overflow: hidden;\">\n<div style=\"position: relative; height: 0; max-height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\"><video src=\"https:\/\/stream.mux.com\/aelXVf01UnMRiyzEJZEyzf5WTuTP4LZmE\/high.mp4\" poster=\"https:\/\/thumbnail.sendspark.com\/animated\/5zh9ybly4nx2k7odrxdvud70qssa93uq.e92d8594d0b62fbfb4885f91e19fa21d9845bad9\/sendspark-animated-thumbnail-5zh9ybly.gif\" controls=\"controls\" width=\"100%\" height=\"auto\"><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/sendspark.com\/share\/yme8c0cxg3q79w5x\">            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thumbnail.sendspark.com\/animated\/5zh9ybly4nx2k7odrxdvud70qssa93uq.e92d8594d0b62fbfb4885f91e19fa21d9845bad9\/sendspark-animated-thumbnail-5zh9ybly.gif\" alt=\"Animated thumbnail for video\" style=\"width: 100%;\" \/><br \/>\n<\/a><br \/>\n<\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">A short excerpt from one of the lectures on the Saga Spirit of Adventure<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">On a subsequent cruise, when I discovered 225 people had turned up to the lecture, it was unbelievable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9400\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9400\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/David-doing-a-Tech-it-Easy-lecture-in-a-cruise-ship-theatre.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-9400 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/David-doing-a-Tech-it-Easy-lecture-in-a-cruise-ship-theatre.jpg\" alt=\"David doing a Tech it Easy lecture in a cruise ship theatre\" width=\"1200\" height=\"560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/David-doing-a-Tech-it-Easy-lecture-in-a-cruise-ship-theatre.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/David-doing-a-Tech-it-Easy-lecture-in-a-cruise-ship-theatre-300x140.jpg 300w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/David-doing-a-Tech-it-Easy-lecture-in-a-cruise-ship-theatre-1024x478.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/David-doing-a-Tech-it-Easy-lecture-in-a-cruise-ship-theatre-768x358.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9400\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">On the P&amp;O cruise ship Aurora<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">The Impossible Dream?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Would that shy younger David have thought he&#8217;d be invited to do a series of lectures on a public stage on the high seas?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Never! Absolutely not! Impossible!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">But once you start to learn&#8230; once you begin to invest into yourself&#8230; once you step mildly out of your comfort zone&#8230; once you start to share your knowledge with others&#8230; you never know where your public speaking will take you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-Withington-Cruise-Ship-Speaker.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-9301\" src=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-Withington-Cruise-Ship-Speaker.jpg\" alt=\"David Withington Cruise Ship Speaker\" width=\"1154\" height=\"597\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-Withington-Cruise-Ship-Speaker.jpg 1154w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-Withington-Cruise-Ship-Speaker-300x155.jpg 300w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-Withington-Cruise-Ship-Speaker-1024x530.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/David-Withington-Cruise-Ship-Speaker-768x397.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1154px) 100vw, 1154px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Not bad for a shy guy who nearly decided not to stand up and speak for 3 minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9283\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9283\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Saga-Spirit-of-Adventure-in-port.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9283\" src=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Saga-Spirit-of-Adventure-in-port.jpg\" alt=\"Saga Spirit of Adventure in port at Split, Croatia.\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Saga-Spirit-of-Adventure-in-port.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Saga-Spirit-of-Adventure-in-port-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/davidwithington.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Saga-Spirit-of-Adventure-in-port-768x1024.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9283\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Saga Spirit of Adventure in port at Split, Croatia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Yes, You Can!<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Hey! You can become a confident public speaker.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">I&#8217;ve just shown how it&#8217;s absolutely possible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Take small steps. Practice. Accept opportunities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Your confidence will grow.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">And so will you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">I look forward to hearing you speak on a stage somewhere in the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<span class='bctt-click-to-tweet'><span class='bctt-ctt-text'><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdavidwithington.com%2Fhow-start-public-speaking%2F&#038;text=Afraid%20of%20public%20speaking%20but%20want%20to%20start%3F%20Here%27s%20how%20one%20person%20went%20from%20avoiding%20to%20enjoying%20public%20speaking.%20He%20shares%20his%20progress%20and%20tips.%20%23PublicSpeaking&#038;via=thabacus&#038;related=thabacus' target='_blank'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Afraid of public speaking but want to start? Here&#039;s how one person went from avoiding to enjoying public speaking. He shares his progress and tips. #PublicSpeaking <\/a><\/span><a href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdavidwithington.com%2Fhow-start-public-speaking%2F&#038;text=Afraid%20of%20public%20speaking%20but%20want%20to%20start%3F%20Here%27s%20how%20one%20person%20went%20from%20avoiding%20to%20enjoying%20public%20speaking.%20He%20shares%20his%20progress%20and%20tips.%20%23PublicSpeaking&#038;via=thabacus&#038;related=thabacus' target='_blank' class='bctt-ctt-btn'rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How do you start public speaking? Well, here are five ways I went from being terrified of going onto a stage to\u00a0enjoying the experience of delivering a presentation. Volunteer to run a small discussion group Facebook Live Attend a public speaking workshop Volunteer to talk in a community group Practice, practice, practice Err&#8230; that&#8217;s rather [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[206,99,3,289],"tags":[489,490],"class_list":{"0":"post-9190","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"category-how-to","9":"category-real-life","10":"category-stories","11":"tag-public-speaking","12":"tag-speaking","13":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Start Public Speaking - 5 Keys - David Withington<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Afraid of public speaking but want to start? 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