Public Speaking Basics

Welcome to Lesson 1 of 4 in Communication Foundations. It takes about 15 minutes.

Speaking to a group is one of the most common fears there is, and one of the most useful skills: in a team meeting, a church announcement, a job interview or a family occasion. In this lesson you will learn what to do with nerves, how to start from your listeners, and how to make one clear point. You will finish by saying your own "why" aloud.

Scripture comes from the King James Version. This is a course for learning and practice, and it cannot promise particular results.

In this lesson you will

• Prepare a short message by starting from the listeners and choosing one clear main point.
• Explain how humility and respect for listeners, as Scripture describes them, help a nervous speaker.
• Say your own "why" aloud in one or two sentences.

Before you start

How true is each of these for you today, from 1 (not true) to 5 (very true)?

• I can speak to a group without my nerves taking over.
• When I speak, people can tell what my main point was.
• I can say in one or two sentences why I do what I do.

1. Nerves are normal

If your heart races before you speak, nothing is wrong with you. Your body is getting ready for something that matters. Even Paul, who spoke before crowds and rulers, describes how he felt.

1 Corinthians 2:3–5 (KJV) 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

In weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. Paul does not hide it, and he did not rely on clever words. His concern was his listeners.

That is the best cure for nerves there is. Nerves grow when we think, "How do I look?" They shrink when we think, "What do these people need to hear?"

Three quick helps:

• Breathe out slowly before you begin.
• Know your first sentence by heart. The first ten seconds are the hardest.
• Look at one friendly face, then another.

Think about it: When did you last speak in front of people? What were you thinking about just before you began?

Try this week: This week, speak up once in a meeting or group where you would normally stay silent. One sentence is enough.

2. Start from your listeners, then make one point

The same words do not work for every audience. Before you prepare anything, ask two questions: Who is listening? and What do they care about? Then start from there.

Most weak talks fail because the speaker tried to say everything. The listeners go home remembering nothing. So choose one main point, and make sure you can say it in one sentence. If you cannot, you are not ready yet.

Then speak slowly, more slowly than feels natural, and pause after your main point. A pause feels long to you and clear to them.

Imagine a young technician asked to explain a new safety rule to the cleaning staff. If he speaks as he would to engineers, he loses them in a minute. If he starts with what they deal with every day, wet floors and trailing cables, and makes one point, they listen.

When you are ready to plan longer talks, pitches and presentations, KMA's Communication Track teaches a full structure.

Think about it: Think of something you need to explain to others soon. What is the main point, in one sentence?

Try this week: Before your next update or announcement, write down who is listening and your one main point. Say it aloud once.

3. Ready, with respect: say your why

Peter wrote about explaining our hope in Christ to anyone who asks. Two words in it shape all our speaking.

1 Peter 3:15 (KJV) 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Ready: we have thought beforehand about what we would say. With meekness and fear: we say it humbly and with respect for the person in front of us.

One of the most useful things to be ready with is your why: one or two sentences about what you care about and why you do what you do. People ask it in interviews, at church, when you meet someone new: "So, what do you do?"

If you have finished Discovering You, use your purpose statement. If not, finish this sentence: "I care about…, so I…".

Readiness comes from practice. Say it aloud, standing up. Silent reading is a different skill. Say it three times: the first time finds the problems, the third finds the flow.

Think about it: If someone asked you today, "Why do you do what you do?", what would you say?

Try this week: Say your why aloud to one person this week, and ask them what they heard.

Activities

Reflection

• When you speak, are you thinking more about how you look or about what your listeners need? What would change if you shifted?

Key takeaways

• Fear before speaking is normal. Even Paul spoke in weakness, fear and much trembling.
• Nerves shrink when you think about what your listeners need.
• Start from your listeners, make one main point, and slow down.
• Be ready with your why, and say it with respect.

Your next step

You have finished Lesson 1. You are on the path of growth: you have said your why aloud and chosen one thing to practise this week.

These lessons give you the everyday basics. To keep growing, KMA offers two next steps:

Mentorship. Grow with a KMA mentor who helps you practise in real situations and follows up with you on what you tried. See KMA's mentorship packages. See the mentorship packages

Or: the Communication Track (monthly Learning membership). Prefer to learn on your own first? The Communication Track turns these everyday skills into business skills: brand strategy, copywriting, digital marketing, persuasion and pitching, and reading the numbers. See the Communication Track