Real Life Moments: Public Speaking Tips and Advice from the Pros

We’ve all messed up. When you mess up while public speaking though, it can seem overwhelmingly nerve-wracking, and it’s easy to lose confidence. We’re here to encourage you to have faith in yourself. Even professionals who public speak regularly in their roles, mess up too! We’ve rounded up some of the top public speaking tips, including “real life” mess ups, from a few of our favourite speakers and educators.

Through out this month we’ve been focusing our blog and social media around the theme of “public speaking”, all with the goal of helping you confidently deliver your message, and engage your audience. In case you missed it, check out our Top 15 Tips to Improve Your Public Speaking and information about our Public Speaking Workshops.

Let’s meet our guest experts….

Meet: Desiree Neilsen, RD

Desiree Neilsen is a Registered Dietitian in Vancouver, helping you put more plants on your plate…and heal your gut. She’s the Author of Un-Junk Your Diet and Co-Founder of “My Healthy Gut” app.

Desiree is a regular media spokesperson and guest speaker – from lunch and learn to keynote. Her past clients have included Nature’s Path, Canadian Health and Wellness Innovations Conference, Ontario Teachers Insurance Program Annual Conference, Dietitians of Canada National Conference and Hootsuite.

Impressive, yes?! We think so.

Desiree’s Real Life Moment:

“I started my speaking career with groups of maybe 10-20 people at the health food store where I worked. After five years of school, I was so excited to share what I knew that I felt like I was bursting with information!

I was bursting so much that I would create these presentations so jammed packed with research that there was no flow. Like, not one bit. Eager attendees would scribble notes like crazy; others left a bit dazed from the onslaught. Sure, it was good information, but there was no way to tease out a few ‘takeaways’ that would actually help them thrive. 

The maniacal passion has not dissipated but I have learned to reign it in. Now, I focus on a few main messages and use the research to craft a story to help those messages resonate – as my monkey mind has taught me – we can only retain so much!”

Desiree’s Top Public Speaking Tips:

“People will remember how you made them feel as much as they remember your message. Be yourself. Take your time. Laugh at your own silly jokes. If you are passionate and enjoy yourself, people will enjoy themselves and be inspired”

Meet: Joy McCarthy, Holistic Nutritionist

Joy McCarthy is a Toronto based Certified Holistic Nutritionist and founder of the popular healthy living blog JoyousHealth.com. She is the bestselling author of: “JOYOUS HEALTH” (and her second book JOYOUS DETOX comes out December 2016 – we can’t wait!).

She is also the author of several e-books including the Joyous 10 Day Detox, The Natural Beauty Guide and Feel Great Look Joyous After Pregnancy & Beyond.

Joy is an international speaker, nutrition expert on Global TV’s “Morning Show” and her expertise has been featured in hundreds of publications online, in print and radio including CNN, CBC, CTV, Flare, Chatelaine, FASHION, Globe & Mail and more.

Public speaking is one of Joy’s favourite roles of being a nutritionist. Never in a million years would Joy have ever imagined she would love public speaking as much as she does now.

Joy’s Real Life Moment:

I’ve messed up many times while public speaking – I think it’s just part of being human. The more human you are when you are speaking, the more others can relate.

More recently when Vienna was just 2 months old I had my first public speaking event in a while. I literally forgot mid-sentence what my point was (this happens when you are sleep-deprived) so I just made a joke about my “mommy brain” and everyone laughed. The humour took the edge off my embarrassment and then I quickly remembered what I was going to say.

Other times when I’ve mixed up a word or lost my train of thought, I don’t spend any time worrying about it and draw much attention to it. I just move on with my talk and most of the time no one even notices.

Joy’s Top Public Speaking Tips:

My top tip for improving as a speaker is to record yourself, then watch and pay close attention to how to speak, as well as your body language. You’ll notice what you do well and where you can improve. Additionally, great speakers allow themselves to be vulnerable and share stories about their own lives. Whenever I do health talks, if it is a new audience then I always share my own health journey so people can understand where I’m coming from.

Meet: Lisa Kilgour, Holistic Nutritionist

Lisa is an Okanagan based Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN), founder of lisakilgour.com, and a faculty member at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition.

Lisa’s truly embodies the word ‘holistic’. Her unique approach to health and wellness has made her a much sough after speaker, educator, and writer. In 2016 Lisa spoke about the gut-brain connection at TedX Kelowna, and has previously been voted “BC’s Favourite Nutritionist” by Natural Health Care Canada.

Lisa’s Real Life Moment:

Many years ago I was booked for 2 wellness talks for a company, each at a different location. The first one was fantastic! The audience was engaged, rowdy, and we all had a great time. I walked into the second talk feeling, “I’ve got this” and didn’t do my usual pre-talk prep (become present, get a feel for the room, make sure my thoughts are organized). The second talked flopped. Worst. Talk. Ever. The audience wasn’t rowdy or engaged, they were yawning! And I got so wrapped up in thinking about how to fix it that I kept losing track of what I was saying. Lesson learned – every crowd will be unique and react differently. Always do your pre-talk prep!!

Lisa’s Top Public Speaking Tips:

My top tip is to always be grateful. Be grateful that your audience has chosen to spend time with you. You’re not giving them information or an entertaining talk, you’ve been given a great gift of their presence and attention. Don’t squander it, always bring your A-game. Be thankful and tell them, give your information as a thank-you for their time. This shift in thinking will create a more open and responsive audience, and you’ll enjoy it more too.

Do you have a “real life mess up” and lesson learned?

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