Five Tips for Public Speaking — Tara Vander Dussen

After years of public speaking, I have created a process for how I prepare for public speaking engagements. This blog post shares my five tops tips for public speaking.

One of my favorite parts of my job is public speaking. The main topics I cover are dairy sustainability, modern dairy farming, how to connect with consumers, how to share your farm story, and more. I recently had the opportunity to speak to the Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association. Through my experience as a panelist, presenter, keynote speaker, host, and master of ceremonies, I have gathered five of my top tips for public speaking.

1) Speak about something you are passionate about

This top may seem obvious, but your listeners will be able to tell if you are not passionate about the message you are sharing. You can't expect them to stay engaged in a topic you yourself aren't sincerely interested in.

2) As you prepare your speech, create an outline of your main talking points and go from there.

Creating an outline will help you define your talking points clearly and develop a natural flow to your speech. Using an outline also leaves you room to be flexible and not locked into a written script.

3) Practice!!

Another tip that might seem obvious. Use practice time to get comfortable with your speech. Utilize friends and family to get feedback and gain confidence in front of actual people. Your phone can also be a great tool. Videoing yourself allows you to fine-tune your delivery and ensure the length/time is appropriate for the event. After practicing, remember to make any needed changes to your outline.

4) Teach your audience something new

You are the expert, and people are there to learn from you. Find a message that either teaches something new or offers a fresh perspective.

5) Keep your title short and engaging, like "How to."

Having an interesting title grabs your audience's attention from the beginning. It is easier to start with an engaged audience. A great way to create a title is to build a question that encompasses your outline and covers a pain point your audience might have.

I hope these five public speaking tips help you confidently share your message. If you are interested in having me speak at your next event or panel, visit this page to learn more about collaborating with me for speaking engagements.