If You Can Walk the Walk, You Have to Talk the Talk

Web designers and other professionals on the web often call themselves “experts” in their field. Some can prove it with immense knowledge in their field, but others lack ways of proving their “expertise”.

So I say, “If you can walk the walk, you have to talk the talk.” Get out and prove that you’re an expert in your field by talking at conferences or college classes.

But I’m a bad public speaker…

You’re not alone on that boat. I was a nervous wreck when I spoke in front of large audiences, but you can overcome it with self-confidence and practice. It takes three things: trusting the sound of your voice, finding a role model to look up to and practice.

Trusting the sound of your voice

If you find yourself hating the sound of your voice or hating others hearing the sound of your voice, you have to overcome this first before beginning the rest.

• Write down talking points – Write down on a piece of paper talking points of a topic you are passionate about. They do not need to be lengthy, but the paper should be similar to an outline of your topic.
• Record yourself talking - Open an audio recording program, plug in a headset and record yourself speaking about your talking points you wrote down.
• Play that recording at least once a day - To successfully trust the sound of your voice, play that recording at least once a day. Eventually, you will become adjusted to the sound of your voice and you will start to feel more confident.

Finding a role model

Finding a role model is very important if you want to learn how to speak at conferences. They provide a reference of good communication and interaction skills.

• View a website that is about public speaking - I would suggest looking  at variety of speakers before choosing a role model. My best suggestion would be to view TED’s website and look around. There are a variety of amazing speakers who talk about many different topics.
• Once you found your role model, study his/her style – Once you have found your role model, take notice on the style of their talks. Focus on their communication and interaction skills to define what is unique about them.
• Be similar to their style – Practice the style of your role model and start off by being exactly like them. As you become more confident, you can come with a unique style of your own and use it to rock your future audience.

Lastly and most importantly, practice!

We all have heard this from our teachers, parents, coaches, etc. that practice makes perfect. It’s true when it comes to public speaking. The more you practice, the better you become.

• Talk to yourself in the mirror – I know most people are not keen to this idea as it’s a bit weird,  but talk to yourself in the mirror about your topic. It gives you an easy way to practice your speech and you can see yourself and your body movements as you talk.
• Talk about your topic to a group of friends or family - Once you have talked to yourself in the mirror, get a group of people together and talk about your topic. Encourage them to give feedback because they essentially are a representation of your future audience.

What are you waiting for? Go out and prove your expertise!

There are many places and events you can speak at. Check out if there will be a TED in your state or ask a local college if they would be interested in a public speaker. As long as you get yourself out there, you will find some place that will allow you to educate an audience. So why not do it? There’s nothing holding you back.