Sweaty Palms to Standing Ovations: How to Nail Your First Public Talk

Deep within me lies an inherent Fear Of Public Speaking (FOPS). I need to workshop a better acronym, but that’s not important.

If you’re a superhuman, able to steady your nerves, stand on stage, and deliver something coherent and engaging, public speaking is a top-tier way to promote yourself. You’ll be rewarded with prestige and recognition beyond that on the day as you add “public speaker” to your list of creds. Plus, once you nail your first speaking gig, it’s much easier to book your next.

I’ve booked speakers for events and coached people to give talks, but I have a secret…

I’ve only had one corporate on-stage appearance, and I’m still haunted by it. I got tongue-tied and panicked. My mind went completely blank, followed by a strong urge to run/cry/move abroad and change my name. It was a tough crowd.

As I get older and more retrospective (yes, I journal), I’ve realized it’s hypocritical to dish out advice without having the chops to do it myself. Maybe I should change that.

But before I, or you, agree to get up on that big, scary stage, I decided to seek advice from people with real experience.

Here’s what 13 people told me who have actually been there and done it.

Agreeing to give your first talk

Money matters

When you start on the “speaking circuit,” you usually won’t be offered payment, although I’d always ask. This is especially true if the event is small and free to attend. Sometimes, the organizer will be able to cover travel expenses and accommodation.

If you’re asked to create more in-depth content or speak to a larger, ticket-paying audience, it’s only fair to get paid for your work. Sadly, it’s not industry standard for events to pay speakers. Instead, they offer a bullshit bingo fan-fav “exposure.” You have to make a call about whether that’s acceptable. If you’re offered a fee but don’t need it, you can earn serious karma points by insisting it’s used to pay a new/underrepresented voice instead.

What’s important is knowing your worth. Ask other speakers in the lineup with similar work and speaking experience what they’re getting. Events tend to favor speakers from well-known brands. People who work in professional services or freelancers will sometimes be asked to pay to speak at events as it’s seen as a marketing opportunity.

According to Foundr , here’s a rough guide for speaker fees (in USD)

My advice for asking for payment is:

• Do research on what others are getting paid. Would you be happy to spend the time, money, and effort to give the talk for the fee you’re asking for?
• Ask confidently.
• You can negotiate or decline if they say your fee is too much.

Understand exactly what you need to do

I’ve set out all the questions I can think of that you might want to ask. The event organizer should be prepared and answer most of the questions before you ask, but if they don’t, here’s a good list.

General

• What is the speaker fee? Are travel and expenses covered?
• Do you offer speaking skills coaching or mentorship for speakers?

Audience

• Who will be attending? What industry, job roles, and experience/seniority will the audience be?
• What are the audience’s primary interests or pain points?
• How big is the room capacity where I’ll be talking?

Talk & Content

• How long is my speaking slot? Does that include time for questions?
• Do you need me to send over my presentation before the event? If so, by when/where?
• Is there a specific format you need my slides in?
• Can I use audio/video?
• Is it OK to swear?
• Should my talk tie into other sessions or the theme of the conference?
• Should the talk be formal, interactive, or conversational?
• What type of content/talks have worked well previously?
• Are there multiple tracks running at the same time? If there’s a keynote at the same time, ask the organizer how they will encourage people to attend your session.
• Should I use my own slide template, or do you have one I should use?

Logistics

• What day/time do you want me to present? After lunch sessions, people are flagging, so you need to deliver a higher-energy talk.
• When should I arrive at the venue?
• Where should I go when I arrive/who should I meet?
• Do you do rehearsals?
• Will I have access to a green room or private space before my talk?

Tech

• What is the stage setup? Is there a lectern, mic, and stand?
• What equipment will be available? E.g., laptop, projector, clicker?
• Can I use my own laptop?
• What happens if the technology fails? Are there technicians on site?
• Do you use any software to run audience engagement, e.g., polls?

Marketing

• Is there an event hashtag or social media handle?
• Are there networking events, panels, or other sessions I should attend or participate in?
• Can I bring promotional material, such as books or business cards, for distribution afterward?
• Can I send some key points about myself for the MC to introduce me?
• What format/length of the text should I provide for my bio for the event website?
• Do you need a headshot for the event website?
• Can you provide me with a discount code or free tickets to give to my clients or social media followers?
• Can I write or record any teaser material for you to promote my talk?
• Can I use event recordings or photos for promotional purposes?
• Can you/I distribute my slides to event attendees after the talk?

Post-event

• Will any feedback be collected from attendees? Can you share it with me?
• Do you have any feedback for me?
• When do you start booking speakers for next year?

Start small

Look for local events on sites like Meetup.com that focus on topics you’d like to talk about (personally or professionally).

Do some reconnaissance by attending a couple of events, posing as an “attendee” before offering yourself up as the proverbial sacrificial lamb.

Decide on your talk format

Outside of how long the slot is and whether you can use slides/video/audio, what you do with your time on stage is up to you.

Neil offers up some advice. He nearly lost me with his “it’s quite simple,” but he’s a seasoned pro with some solid advice, so read on:

I suggest Neil trademarks “The Incy Wincy Method” because, he’s right, stories are memorable. Trademarking, or, more realistically, coining a memorable phrase, acronym (FOPS!) framework, or method, are also excellent ways to show off original thinking and ensure your ideas get remembered and referenced back to you.

Slides are guides

Some of the best presentations I’ve seen had nothing more than a few funny images on slides. Here’s how Natalie suggests you use them:

To help with the nerves, choose a topic where you are the world’s No. 1 expert. Chris explains it better:

To recite verbatim or wing it?

I always thought the accepted wisdom was to create crib notes rather than trying to remember your talk word-for-word. Perhaps it’s the ‘accepted wisdom’ only when you don’t have time to practice. For Samuel and others below, learning your talk inside out is precisely what they do, and it has benefits;

Ryan also shares a similar experience;

The more I read this advice, the more I realize where I went wrong. I was self-assured. I believed I could wing it. I can talk to anyone. Well, it turns out that you can’t skip the practice sessions without making a fool of yourself.

Practical Preparations

Once you’ve nailed the presentation, you can prepare for the talk in more practical ways.

The first step is knowing where you are going and what it looks like. I’m a Google Maps super-user (self-appointed). I use it daily to plan my route to places and then use street view to familiarize myself with where I’m going to help reduce the anxiety of going to new places. This is a good alternative if you can’t visit the venue beforehand, as Sunil suggests;

While we’re talking about owning a space, nothing says ‘I own you’ more than a few power poses. While it might not have worked out great for British politicians who adopted the practice, there is science behind it, as Katie explains;

Lastly, consider what questions the audience might ask. Even if there’s no time for Q&A, the audience can sneak up on you at the end. There’s no hiding.

Come up with 5-10 questions you think people might ask after seeing your presentation (or ask people who watch your run-throughs.) Include a few curveball questions you might get thrown—maybe your opinion on the wider industry or big trends or who you learned your power moves from. You don’t want to make it cool as a cucumber through the whole presentation to get freaked out by questions at the end. Be prepared.

Dealing with those pesky nerves

The bright side of all this prep and going through with your first talk means you’ll be free from nerves going forward. Right?

Natalie also has tips for dealing with all that adrenaline:

If, like me, your brain needs a little more convincing that you should fight, not, erm, flight, Kevin has you covered:

Many speakers are under the impression (wrongly) that the quicker they talk, the faster they can get off the stage. That’s why this next tip from Katie is really for everyone.

Depending on the lighting in the venue, making eye contact with the audience might be hard. Maybe it’s easier staring directly into a bright light, unaware that behind it sits 100s of expectant eyes, watching you. But don’t let me put you off. Ryan has good advice;

Both Katie and Ryan suggest ways to encourage follow-ups post-talk. Whether you have business cards on hand or provide your contact info in your final slide, make it simple for the audience to get in touch.

I don’t like to brag, but I can breathe without thinking. That’s why I used to discount it when people told me that the breath was important. That was until I learned how to actively control my breathing and saw how it changed my behavior and mood. Now I get it!

So this advice from Thea is something you have to try for yourself. Also, I want a job title like “Rhetorician”….and focus in one, two…

Post-match analysis

So, the deed is done. You listened to all the advice, practiced your heart out, and controlled your nerves. Now, you’re riding a high from all the adrenaline. But as it ebbs away and you have time to reflect, you might find yourself picking apart your performance. Stop. There’s a difference between constructive criticism and personal assassination. Anfernee has a good way to think about things:

You can ask the event organizers if they have any feedback for you. They might have recorded your talk or collected ratings and feedback after the event. You might also find feedback on social media by looking at the event hashtags or doing what famous people do – searching for your own name. Again, try NOT to let critical feedback knock your confidence; instead, see it as a benchmark of where you started and how to improve going forward.

And finally, if you’ve reached this point in the article and are still involuntarily shaking your head, all is not lost. There are a ton of other ways to get yourself noticed. Andrea shares a few ideas;

If speaking isn’t for you, list yourself as open to contributing to articles by providing a written quote or being a guest on a podcast, safe behind the screen. Just create an Antiquoted contributor profile for free.

Cheat Sheet – Giving your first talk

Download a PDF summary of all the points above as a quick reference when you plan to give your first talk.

If you’d like to be invited to speak at events, make sure you have a contributor profile on Antiquoted. It’s free. This way, event organizers can find you and invite you to speak at their events.

Thanks to all the contributors for giving their advice for this article.

1. Neil Simpson, Kingpin at Doing The Right Things
2. Natalie Fée, Founder at City to Sea
3. Chris Callaghan, UX & CRO Consultant
4. Samuel Scott, The Promotion Fix columnist at The Drum
5. Ryan Williams, Social Media Entrepreneur at Ryan T Williams
6. Neal Veglio, Founder at Podknows Podcasting
7. Katie Thompson, Director at Katie Lingo
8. Sunil Pithwa, Product Designer & Event MC/Moderator/Speaker
9. Florent Buisson, ex-Experimentation Principal at e-commerce company
10. Kevin Chesters, Founder
11. Thea Sejr, Rhetorician at Voice Versa
12. Anfernee Chansamooth, Fractional CMO at Authentic Marketer
13. Andrea Saez, Senior PMM at Unmind