Thread by @ballen_clt

I hope that folks find my social media timelines marked by trying to give encouragement and helpful information. I'm sharing public speaking tips in today's thread:

Have you ever wondered how to time your talks? Most folks talk 100-125 words per min. If you transcribe your talk ahead of time, a 3000 word talk ends up being around 30 min or so depending on intro, questions, etc. Each min of mp3 audio corresponds to about 1mb of file size.

You need to do a few things if you want to become an effective public speaker:
1) Write things down. Sometimes you hear a quote or thought that may be useful later. Jot it down. (I've used @evernote for years). When something inspires you or makes you think - capture it.

Someone said "the dullest pencil is better than the sharpest mind". Sometimes we're frustrated b/c we don't know what to do or say in December. God may have told you what you needed in May for December but you don't have it because you didn't write it down.

2) Capture your talks. This can be an outline or full transcript depending on how you typically flow. You should have a record of any talk you give. What was the topic? Who was the audience? What did you cover? (Keep in mind that these are all questions you should know upfront)

I mostly use @teamwork for this. I love the way you can version notebooks with robust editing in their platform. I have every talk I've done for the past 5 years. It's interesting to see how you evolve over time.

3) Listen to the recording from your sermon / presentation / talk. I don't like how I look on video or sound on tape. This step isn't about vanity but reflection. Self-critique and consider capturing that feedback. You may have a chance to give some form of that talk again.

4) Consider reading my short paper (bit.ly/2TGjX2B) on tips to consider for your next talk. I tried to distill lots of experience down to a few simple tips from years of speaking as a tech exec and Pastor. A couple things to remember:

"Realize content creation is a great skill but content editing is even more important. Know what to leave out or send people via email after the event is done. Think about what you want people to do, feel or understand when the talk is done. "

Consider cooking as an analogy for speaking. For the most part the rule is "New dishes in kitchens you know or familiar dishes in kitchens you don't should generally be the rule." There's a reason comics and preachers try not new material with familiar crowds (first)

5) One of the biggest skills that only comes from experience is having to adjust your content (shorter or longer) at the last minute. You may have to speed up, slow down, condense or expand parts of your talk. It's very common for an executive to say something like -

"I know we scheduled 60 minutes but I have to leave in 30." Or you're at a conference and the prior person ran and and ate into your time. And there's a hard stop at the end of your original time frame.

"A good speaker who cannot abide by time constraints will often not be invited back. " It disrespects the audience and other speakers. Don't take liberty to go long when you're a guest. If anything, end early, take questions and make sure next steps are clear.

6) A good speaker should be well-rounded. Listen to a variety of speakers who communicate well. Preachers. Teachers. Comedians. Technical experts. Listen to people who are opinionated, informative, persuasive - and know the differences in how those tones influence the talks.

7) Keep experimenting until you figure out what your "pocket" or sweet-spot is. If you get to pick your audience, topic, format and timeframe - you should be able to describe the ideal conditions that let you "knock it out of the park".

8) Be consistent. "Be excellent no matter the size of your platform. If folks are giving you their time, you owe them your best. The best way to be successful when everyone knows your name is to start being faithful when no one knows your name." #BlackTechTwitter #womenintech

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