Thread by @katherineykwu

You've been asked to speak on a panel. It's exciting, but also incredibly nerve-racking. I've totally been there! Here are some tips + tricks that I have learned over the past year-- here's to hoping it will help you as well :)

How to be a better public speaker, Kwu edition 🎤

1/ Visualisation! A lot of athletes I know tell me that before a match, they actually will try and visualize themselves physically on the court/ in the race and having a good game. The same goes for public speaking!

1a/ Before a talk, I will try and get a visual idea of what the stage will look like, what the set up will be like (what kind of chairs? Am i getting mic'ed up or holding a mic?), and where on the stage I will be.

1b/ There are two practical reasons for visualizing. One, it helps me decide on what to wear. The last thing I want to do is to adjust my clothing while on stage- it's distracting + makes me look nervous. Two, it will help me figure out what I need to pay attention to re: posture

1c/ Example: if I will be sitting on a high stool, I will wear pants > dress. Holding both a water bottle and a mic while on a high stool is totally impractical so I will leave my water bottle off stage instead of having to worry about it on stage.

1d/ Example 2: this sounds dumb, but knowing how I will sit helps me to think about what to do with my hands during a panel when other people are talking. Just visualizing what I will physically look like on stage + minimizing distractions in advance really helps with nerves.

2/ Practice! The good news is that before a panel, the moderator will generally host a call that will help you get a general idea of the topics that will be discussed. Even if not, there are some ways to prepare.

2a/ Because panel talks are more conversational, there's no point in trying to memorize an entire piece of a talk. Instead, write down the 3-4 bullet points that you want to be able to hit, no matter what.

2b/ Write down those 3-4 bullet points on a flashcard, in your notes app, or something easy you can glance at the day before + the day of. Don't bring it on stage!! The reason I do this is because it helps me stay on track when nerves take over.

2c/ I used to do choreographed dance in high school, and the main ingredient in having a good performance is practice again and again along with music. Sometimes in the middle, there may be a freestyle section.

2d/ The reason why you practice so much is that EVEN IF stage fright takes over or if I totally blank on stage, I've practiced enough that muscle memory just takes over. The same goes for talking! Plus, think of bullet points as a security blanket.

2e/ In reality, you know enough not to need your bullet points, but just the knowledge of having them might help with nerves right before you get on stage. Tell yourself-- you know this stuff, PLUS you've prepared!!

3/ Make some small talk before you have to go on stage. If you're an overthinker like me, I tend to invent worst-case scenarios right before i have to go on stage (tripping, falling, saying something stupid)-- and most times than not it'll just stress me out unnecessarily.

3a/ Talking to other people about something totally unrelated to the topic helps! It distracts me from my doom day scenarios, and also loosens me up in terms of my voice, my posture, and my ease around other people. Think about it as a warm up before the big game :)

4/ BREATHE!! Controlled breathing while on stage can help level set in terms of being more present, but also can help with physical symptoms. My heart always beats super fast and my palms get sweaty. Take slow, deep breaths in between your talk.

5/ Overachiever move: force yourself to listen/ watch your talk afterwards. Don't be too critical, but also take notes of the stuff that you want to change, and VISUALIZE it for your next talk.

5a/ Instead of 'omg that was horrendous', focus on the small stuff. Is it that you move your hands too much when you talk? That can be easily fixed. Do you say 'um' too much? That's also solvable!! These are small things that you CAN fix. Nothing too bad :)

6/ Last but not least, have fun. Remember that you are on the panel because you know your shit, and we are all here to learn. Everyone else is just as nervous. You got this!!!!! 💪🏻