The Art of Public Speaking

The first training session on 18 October 2023 for all club members in the art of Public Speaking was indeed a success, due to the excellent preparation and presentation by our experienced speaker, Ms Lavinia Thanapathy. Lavinia’s biography is impressive. She is a top 200 Global Voice on Leadership and a LinkedIn Top Voice, and she is the co-author of the bestselling book “Unleash Your Voice – Powerful Public Speaking for every Woman”.

Let’s summarize some of the elements of effective public speaking that Lavinia has emphasized.

• Know who the audience is and prepare the content.
• Check your appearance and clothing before leaving your home.
• It’s beneficial to warm up your voice. One method is to hold your index finger in front of your mouth and then blow while moving the finger.
• Be early to test the technique.
• Speak clearly and slowly throughout your presentation.
• Facial expressions count; Remember, you smile and the world smiles with you.
• Maintain a positive body language by moving naturally during the presentation and holding your arm at an angle of about 90 degrees with your palm facing outward when emphasizing the key points.
• Authenticity is equally important for the audience to trust you.
• Adopt the so-called “sticky eyes” approach to make eye contact with the audience.

We have dealt with Preparation and Presentation and now comes the Practice. Practice makes perfect. Therefore, try to practice the above beforehand, preferably from the comfort of your own home. By listening to ourselves and watching ourselves, we can correct our mistakes.

This first training has certainly given us the inspiration and motivation to become better public speakers.

Linda Mei-Ying Ruediger, English Conversation Group Leader
Oktober 2023