When running a panel discussion, it's usually a good idea to have some DISCUSSION. If you are a moderator, you need to constantly be looking for ways to keep the audience interested. Try to listen to your speakers with the ears of an uninitiated audience member: What context does the audience need? What about the topic is most interesting to the audience?
Read MoreWe all have habits we bring to the table when we start to explore public speaking. Some are great, some are....very not great. Those not great habits are understandable enough: we do things without thinking, or because we're nervous about being vulnerable in front of our audiences. But if we're not careful, those habits can become ingrained and then they'll be harder to break. This article by Hilary Davis on "upspeak", "vocal fry", and authenticity in public speaking has some good strategies you can incorporate into your public speaking practice to avoid bad habits and better connect with your audience.
Public speaking is the intersection of argument and art. It's the pushing of your ideas through your personality into a particular space and time with a particular group of people. But receptivity to your message can be affected positively or negatively by a host of elements that have nothing to do with your speech. We call those, "para-aesthetic" elements.
Read MoreA good public speech happens in the wonderful intersection between your ideas, your audience, and you. That “you” is super-important.
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