We 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.
The things you do with your hands in normal conversation are “distracted habits.” The problem is that, in your speech, they become “distracting habits.”
Read MorePublic 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.
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