This article was first published at gooroo.io
I remember way back when I was about 14 years old and did what I remember as my first public speaking exercise. It was at my own confirmation dinner, and I had to address my entire family. It was a small room and not a huge crowd, but it scared me. I gave the brief thank you speech mostly looking at my feet or at the walls around us. It was a terrible speech.
Since then I have continually pushed myself to improve and to get better every time I am on stage. Here are some of the tips I have learned over the years.
How do you even get started?
This is probably the hardest part if I am honest. Taking that first step and putting your hand up to give a talk is scary. It doesn’t even matter if you are going to speak to people you know, a small number of people or even just to your significant other, it can be scary. You might be familiar with the old Jerry Seinfeld quote: