"Practice makes perfect", goes the old saying, quite unhelpfully. The truth is, not all types of practice are made equal. So blindly practicing will not make you perfect, and you're likely to hit a plateau if you practice the way most people do. I want you to understand the critical difference between regular practice, and deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is … [Read more...]
How to Come Up With a Catchphrase (In-Depth Guide)
Catchphrases are powerful tools in the hand of a public speaker—they can help cement an idea for years to come. We all remember phrases such as "I have a dream" or "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". You can use catchphrases for important speeches, product slogans, advertisements, campaign mottos, and more. Let's look at what makes a good … [Read more...]
Types of public speaking anxiety and how to deal with them
Many people experience public speaking anxiety, but most people are not aware that there are actually multiple different types of public speaking anxiety. The types of public speaking anxiety can be sorted into contexts and causes. There are two anxiety contexts Some people get nervous before the speech, while others get nervous during the speech. If you're someone who … [Read more...]
The Secrets to Winning the World Championship of Public Speaking (16 tips)
Armed with a large spreadsheet, videos of Toastmasters International Finalists, and an overwhelming sense of curiosity, I set out to learn what sets the champions apart. I watched 10 champion speeches and 5 speeches that placed second or third. I manually recorded everything about them in a spreadsheet: aspects like how many laughs they received, what style of speaker they … [Read more...]
Toastmasters division champion humorous speech (self-analysis video)
Division champion humorous speech analysis I won the Toastmasters division contest with this speech! This video will go over how I managed to keep it together after forgetting a critical word (and substituting it for basically an oxymoron), as well as several other valuable lessons you can learn from the speech. Posted by Potent Speaking on Monday, October 16, … [Read more...]