[nabs-l] Public Speaking

[Rahul Bajaj]

Hi all,

This is turning out to be an intriguing discussion!
I have really enjoyed reading all the great suggestions that others
have given so far.
Although I'd like to believe that I'm not that bad at public speaking,
I have been told a couple of times that I should use hand gestures to
convey my points more strongly.
I have never done this because, as I am sure you all would agree, this
isn't something that comes to us naturally.
As a result, I just stand still while giving my speeches and don't use
any gestures; this is something that weighs heavily against me in
public speaking competitions.
Can anyone share any effective strategies that they have employed to
circumvent this problem?
Someone spoke about practicing this with a sighted person. That's a
good suggestion, and I'll definitely keep that in mind.
Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Best,
Rahul

On 22/06/2014, lizzy via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi Shickeytha,
> You've gotten some great tips thus far.  Here are a few more
> tricks to add to the list.
> First, let me just say that my tips for a blind public speaker do
> not differ greatly from those I would give to a sighted speaker.
> - Always look at your audience to keep their attention.  You
> mentioned sighted people looking down at notes or a teleprompter,
> I personally dislike when people do this (especially when reading
> from a powerpoint located behind the presenter) because it is
> pretty distracting to the audience.  No matter how you choose to
> read your notes, you will always have the advantage of being able
> to look at your audience while speaking to them (which is a plus
> if you ask me).
> - If you do decide to use braille, one tip you could use is not
> necessarily memorizing your speech ahead of time, but knowing
> your stance on a topic and perhaps just writing that subject down
> (or even shortening the word to just a few letters), and
> explaining your view to the class.  Since no one else is reading
> your notes, they can literally say anything as long as you
> remember what the letters/words mean.  There are benefits and
> drawbacks to memorizing your speech ahead of time, let me know if
> you'd like for me to elaborate.
> - Be sure to not only speak clearly, but also use inflection.  I
> can't stress this enough, speaking in a monotone voice is a sure
> way to get people to fall asleep or think about things totally
> unrelated to your presentation.
> - Know your audience and your subject matter.  You speak to
> college students in a different manner than you would third
> graders which differs from how you would speak to parents.
> Likewise, you'd talk about genocide with an expression that
> contrasts the one you'd have when talking about something
> positive.  Be sure to maintain appropriate tone of voice,
> posture, movement etc.  You'll know your audience is engaged when
> they react appropriately to something you've said.  For example,
> when you tell an anecdote, they respond with ooos and ahs, awws,
> laughs/chuckles- whatever's appropriate.  If you hear a lot of
> movement (stretching, looking for a clock, checking phones,
> etc.), or excessive coughing (when it's not flu season), you know
> you've lost your audience and it's time to take a more upbeat
> approach.
> - Finally, and this is the most important tip of all in my
> opinion.  Be yourself.  If you're not a funny person, don't force
> it.  If you're not comfortable moving around, just maintain good
> posture in one area.  As Joe said, these things need to look
> natural, so do whatever you feel most comfortable with.  If you
> would like to learn about gestures, movement etc.  then by all
> means, do so! It makes for a great presentation, but don't force
> anything.
> Please let me know if you'd like for me to elaborate on specific
> topics! I would be more than happy to do so.
> Hope this helps,
> Lizzy
>
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