Did you know that the worst thing which could happen when giving a speech is not forgetting your lines? I don’t know about you but I have always struggled with giving presentations at college and my speech anxiety has prevented me from unfolding my full potential even in everyday life situations so many times before. Because I’m sure I’m not the only one trying to overcome it, I can’t wait to introduce you to Asante and Tarek, whose public speaking experience goes beyond their awards for “The Funniest” and “The Most Motivational” speech in the Public Speaking society at University of Nottingham.
Although still in their “early life” Wikipedia stage, Asante and Tarek are already running their own successful business, BreeziSpeaking, where they professionally coach individuals, institutions and corporate clients in public speaking. If giving killer presentations and sparking confidence have always been your weaknesses, keep reading.
Tarek Jammali, left (BA International Communications – MSc Cultural Industries & Entrepreneurship, 2017) & Asante Ntata, right (MSc Physics, 2018)
When and what was the thing which triggered your interest in Public Speaking?
Tarek: Until September of my UG final year, I had never joined a society. I was persuaded to go to the third session of the Public Speaking society, because a friend didn‘t want to go alone. He discontinued afterwards but I had found something that I enjoyed, could see weekly improvements, and began to look forward to each session. The following year Asante, Joél and myself taught the society together, and now we are teaching the NAA; a higher level, more intense course for credits.
Asante: My first year of university was probably the most boring one can have. I did no extra – curricular activities, I didn’t go out to meet many people and I was quite content to come to uni, go to the library then go home. I knew there was more university life had to offer and so I promised myself that I would take advantage of the short time I had here at Nottingham. In the first week of 2nd year I attended a Public Speaking ‘Try It session’ and I have not looked back ever since.
Have you always given off confident vibes and do you think that being a good public speaker is an innate talent or a skill anyone can develop, even the shyest people?
Tarek: You are the captain of your own ship. Whilst innate confidence or talent with words will undoubtedly benefit a person in any area of life, it can also be a drawback to rely on talent without work. Shyness is a condition that I fully believe can be cured through willpower, determination and practice. Those who have to work harder to develop a skill are likely not only to be more precise and rehearsed in their presenting style, but also to develop more as an individual on a journey of self-improvement.
Asante: A large part of shyness comes from an insecurity of what other people will think about you and weather what you are about to do is in line within the culturally established norm. A way of dealing with self-consciousness as a public speaker is to adopt a persona when you are on the stage. For example, when I get to speak in front of an audience, I know that whatever criticisms people might have are directed at “Asante, the public speaker” and not “Asante, the human being”. I am therefore less protective and self-conscious of what people think about me as a public speaker than what they think about me as a human being, which allows me to be more confident and outgoing on the stage.
Have you happened to get distracted during a speech, forgotten your words and gave yourself away to the audience because of that?
Tarek: Of course! Everybody has slip ups, and no presentation ever goes exactly to plan, which is why we do not encourage writing a speech word for word – you’ll never be able to memorise it fully. A good speaker can maintain frame after a hiccup, and there are various techniques that we teach for saving the presentation and continuing the flow.
Asante: One of the most embarrassing public speaking experiences I have had was during a speech when I spotted someone in the audience who I had no idea was going to attend. I froze. After looking them in the eye for a second, I began to laugh uncontrollably and only 2 people in the room knew what was going on. My friends told me it lasted for 3 seconds but every time I think back, it feels like 15! The first minute after that I kept thinking “what have I just done?” However, this is the worst thing you can do after a setback during a speech and to get over this, I took a couple of deep breaths to calm myself down, gave a little smile and was able to end the speech on a strong note. In times like these you have to remember that sometimes it’s not about how you start but how you finish.
Is there anything you are afraid of and pray not to happen during a presentation/speech?
Tarek: I guess the worst thing could be a slip of the belt, trousers tumbling, and the crown jewels being publicly unveiled. But even that can be turned to the advantage of a seasoned presenter!
Asante: I pray that people never get their laptop or phone out during my speech and start working on their dissertation. I have seen this happen before and I was appalled by it. One must chose. If you have something as a dissertation to write, excuse yourself first from the speech and then proceed with your task in another place.
Who makes it a better public speaker – men or women?
Both: Gender does not determine how effective a speaker is, skill does. Every individual has their own personality, and their own style of speaking, presenting or conversing. Whilst it may be expected for men to come across as powerful or confident in a speech, that does not necessarily determine how effectively the message is being conveyed from speaker to audience. I would argue that female energy and presence, when conveyed confidently, can captivate more of an audience than a similarly skilled male vibe; both women and men can connect with a female speaker, whereas not everyone in an audience may appreciate a masculine energy.
Is it possible to still capture the audience’s attention when presenting a tedious topic for a module at university for instance? What techniques and tricks do you use?
Tarek: Absolutely. No matter how boring or mundane the subject is, if the speaker is passionate, interested and educated on the subject, it can be made interesting. Emotions are contagious and ideas can be shared through relatable metaphors or simple, real-life parallels. For example I once heard a lecturer use the relationship between parent and a child to illustrate the business concept of supply and demand – an elementary business concept was brought to life using an everyday example.
Asante: Another thing that can be done is to get the audience involved. This does not always have to mean inviting the audience to come to the front. It can be simple things such as asking them a simple question about a concept you just spoke about. This checks if they are still awake, and also lets them know that you actually acknowledge their presence; speaking to them, rather than at them. Another great thing speakers can do when speaking about a tedious topic is to let the audience know which parts of the speech will require a little bit of patience. For example, when my lecturers say “this next part will be a little long-winded, but we’ll go through it slowly – don’t hesitate to ask me any questions”, it creates audience understanding. As disappointed as I am that the next 5 minutes will probably be spent on a subject that makes me sick, I am happy that I am mentally prepared for it. All great speakers will be aware of which parts of their speech could potentially bore people and will always make it as bearable as they can for their audience.
If we have already challenged you to let your inner public speaker out, as Tarek and Asante say: “The society is definitely a great place to get a taste for public speaking, practice in a comfortable environment, and to meet a great bunch of like-minded individuals and potentially develop your appetite for more advanced tuition from BreeziSpeaking coaches, where you will truly begin to ‘see through the matrix’ and communicate in a highly effective manner with the world around you. Step out of your comfort zone… take the leap.”
https://www.su.nottingham.ac.uk/societies/society/publicspeaking/
IG: @BreeziSpeaking