20/02/2017
Public Speaking Advice
1. Presenting an idea
YALI Network members have always been creative, inventive, and full of
great ideas. If you have an idea you want to share with your peers, network,
an investor, etc., it is a good idea to have a short introduction to your idea
prepared. In other words, create an elevator pitch. This type of speech is
usually less than a minute in length (or, the amount of time you may spend
in an elevator). An elevator pitch can be used in an interview or while
networking. It can also be used to start a longer speech. The goal of an
elevator pitch is to provide enough information to inform your audience
about your topic or idea, while still leaving enough information out that
they are intrigued to learn more. Remember to hit the most important
points and to keep it short—just like an elevator ride!
2. Talking about yourself
It can be difficult to talk about your accomplishments without feeling like
you are boasting. But that shouldn’t stop you; you should be proud of your
work. When volunteering or working with an organization, you can take a
“servant leadership” approach (
yali.state.gov/servant-leadership
) – talking
about who you are helping and not just about what you have personally
done. Frame your accomplishments to emphasize teamwork and the
impact you had on others, rather than just yourself. If you solved a particular
problem, talk about how it benefited your community and made people’s
lives better. Remember, when explaining your accomplishments, pick the
one that is most relevant to the situation and delve into the details of that
specific accomplishment. The same applies when discussing what you are
passionate about.
3. Persuading your audience
In a lot of speeches, you may find yourself trying to convince your audience
to agree with your point of view. When developing a persuasive speech, it
is important to put yourself in your audience’s shoes. Ask yourself, “What
do they currently believe and why?” Then ask, “Why do I believe something
different and why should they consider my point of view?” It is important to
identify at least three main points that support your case. Think about the
questions your audience may ask and try to incorporate the answers into
your speech.
Preparing for
an interview
An interview may not seem like
a public speaking opportunity,
but it is. Interviews often start
with the instruction to “Tell
me about yourself.” This is a
great time to use a prepared
biography, customized toward
the position or opportunity for
which you are interviewing. In
the biography, you will want to
tell people the most important
things about yourself and what
you are most proud of.
To learn more about preparing
a biography, check out the YALI
Network “Writing an Exciting
Personal Biography” blog post
at https://yali.state.gov/writing-
an-exciting-personal-bio/
Public Speaking Checklists
Before the Speech
Before your speech, ask yourself the following questions. For each, answer yes or no. If you answer yes,
move to the next question. If you answer no, first determine if the question is relevant to the speech
you are giving. If it is, stop and take some time to complete the step.
Have you written out your full speech?
Have you practiced your speech?
Have you practiced your speech in front of others?
Have you timed your speech?
Have you asked for feedback from your peers and others
you look up to?
Did you create notecards or memorize your speech?
Are you confident with your speech?
Do you need any visual aids?
• If you need visual aids, have you created them?
Will you need any technology, such as a microphone,
projector, or computer during your speech?
• If so, have you requested them ahead of time?
Will there be a question and answer (Q&A) period?
• Have you practiced answers to some of the questions you
expect to receive?
Yes
N o
Yes
N o
Yes
N o
Yes
N o
Yes
N o
Yes
N o
Yes
N o
Yes
N o
Yes
N o
Yes
N o
Yes
N o
Yes
N o
Yes
N o
After the Speech
After the speech, ask yourself the following questions. As you did for the previous checklist, answer yes
or no. If you answer no, ask yourself why and how you can improve next time. This is a great way to
gauge how you did so that you can continue to improve your public speaking skills