Briar Goldberg, TED’s Director of Speaker Coaching
Have you ever thought about becoming a public speaker but have been unsure about where to start? No matter in which county, language, or audience the speaker is engaging, becoming a public speaker requires a set of skills and characteristics that can help command the room and influence the audience.
According to Briar Goldberg, TED’s Director of Speaker Coaching, these skills are something that someone can learn and practice - beyond language and culture.
Ahead of the TEDinArabic Summit in Doha, Goldberg shared with The Peninsula, how best to address an audience.
“From one language to another, the heart is the same. It’s about one person engaging an audience. The difference from one language and culture to another becomes the content that you put behind your talk so that it really resonates with that specific audience,” said Goldberg.
“For me, the heart of communication is putting the audience at the center. This is what effective communication is and how it should be. Everything you say should be in service to your audience, regardless of what language you’re speaking,” she added.
To embark on a public speaking journey, Goldberg says that all needed is “having the time to do it.”
“Even people that have been doing it for a long time can always get better,” she said. “What most people don’t understand is that public speaking doesn’t have to be in front of a huge number of audiences. It can be you in a meeting with three of your colleagues, and anytime you’re opening your mouth, there’s an opportunity to become a better communicator,” she said.
According to Goldberg any person interested in public speaking should start small, build their way up, and find opportunities to speak in public.
About how to overcome the fear of public speaking, Goldberg said, “There’s no doubt that speaking in front of a large audience can be terrifying.” Goldberg says that what you can do to overcome this fear is to always remember that “most audiences that you speak in front of are actually on your side”.
“They don’t want you to fail. They don’t want you to be embarrassed. They are on your side and want you to succeed. They are there to learn from you. It’s just a little mentality shift. You need to remember that this isn’t really a scary situation and that these people want you to do well,” she added.
Goldberg lists the top 5 tips to successful public speaking:
1. Audience before content: You have to think of your audience first because otherwise, you’re not communicating. You’re just putting words out into the air.
2. Learn how to become an excellent storyteller: A lot of people think that they’re good storytellers, and they sometimes give more information than they actually need. If you’re going to speak, learn how to become a good storyteller. And you do that by watching other good storytellers. It’s quite simple.
3. Speak as clearly as possible: Don’t make your audience work hard to try to understand what you’re saying. Speak clearly using words and phrases that everybody can understand. Make sure that the way you build your arguments is clear so that people can track what you’re saying.
4. Be a human: If you mess up, say sorry. Speak in a language that is familiar to conversation – whatever language you’re speaking in. If you’re too formal, or you’re too reserved, people can’t connect with you. And if they don’t connect with you, then they’re not going to be persuaded by what you have to say.
5. Make eye contact: The single most important thing is to make eye contact when you’re speaking, because this is the way you stay connected with your audience. As simple as that.
Through a partnership between Qatar Foundation (QF) and TED, the flagship TEDinArabic Summit will take place in Doha from March 18 to 19, welcoming TED speakers from across the Arabic-speaking world to share their stories and ideas in the Arabic language.
