The art of public speaking

It’s no secret that designers need to do more than just craft beautiful things; they must also be adept at presenting their ideas. Whether it’s addressing a team, a product owner, or a client, effective communication is key.

As someone who has been teaching and lecturing for a couple of years now, I’ve been honing my skills in delivering information that’s not only informative but also engaging.

Rushan Khabibulin, Designer at Red Collar

Here are some key principles I’ve found helpful for improving presentation skills:

1. Put yourself in the shoes of your audience. Argumentation becomes far more compelling when you frame it from their perspective. Instead of using “I,” try phrases like “imagine you…”
2. Rhetorical questions can underscore the relevance of your solutions or content. By posing such questions, we shift the focus away from ourselves and onto the problem at hand.
3. Use intonation to highlight key points. Just as we use bold formatting in text for emphasis, in speech, we can slow down and enunciate important ideas to draw attention to them.
4. Avoid coming across as a know-it-all teacher. Instead, emphasize shared goals and challenges, emphasizing that you’re all in this together.
5. Incorporate gestures into your presentations. By using hand movements while explaining concepts, we can enhance comprehension and add dynamism to our delivery.
6. Wrap up with a summary. Every speech should lead to a clear conclusion. Divide your presentation into logical sections that build towards your final thesis, helping your audience grasp the key takeaways.

These principles apply whether you’re presenting solutions or delivering a lecture. While understanding the rules is one thing, applying them under pressure in front of an unfamiliar audience is another challenge altogether.

By Rushan Khabibulin

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