Visualize yourself speaking in the same room and with complete control of the audience.
Check pictures or videos.
Search for any notable people in the audience.
Ensure it is familiar and novel and it's not been done before.
Dare to be dull -> Impromptu talk
Do not strive for perfection by setting a standard and constantly judging your actions.
Find the answer to the question, and the rest is your presentation.
I'm excited for the talk
Feel excited and bring a positive approach when getting a chance to speak.
Only some get a chance. There are so many people in the audience but less on the stage. You must be excited to have the opportunity.
Mantra
We say a lot of negative thoughts to each other.
Say I am prepared, and I know my stuff.
Make something personal to reduce negative thoughts.
It's not about me. It's about my content
You are not alone; others also go through this.
All the polished talks you see have gone through a lot of practice.
Conversation over presentation
Many people like conversing with the audience or with themselves while speaking.
For example, I will answer these three questions on the stage today. I will repeat each question and answer them one by one.
Tell them a story.
Ask them to read something.
Double Exhale
80% neuron -> Brain ; 20% Brain nuron -> Body
Breathing reduces anxiety.
Exhale > Inhale
Exhalation should be twice as long as inhalation.
Getting present-oriented
Do not overthink the future.
Be mindful.
Use tongue twisters to be mindful and warm up your voice.
I slit a sheet, A sheet I slet, and on that sleeted sheet I slet.
Swear curse before the speech to reduce anxiety/pain.
Broad advice for speaking on the spot
Anybody can be better at it.
We need preparation to be better at impromptu speakers.
The PREP structure
P: Point, R: Reason, E: Example, P: Point
Start with your point.
Give reasons why you think so
Back the reason with examples
Restate the point that you have started with.
The What? So What? Now What? structure
What was it about
Why is it important for me and
What can I do about it?
RRF framework to be better at speaking
Repetition -> Practice more
Reflection -> Check how did it go
Feedback -> Get feedback from others
There is no shortcut in life.
Join Toastmasters or improv
Do and watch communication to learn communication.
Getting better at small talk
Be interested and not interested.
The disclosure should match, as the dog died too close to someone and should be returned by someone.
Shifting and supporting responses -> More supporting responses and less shifting responses
The importance of sharing back
Share a bit of your own experience to continue the conversation.
Giving feedback
Use the What? So What? Now What? structure
What was the problem; so what? Then what should be the action items?
Tell these action items as feedback.
Use 4Is structure
Information, Impact, Invitation, Implication
Improving toasts and tributes
WHAT structure
W: Why are we here
H: How are you connected to the event?
A: Anecdote -> A concise story or example
T: Thank -> Show gratitude for coming to the event
Mastering Q&A sessions
Start with this is a good question.
At the end, say, does that answer your question?
ADD framework
Answer
Detailed Example
Describe the relevance
How much experience do you have as an MLOps engineer? I have been an MLOps engineer for X years. I worked on end-to-end ML pipeline and ML Platform development. This means my experience with DevOps and ML engineering-related setups will help your organization deliver models faster and cost-effectively.
Apologizing effectively -> AAA
Apologize for the exact transaction; not how the person felt.
