Tips

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. It's not about me. It's about my content
  6. You are not alone; others also go through this.
    • All the polished talks you see have gone through a lot of practice.
  7. 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.
  8. Double Exhale
    • 80% neuron -> Brain ; 20% Brain nuron -> Body
    • Breathing reduces anxiety.
    • Exhale > Inhale
    • Exhalation should be twice as long as inhalation.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. Join Toastmasters or improv
    • Do and watch communication to learn communication.
  12. 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.
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. 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.
  16. Apologizing effectively -> AAA
    • Apologize for the exact transaction; not how the person felt.
    • Acknowledge, Appreciate, and Amence

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Thoughts 🤔 by Soumendra Kumar Sahoo is licensed under CC BY 4.0