First TEDx Talk Conquered!

Thank you to everyone who came to support me at my first TEDx talk last week – it meant so much to me. If some people consider their Hermes Birkin bag as a symbol of lifetime achievement, then being a speaker at TEDx is the equivalent for me!

People asked me if this experience taught me anything about public speaking or if I felt nervous; the answers are NO and YES.

Here are some of my top tips for delivering a good public speech:

• Dress comfortably – I was in sneakers!

• Prepare a little but not too much; I never feel that writing a script helps – using only bullet points is fine.

• Imagining that the audience is naked doesn’t really work for me; instead, I find a few specific points to focus on when I speak.

• Practice your movements and posture in front of a mirror to feel more comfortable in yourself.

• Learn to pause during your speech, and never speak in just one tone or speed.

Nevertheless, I do always feel nervous before speaking to a crowd of hundreds; I actually shivered a little but it’s a different story once I am on stage. I wanted to tell the audience my story so being focused on delivering my message made me forget about the nervousness.

I am not sure if TEDx will put my talk online, but here is one of their previous talks that I’d like to share with you. I actually used the word “multipotentialiate” at my talk too – it describes me really well and encourages people like me to go further without doubting themselves.