The art of public speaking and rediscovering
Public speaking is very daunting to people, but it is as easy as one two three to others
This title was not mine, nor was the subtitle. I copied both from the latest episode of Hamish Hallet’s ‘Coffee Dates.’
A few weeks ago, Hamish asked me if he could interview me about public speaking. He then added that interview was not the right word; he had more of a conversation in mind during coffee-time for his series ‘Coffee Dates.’ My coffee-time in Ottawa was his tea-time in London. We chat for more than an hour.
I have spoken in public about many issues but never about public speaking. Nor did I give it much thought. I once spend a long transatlantic flight reading a book about how to give a TED talk and later enjoyed watching the described TED talks on YouTube. For the rest, it is like so many other experiences in life; you get more confidence by doing it.
We spoke about why I became a public speaker, how it is for non-native speakers to speak and write in English. We also talked about the beauty of our planet and a lot of other subjects that came up. It was coffee talk, and we even compared our favorite coffees.
I hope you will enjoy it. You can listen by just clicking on the play button, or you can find it on Spotify, where you will also find many other of Hamish’s Coffee Dates.
What I enjoyed today
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It will be a sunny day today to enjoy here.
Great conversation with Hamish Hallett, I like the time spend on having this podcast on public speaking and climate change. A supper nice atmosphere! Thank you Alexander (-:
That was a perfect way to start a long day at the office this morning. What a nice and interesting conversation. Thank you for sharing. I did not have apple pie after work, but I did buy an apple on the way home.
I loved the points you made about the speaker being the only one who knows what they want to say and that the audience is usually on your side. Also, speaking in a foreign language however proficient one might be - always a bit daunting. I could totally relate to you saying that you found it more difficult to give a presentation in Dutch.