Getting to Done: 5 lessons from Public Speaking

I gave a 5-minute talk on Friday about fermentation. I was really, really nervous.

Plus, I broke my 5-month long coffee fast. Drinking coffee was made worse by having to drink bad drip coffee—ug. All buzz, no flavor. No, no, no one talked me out of it.

So, spazzed out on the ghost of coffee + super nervous = BAD .

At least, it is now DONE. And I can move on to my next projects…

Five things I learned about public speaking:

1. Entertain your audience.

Not everyone is a nerd like me. Not everyone wants to learn about something new. I thought that sharing something I thought was interesting would be enough, but a lot of people just want to be entertained.

The audience favorite was a talk about making strawberry jam. He didn’t emphasize his awesome recipe. He was just really, really funny, which leads to…

2. Delivery can be more important than the content.

3. 5 minutes can be two lifetimes.

My heart literally stopped twice during this 5-minute talk.

If you want to live forever, try public speaking!

4. Choose your audience wisely. Choose to speak only to people who share my values.

Speaking live is intimate. The feedback is immediate whether people care or not. The bond you create with your audience has to be sustained for as long as you are on stage. Preparing something to which your audience will pay attention is much, much easier if they already are receptive to it.

In my case, I have a niche audience. My message is not for everyone. I should have chosen to speak at a food, not general, event.

5. Surviving public speaking for the first time ever in front of more than 100 strangers makes you feel invincible.

Poster by Joshua Rothaas, from Bre Pettis' Cult of Done Manifesto