Public speaking is something most people do not look forward to. It seems like giving a good presentation or talk is very difficult, because few people do it well — but that’s simply because most people don’t do it often enough to learn how to prepare well and be comfortable doing it.

If you’re interested in giving presentations or talks (about openSUSE, Linux in general, FOSS projects, or anything else in your life that you feel passionate about) I’d recommend reading Aaron Seigo’s post on audience management. I’ve seen Aaron give presentations before, and he’s a confident and engaging speaker — so I’d recommend his advice highly. Especially this:

Doing this requires practice. Try your licks out in front of the mirror, imaging yourself doing it in your mind before going to sleep, subject a friend to the horror of being an audience-of-one. Whatever it takes, go through the motions at least in your mind’s eyes if not in actual practice. Concentrate on natural, relaxed looking gestures, eye contact, avoiding those ‘uh’s and ‘um’s and smiling (again, in a style that looks natural). You can be an absolute wreck inside when you get up to give your presentation, but if you project calmness through your body language for the first 60 seconds (confidence is a bonus, but calmness is usually enough), you can win over the people in the audience, and that will make your presentation soooo much smoother.

Practice, practice, practice — it will make giving a presentation so much more comfortable.

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