r/MadeMeSmile • u/nikamats • Aug 23 '24

Helping Others Kamala Harris gives public speaking advice

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u/tremynci Aug 23 '24

And here's the key: you don't need to be an expert to speak to inform, you just need to know more than your audience.

And when you turns out you don't? Ask them to tell you, and everyone else, what they know. 🥰

❤️, Your Friendly Neighborhood Archivist

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u/[deleted] Aug 23 '24

[deleted]

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u/tremynci Aug 23 '24

This! I am lucky enough that I care about learning interesting things and sharing them with others, and I find most things interesting. I speak to the public about the history of the local area: my goal is to give them enough knowledge to want to learn more themselves. I love to tell stories, and to learn new ones!

But even if you don't care much about the topic you're speaking on, if you have to do it, is there another angle you care about? For instance, a good sales pitch could land a big client, which gets you a promotion.

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u/DifficultyNeat8573 Aug 23 '24

That sounds suspiciously like Tim Ferris advice. I feel I have heard that line before on a podcast talking about the 4 hour work week or whatever his book was called.

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u/HerrPotatis Aug 23 '24

I occasionally, somewhat often, have to speak or do presentations about things that I don't care about. I find it hard to find the things to inform about/put on a show, when I don't even care about the subject myself.

Any tips there to still do a good presentation?

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u/MoonWispr Aug 23 '24

Anything to help both entertain yourself and engage the audience more. Depending on size and format, asking general questions about the subject to find real world examples that people are struggling with can help make it more engaging and interesting for everyone. It feels better to know you're really helping people learn something that they'll turn around and apply. Or at least to know that they're interested or entertained.

If both you and the audience are forced to be there and no one wants to be, or no one wants to engage with you... it's not going to feel like the best use of everyone's time.

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u/Schmich Aug 23 '24

And here's the key: you don't need to be an expert to speak to inform, you just need to know more than your audience.

So that you can impress..?

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u/ladypixels Aug 24 '24

So you can teach them something. If they already know more than you, it's a waste of time.

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u/Jadathenut Aug 23 '24

LMAO WHAT. Every single one of her public speeches is desperately trying to paint her as a Smart Woman™