5 things you can learn about public speaking from kids

I am a 4H leader for my children's club. Every year 4H kids around the world are challenged to create and perform a visual presentation. Children as young as 5 years old do this - therefore so can you. This weekend my boys Daniel and Trevor competed at the state level after winning at county. I will share with you what I use to help my club members perfect their VPs.

Public speaking skills are needed in everyday life. For those of us who are business owners it is vital to our bottom line. We need to promote our business for it to grow and thrive. I hope these tips with inspire you to do better next time you are out there promoting your business!

1) Pick a topic that you are passionate about!

We are in business for ourselves because we are good at what we do. For those people lucky enough to find what that is in life and are able to make a living from it - way to go! Now share your passion with others.

2) Everyone loves visuals!

Talking about your business is good. Pictures are worth a thousand words, so add some visuals in your next sales manager minute. When Trevor tells the audience to recycle he also shows them by dropping the newspaper in the bin. When Dan explains a soccer throw-in he picks up the ball and demonstrates. These visuals are powerful methods for remembering. And we all want our audiences to remember us, right?

3) Be Prepared!

This is a big one. A child would never show up for Visual Presentation Day unprepared. They practice for months! Granted you probably don't have months to prepare for a 10-minute presentation. However you should never waste anyone's time with a presentation that is sloppy and poorly performed. This is unprofessional and no one will want to do business with you.

4) Speak LOUD, CLEAR, and SLOW!

Children have a hard time with this one. Honestly, so do adults! Practice by talking to yourself. I tell my kids to talk to their teddy bears in the privacy of their bedroom. I read my speeches out loud in the privacy of my office. I practice out loud in the car ride to help me remember them. You want to be comfortable so that your audience is comfortable too. Remember LOUD, CLEAR, and SLOW!

5) Keep your smile on the audience!

This is my favorite one. We used to say keep your eyes on the audience until one of our kids said smile by mistake one day. We laughed so hard - but it was true. Nobody smiles with their eyes closed so it works perfectly to say "keep your smile on the audience". We encourage the use of jokes too!

Well there you have it - 5 things you can learn about public speaking from kids. I hope you enjoyed this article and share it with others. Feel free to press play below to view Daniel's soccer VP and Trevor's recycling VP. As you can tell I am very proud of them. In fact, if half my presentations were this good I would be thrilled!

Comments (2)