Clean deck - Public speaking (for Genially)

Public Speaking Soft Skills Quick Bites

Outcomes

By the end of this session, you’ll be able to:

• Cut filler words and speak with confidence
• Deliver a 1-minute speech on the fly
• Keep it clear and on point
• Grab and hold your audience’s attention

Heads Up ⚡️

• Be prepared to give and take some brutally honest feedback 💬
• Self reflection is tough, but it helps us become better
• View feedback as a chance to learn and improve 📈
• Be supportive — be the friendly face in the audience 🙂, nod to show active listening 👂, and clap 👏 at the end of each speech

Let’s measure our baseline

• Pick a topic
• Prepare a 1 minute speech
• Write bullet point notes if needed
• Avoid full scripts

Which topic stands out to you most?

• A great team win
• Collaboration magic
• Helping a teammate
• Learning from others
• Best group project
• How we work together

• A project I smashed
• Quick wins
• Overcoming a challenge
• Solving a problem
• Productivity hacks
• Doing more with less

• Something I’m proud of
• Making work easier for others
• Helping a customer (or colleague)
• Improving a process
• Small things that matter
• Designing with impact

✨ Round 1

✨ Roundtable: exhale and reflect

Group discussion / wind-down while scorecards are collated and returned

• How did that feel?
• Feeling jittery? That’s just the adrenaline ⚡
• What did you enjoy about delivering your speech?
• What didn’t you enjoy or found challenging?

✨ Review your scorecard

• Pick one thing to improve — focus on one actionable change for next time
• Share one positive — what made people want to keep listening?

✨ Strategies (to print)

✨ Control Filler Words

• Tip: Pause for 2–3 seconds instead of saying “um,” “like,” or “you know.”
• Explanation: Many speakers use filler words unconsciously when they’re thinking or nervous. Pausing instead of using fillers makes your speech sound more confident and gives your audience time to absorb what you’re saying.
• Research: Studies show brief pauses increase perception of confidence and clarity (Bortfeld et al., 2001).
• Practice: Consciously pause instead, and see if the number of filler words drops.

✨ Use Pauses Strategically

• Tip: Pause after key points or before answering a question.
• Explanation: Pauses help emphasize important points and give your audience time to process information. They also make your delivery feel more natural and deliberate.
• Research: Pausing improves comprehension and retention for listeners (Atkinson, 2004; cognitive load theory).
• Practice: Mark pauses in your notes: 1–2 seconds at sentence breaks, 3 seconds for emphasis. Practice delivering a short speech using these pauses.

✨ Speak in Short Sentences

• Tip: Break complex ideas into 1–2 concise sentences instead of long chains.
• Explanation: Short sentences are easier for your audience to follow, reducing cognitive load. Long-winded explanations increase the chance of losing attention.
• Research: People remember short, simple sentences better (Miller, 1956 – “7 ± 2” working memory principle).
• Practice: When preparing a speech, rewrite long sentences into shorter, punchier statements.

Review your scorecard

• Compare Card A → Card B
• Did filler words decrease?
• Did engagement improve?
• Celebrate your improvements! 🏆

Two speeches in one hour — You nailed it! 🎉