How can you prepare for a speech outside your area of expertise?

Venturing outside your comfort zone is the pathway to growth. To prepare for a speech on an unfamiliar topic, begin by researching thoroughly. Seek understanding, not just facts. Delve into reputable sources, talk to experts, and immerse yourself in the topic until you feel a sense of familiarity. Remember, you're aiming for a solid, respectable grasp, not mastery. Next, structure your speech logically, focusing on clarity and engagement. Practice it multiple times, seeking feedback from knowledgeable individuals. Your aim should be to convey your newfound understanding confidently and coherently. Embrace the challenge, it's a remarkable opportunity for personal and professional growth.

This is absolute rubbish. Why would anyone want to speak outside their realm of expertise? You speak to impart an emotionally resonant perspective and share your experience to inspire, uplift and educate.

Knowing the audience and how much they know about the topic can help you build your speech. 1. You can start with a story and then link it to the main topic. 2. You can give examples instead of actually diving in the topic. 3. You can ask for their views by asking them questions.

Get to know your audience and experts in their field! If you aren’t the expert, find a few to interview, quote or share a short video to emphasize a point in your speech. The president or CEO speaks on behalf of a nation or company. The newscaster summarizes stories they probably aren’t experts or maybe don’t even have interest in! Learn from your audience, their experts and celebrities!

You could potentially pull this off by relying on ChatGPT to come up with a piece but then again, you might get caught off-guard during the Q&A session. Best not to do it unless you're 100% sure as ppl may recognize you're ingenuine and that's detrimental for your future.

Books, resources and videos are all great, but getting nitty gritty and asking questions is where its at Don't forget trends and topics shift continuously and what may have been the case a year ago may not be now so ask the questions and incorporate them all Also speaking with people in the industry will mean you accuracy on the topic will be spot on and people will be more likely to listen more to your speech as well as find it reliable because you will come across as knowing your stuff Thats a skill people never forget that !!

I think you should first of all make a thorough research on the subject matter and ensure that you understand the basics so as to be able to build on any advance knowledge that may be required. Also, speaking to subject matter experts will also be an added advantage in your preparation

Chat GPT Though not a highly reliable source, yet can give to ready made information quickly. Cross check it with Google search and with a knowledgeable person.

Having a clear structure never hurt anybody !! If you go off grid you can always come back to the plan makes the deliverance a whole lot easier I like my audience to come on a journey with me when I deliver a speech , I need them to follow with me so it has to flow effortlessly I like to follow a problem and solution scenario with a good few pointers on direction in there too, its also fab to use summaries at the end of each part to engage with the audience and test your deliverance with questions , this is them providing you feedback without them really knowing , pretty cool right 😉

Structure is essential. The other formats I use are as follow. For simpler and shorter speeches say for weddings: - The greeting (hello to everyone, your intro and your connection to the occasion) - The thank you (an appreciation of the people who have come and of the audience) - The request (what you wish for them and for the evening, what to do and how to approach it). For longer speeches I go by: - The "Why" - Split into three to five arguments for it - each a section - Plus an intro to describe the "Why" - And a conclusion to the speech with a summary of the aeguments that have lead to the "Why".

You don't need to be an expert to have a personal story worth sharing on a topic. Here are 2 (made-up) examples of an opening line: 1. "Studies show that 60% of people have burnout." 2. "Last year, I ended up in the hospital due to burnout." Which one would YOU rather hear? Do you have to be a neuroscientist, a researcher, or a wellness expert to tell your story in public? No. You just have to have a potential SOLUTION to a PROBLEM. Now, you should as much research as you can. But stories resonate more than statistics. 🤷🏻

Sharing the learning journey you’ve been on to be able to speak is a compelling story to tell - share how you prepared and your top memorable facts with your audience

Histórias conectam. Todo mundo gosta de uma boa história. Conte casos reais preservando os nomes dos envolvidos. Use dados científicos para ilustrar suas histórias e principalmente algum objeto, foto, algo que conecte mais ainda a audiência.

The use of stories and examples allows us to make symbolic connections with the different possibilities of meaning, in which identification with emotions plays a fundamental role. Being able to relate to these descriptions enriches our ability to fantasize about reality and how it "could be" beyond what it "already is" - our notion of the horizon. Examples that can illustrate theoretical and subjective aspects make the learning process more enjoyable and less indifferent so that listeners can create their relationships with the content shared.

Yes. Stories are emotional and appeals the audience. Experiences are authentic and have a personal touch. Use them extensively.

Practicing your speech is indeed crucial for delivering a successful presentation, start by rehearsing your speech on your own (this can be weird first, but it's worth!) - it will help you become familiar with your content and build your confidence. Pay attention to your pacing, tone, and gestures as you practice. Also, try to enlist the help of a friend, colleague, or mentor to provide constructive feedback to enrich different perspectives. Ask them to evaluate your content, delivery, and overall presentation style - and try to be open to their suggestions for improvement!

Some of the best ways to practice: - Record yourself, listen to it and adjust - Perform for a friend and get feedback, but do so in the context of a comversation and gage the value of your ideas to get the most valid feedback - Perform for a peer and get feedback from someone who is an expected part of the target audience - Perform for a group. Things to look out for when practicing: - Pacing and pauses - Cadence and rythm - Pronounciation and clarity of words - Logical structure and delivery of the "why" - Your voice, how loud it is and if you fidget, flail or distract from the speech in some way.

Practicing your speech beforehand is not something one should overlook, especially if the topic is not so familiar. While rehearsing, you can hear out what you’ve actually written and that helps tremendously to polish your presentation. You can also try rehearsing with the outfit you’ll be delivering the speech. Dressed on will help you get the feeling you’re already in-front of your audience, giving you more confidence when on stage. Remember, you brain likes repeating situations as they feel familiar and it tries to improve every time.

Unpopular opinion coming in. Don't try to be seen as an expert in areas you are not. You know, people will know. No preparation or tactic can make up for you pretending you are an expert in a field you are not. I often get asked to shine a light on other social media networks than LinkedIn. I will not. Why? Because I am not an expert, and can only give my opinion which might not be the best advice. Speaking from your own experience as a non-expert ofcourse is possible. Just be sure to mention this in the beginning and remember to be authentic, as authenticity always builds trust

Instead of "how to", think "how I". Pretending to know matter you don't is the worst thing for both the audience or you. If you can talk about your experience in whatever your talking about or relate principles to something you've done, it will be useful. For example, let's say you're learning how to run ads and you were in the education industry before; instead of talking about how to run campaigns (which you haven't done), talk about scope of paid social in education. Or even talk about how you've gone about learning it for your use case, or even why you're learning it in the first place.

Some people are perfectionist. They even take a pride in that approach. It’s good, but sometimes you will not even start off. Better option is start somewhere and keep improvising. With digital, most postings are editable.

You don't. You network diligently with other speakers to help the organizer find the right person for the event and do a warm hand off. That's what a professional does. You're a professional. Bonus: negotiate a finder's fee with other speakers. Usually it's 10-30% of the gig

I have a podcast where I interview TEDx speakers on their talks, of which I am never an expert. If you are speaking on a subject you don't know inside and out, you better put in the time required to sound intelligent when you open your mouth, or it could be a long night for you. Everybody wants to be successful - not many are willing to spend the hours and hours behind the scenes (that nobody will see or acknowledge) that is required to make that a reality. This is exactly that. Speaking outside of your wheelhouse whether at work in a presentation, on a podcast, or in front of a live audience requires immense preparation. I wish there was a secret to doing it. Sadly, it's just elbow grease.

Seriously. Don’t. Don’t fake it. If they need an expert. Don’t do it. If they don’t need an expert - still. Why are you doing it? If they do t need an expert but just want you. Be you. But don’t fake it. Don’t do it No one likes an inauthentic speaker.

Unless there is a particular reason why you have to speak on a topic that is not familiar to you, I’d recommend you refrain from it. It affects your brand positioning and may trip you over. If you have to (for whatever reason), I’d suggest you work with subject matter expert who can walk the journey with you and credit them in your presentation.

‘Expert’ is a term that evokes reliability and trust. When you know you have some sort of influence over your audience and they seek you out for your knowledge in a particular field, you have a responsibility not to abuse that ‘trust’. Having said that, speak on an unfamiliar topic ONLY if you MUST. And before you do that, make sure you’ve talked to the subject matter experts to be able to share their knowledge. Quote them during your talk. Be authentic.