How to give a talk that engages the audience

: Published: 02 October 2024

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By Claire Doole, www.doolecommunications.com

“We are a new women’s networking group in Geneva and would love you to talk for 40 minutes about your career in communications”, says Valentine Honoré, the founder of the Curiosity Club.

My first reaction was, do I really want to talk about myself?

The second, was do I have anything to say?

And my third, 40 minutes is far too long.

You would think I would jump at the chance of talking to this group of women. But I have spent most of my professional life not talking about myself. I have always been most comfortable when asking questions as a journalist, or conference moderator, speaking on behalf of an organization or training people to speak in public or to the media!

Although the invite was out of my comfort zone, I thought it would be good to put myself in the shoes of the clients I train and coach in public speaking. They often tell me that they are also uncomfortable talking about themselves even though they know that personal stories help people connect.

Below are some tips and techniques on how I went about telling my story.