Never turn down an opportunity to speak to the public. After all, you give presentations all the time, whether you’re trying to explain what you do for a living to your daughter’s kindergarten class (or skeptical relatives on holidays), giving a listing presentation while seated at Emily Brown’s kitchen table, or (cross your fingers) addressing a joint session of Congress. And every presentation is an opportunity for your audience to readily realize that you are knowledgeable, articulate, accessible, charming — and therefore someone they want to know, someone they want to trust with their hopes and dreams … and maybe even their money, their house or their votes.

“But I’m afraid to speak in public,” you say with a sad smile and a defeated shrug. Well, guess what: You’re an adult, so get over it (and have a little faith in yourself). You have to speak in public. To refuse is bad for business — and for your career. The 10 scalable suggestions below should help:

1. Research the topic. You must understand the subject better than anyone in the audience does. And when you know that you understand the subject better than anyone in the audience, your self-confidence will bloom, and it’ll be easier to speak.

2. Define your audience. Every presentation is designed for a specific audience. Is the presentation for children, for teens, for adults, for adults of a certain age, for men, for women, for your friends and relatives, for the general public, for professionals or for people interested in a specialized subject — like buying and selling homes?

3. Write the presentation. Never give a presentation off-the-cuff. Include personal examples to illustrate the points you make. Audiences like that!

This is my own ideal structure for a presentation:

  • I tell the audience what I’m going to tell them. (The Introduction)
  • I tell it to them. (The Body)
  • I tell them what I just told them. (The Conclusion)
  • Finally, I tell them to do something. (The Call to Action)

You need people to know you and to trust you. The fastest way to accomplish that is to stand in front of the people and talk to them, and 500 at a time is quicker than one at a time.

Thank you for your attention, and keep up the good work!

David Redic has worked as a programmer, data analyst, website builder, IT Director, tech writer, copy editor and educational film maker. He’s currently the webmaster at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices – Kovack Realtors, and he also blogs about wine.

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×