Recording yourself is a bad idea (if you want to improve at public speaking)

Photo by Sam McGhee on Unsplash

‘Record your presentation and watch it back.’ This can be the most unhelpful piece of advice you receive, especially if you are a beginner speaker. Although it sounds like good practice you start pulling apart your presentation which creates a negative speaking experience. You need positive speaking experiences to improve your confidence.

You get into the circle of doom which starts by watching yourself back. As a result you find everything that was wrong with your presentation. You then try to avoid what happened last time. Instead you should be aiming to improve in one specific area.

Recording yourself can be a confidence breaker.

Don’t watch other speakers either

This also goes against the grain. In fact it sounds like a great strategy to watch what other speakers do. But even the very best public speakers start from the ground floor — they were once a beginner speaker.

They will have practiced and practiced and practiced over many years to craft their speaking style and build connection with their audience. Watching the great public speakers makes you focus on the gap between where you are now and where you want to be. Focusing on the outcome makes that gap seem bigger than it is. Instead…