6 Apps to Help You Deliver Killer Speeches and Presentations
I am a big fan of TED Talks!
The way people from all circles of life come up, narrating their perspectives and research helps me to nourish my intellect. What would I do if I had a chance to go up there and speak, you ask?
First of all, I’d faint, and as soon as I am back to my senses, I WOULD RUN!
The thought of speaking in public makes me sweat and gets my heart pounding. Ever since my school days, the idea of stepping up on the podium and expressing myself would give me jitters. I recently came to know this condition is popular as Glossophobia (the fear of public speaking).
And it isn’t rare. Famous leaders like Mahatama Gandhi and Warren Buffet went through harrowing symptoms on stage during their initial days. They overcame it with practice. But for us, things are so much easier now. Recently, my friend introduced me to a new dimension of mobile apps. Of over 4 billion apps collectively found in Google and Apple Stores, there is a list of apps to help you overcome stage fright and rock the event with your impressive speeches and presentations.
I am going to try a few and PROBABLY volunteer to represent my team at the next company conference. Let’s have a look at apps I think every glossophobic should download.
1) Public Speaking by HiveBrain
Hivebrain is a self-hypnosis and meditation programme curated specially for beginners. Under the guidance of Dr Andrew Johnson, it will provide positive suggestions for your unconscious mind. It targets speakers’ anxiety and teaches you the tips to get over these jitters. The optimistic instructions of this app allow you to remain calm and focused during your speech sessions.
As a person begins to feel fantastic about himself/herself, it gives a boost to their motivation and confidence. Determination replaces anxiety, and poise replaces the instability. You can find further info on how to deliver impactful speeches here.
2) Ummo
You must have noticed how some presenters use a lot of “ums” and “likes” out of a natural habit. Ummo helps you weed out these filler words from your speeches. It listens to the address and sends out a mini video alert when you use the filler words. It also produces a transcript, highlighting the spots where you add filler phrases or words.
It dishes out other stats like the words you speak per minute, total word count, the places where you pause, and the overall clarity of speech. Currently, Ummo is an iPhone app. However, the creators expect to see more passive applications like wearables in the future.
3) Pro Metronome
The rush to end your speech and get the endeavour over is natural. But have you ever wondered: what happens to the audience when you are speaking at the speed of light? For one, your words do not make the desired impact.
Pro Metronome is a tool that helps you master your daily practice and stage performances. So far, 3 million people have enjoyed its benefits on iOS, and now its entering into the Android landscape. It will help you learn to pace, and you can follow different beats. The app also contains a polyrhythmic feature to help the speaker hear and visualize intricate beat patterns.
The interface is easy-to-use and incredibly powerful. Begin practicing your speeches on this app until you are following a pace between 110 – 160 words per minute (the criterion of a clear and conversational speech).
4) Kahoot!
Kahoot! is an app where you can create, play, and host a quiz. It may seem out of context here, but this app trains the user for public speaking and teamwork. These are the essential ingredients of a presentation. Also, the distinct features of this app allow you to gamify your content. Through this app, you can put together party trivia in minutes and host for the audience.
The app allows you to add images and videos for reinforcement of ideas. It also rescues you out of the misery by making presentations last-minute. When using apps like Kahoot! or any other app in stores, make sure you check out its rating and developer reputation. There are many avenues that conduct assessments of apps like appadvice.com. I would recommend you to go through these before you opt for your final downloading decision.
5) LikeSo
This app appears like a game, but the underlying purpose is pretty serious – it intends to help improve the public speaking capability of the user. Mainly designed for teens and tweens, this app helps them get aware of the filler words they usually use. When the app points out these words and phrases, the speaker can consciously pull them out of his/her speech.
LikeSo contains two games: FreeStyle and TalkAbout. The latter has eleven categories. Meanwhile, FreeStyle helps the user to practice their speech by focusing on a topic or speak about the random issues around them. The motive of this app is to track the usage of useless words. The detailed report provided at the end will help the user to improve their future speeches.
6) Voice Analyst
The words you have on your script might be powerful, but if the method of delivery isn’t, well, it won’t bring any good results. The Voice Analyst app will help you to evaluate your volume and pitch as you speak. You can then save your recordings or email for further analysis.
It will provide you instant acoustic and visual feedback, highlighting the areas you must work on. Plus, this app is the winner of the Medilink South West 2020 award for Digital Health.
Final Words
How we deliver the speech is just as important as the primary message we try to convey. Besides the verbal part of the speech or presentation, you should also focus on the non-verbal part. Your body language, your tone, your attire, and practically every gesture you make out there on the stage. This is what I learned after assessing all apps in the stores.
My spirits after this blog are pretty high. Who knows, you might get to see me in the next TEDx Season? One can always dream, right?
If you liked this, you might also like
5 Apps to Make You a Better Public Speaker
Fear and Nerves are Normal – Here’s How to Deal with Them
3 Simple Tricks I Learned from Giving the Most Important Speech of My Life
Andrea Bell
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- 6 Apps to Help You Deliver Killer Speeches and Presentations - 18th March 2020
