Communications expert explains how a 5-minute self-tape can drastically improve speaking skills

Public speaking often tops people's lists of biggest fears, probably because they imagine it means giving a speech on stage in front of thousands of people. While it can mean that, public speaking can also mean giving a presentation in front of your coworkers, sharing your thoughts and opinions in a meeting, or even just telling a story to a small group of people. Public speaking is just communicating to an audience, and it's something most of us do more often than we might think.

It's also a skill we can improve, as communication expert Vinh Giang helps people do. Someone asked Giang what three tips he would give to become a "brilliant" public speaker, and he responded with super-specific advice.

"One of the most powerful things you can do is a process called 'record and review,'" he said in a YouTube video. "Simply record a 5-minute video of yourself. And you need to speak improvised. Don't look at it straightaway; you are too damn self-critical."

It's not the video itself, but how you review it the next day, that really matters.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Giang says you should review the video in three stages, each focused on a different element of speaking:

Step 1: Analyze how you sound

Turn the volume up, press play, then set your phone face down so you don't see yourself. "Just listen," Giang said. "Audit the auditory component of your voice, known as your 'vocal image.' What do you like about it? What don't you like about it?"

Step 2: Analyze how you look

Now do the opposite. Turn the volume all the way down, press play, and watch the video. "Just look at yourself," said Giang. "How's your body language? What are your facial expressions like? Do a visual audit of your visual image."

Step 3: Analyze what you say

Lastly, transcribe your video. Make sure you leave in all of the fillers like "um" and "uh" and "like." "Bring all your non-words and filler words to the forefront of your mind," Giang said. "That's robbing you of clarity every time you talk."

Most of us can improve our speaking skills.Photo credit: Canva

Doing those three things allows you to see the specific places where your speaking skills have room for improvement. "You basically have a mirror in front of you," said Giang. Part of what makes it hard to improve as a speaker is that we can't see ourselves doing it, and we're so inside our own heads when we speak that we have trouble even hearing ourselves. In less than one minute, Giang offered an actionable, step-by-step way to overcome those problems.

According to comments on the video, people appreciated his clear, concise advice:

"Really good advice. At root he's talking about self-awareness: Being aware of what works and what doesn't work when speaking in public. The more you are self-aware, the more control you have, and the more control you have the more confident you become, which in turn means the more impact your speaking will have on others."

"Facial expressions can be a significant impediment. I was reviewing a knowledge transfer video call with a colleague that I recorded and realized my resting face is an angry face. I'm determined to make an effort to relax my scowl and smile more."

Facial expressions make a difference in how an audience feels about your speaking.Photo credit: Canva

"Also if you do this with this video its all on point - listen no video, he sounds great, good vocal image watch no video, he looks great, good visual image captions have no filler, good use of every utterance good to know that he himself uses these teachings."

"Pretty solid advice. Most of the time we fail to perceive how we look in front of people. What we think and what people actually see are often vastly different. This not only solves that but also makes you practice for more clarity."

"Such a humbling experience to watch and listen to yourself, especially if public speaking is not your strength."

Most of us have some room for improvement in our speaking skills, so this advice is helpful for a wide range of people.

You can follow Vinh Giang on YouTube for more communication tips.