Austin Scholar #88: My 5 top rules for public speaking, plus Elon Musk’s pitching structure

& how I learned the art of public speaking

Hey, y'all!

This week from Austin Scholar...

1. Austin’s Anecdote: How I learned the art of public speaking

2. My 5 top rules for public speaking, plus Elon Musk’s pitching structure

3. Scholar’s Sources: More life skills courses

Breaking news: I got accepted into a university!! No longer can I have any twisty thoughts about not being able to go to college, because I’ve been accepted into the University of Manchester. Very very exciting.

Aside from spending this week stressing out about college acceptances, I’ve been watching the Rangers’ World Series games both in Dallas and on our couch. Baseball remains my favorite way to bond with my dad.

I’ll make sure to keep y’all updated on my college decisions!!

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Austin’s Anecdote: How I learned the art of public speaking

Three thousand people heard me speak on my Twitter Space this last week. Three thousand people. Giving a speech. Live.

That’s most people’s nightmare.

But I’ve been doing this since the fourth grade.

I gave my first public speech at the end of my fourth-grade year, just a few weeks after I switched schools. I was trying to earn my Hero’s Interview check (checks were basically just the requirements for graduation), meaning I had to act as one of my “heroes” while the head of school interviewed me in front of all of the students.

I was absolutely terrified.

I already didn’t like talking with people I wasn’t super close with (total introvert at heart), and now I had to give an actual talk?! While everyone was watching?!

No thanks.

But I was so motivated to complete my checks that I pushed through it. I got up there (as Coco Chanel, of course) and thought of how amazing it would feel to have done this successfully.

And yes, my answers were stilted and clearly rehearsed, I was shaking, and I messed up two of my answers. But I did it.

And then my journey of public speaking started.

To complete more checks, I gave storytalks dramatizing skiing exploits and TED talks on how to tell when someone’s lying and why we’re actually living in a dystopian novel. Motivated to continue earning checks by giving these speeches, I became more and more confident on stage. 

Yeah, I might mess up, but the world didn’t end when I messed up before.

And not only was I getting better at giving official speeches, but these skills I learned – communicating my ideas clearly, speaking confidently, and pausing and pacing my words – started transferring to my day-to-day life.

Whether I’m meeting someone new, pitching my Masterpiece, or arguing with one of my friends about an interpretation of a book, I’ve found myself using these skills.

This all culminated last week on my Twitter Space, where I used everything I learned to interview the best minds in education (including Ana Lorena Fabrega, rebelEducator, David Perell, Austen Allred, and more!!) and give a thirty-minute speech on my beliefs.

It was a lot, but wow, it was rewarding. I’m so proud of what I was able to accomplish.

All those years ago, I couldn’t have imagined giving a talk in front of thousands of people. But here I am.

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My 5 top rules for public speaking, plus Elon Musk’s pitching structure

I’d like to start off by saying that public speaking is an art. It’s about connecting with people and communicating effectively, all in a beautifully packaged way.

But, as I often talk about in my newsletter, “art” can be broken down and learned.

So, here are the five skills for your kid to learn so they can feel confident (and master the art of!) public speaking: