Presenting with Autism
Someone asked me about presenting tips for professionals with autism who struggle with some anxiety and speaking too quickly.
Here’s what I shared based on what I have learned about public speaking:
Practice the Pace. Use a timer to know how fast you are delivering the presentation and track your progress. If you need to slow down, your time should go up. It is also helpful to record yourself and video run times become helpful evidence of how you are doing.
Bullet Proof Sound. Don’t rely too heavily on a script, which can come across monotone or unnatural. Use bullet points and add color in your own words. The bullets make it easier to recover if you lose your place. Again, practicing helps with sounding natural. Steve Jobs practiced up to 90 hours for each Apple keynote to sound so natural!
Borrow from the Best. Emulate good speakers. Find those who speak well to you and do as they do. I model news reporters so I will watch videos of them on YouTube to get a sense of their style and then apply that to my own presentation. Imitation is a really helpful tool for me.
Intentional Eyes. You don’t have to force eye contact, but you can also take control by making a plan for your eyes. Scanning the room is more natural than focusing on only one spot so choose two or three focal points such as a person, the back wall, or the top of someone’s head to vary your gaze. Giving yourself a little pattern for eyes to follow will build confidence.
Pause…. Pausing is not awkward. And it isn’t only for dramatic effect. Pausing helps you breathe, think, and chunk information in a way that supports audio processing. Some neurodivergent people process information through echolalia, which is repeating words internally or externally to understand them. A few seconds of silence feels much longer to you than to the audience.
Hands up! Finally, if you don’t know what to do with your hands, consider the steeple gesture. Touching fingertips with palms separated. While this formation is generally a leadership power move and nonverbal sign of confidence,as a bonus, it can also function as a self-soothing stimming behavior and helps to regulate anxiety, stress, or sensory input.
You don’t have to hide your autistic traits to present effectively. With preparation, structure, and intentional pacing you have the strengths to be an effective presenter.