Speaking in front of people

[RemyZee]

I was asked to do a mini presentation with several other people who have various disabilities--the theme is "disability etiquette" and the basic idea is to talk about how non disabled people should act around disabled people. I'm responsible for doing the part on autism. I am not what you would call good at public speaking, and wanted to ask people on this forum: are there things you wish normals knew about how to relate to us autistic and how not to? Things nt people do that bug you or belittle you or say to you that are rude or ignorant? The presentation is only 5 minutes

 

[Rodafina]

How about something more positive than, "don't do this..." or "this bothers us..."? I would focus on an invitation to ask questions to better understand autistic people's unique situations and clear up assumptions being made. I might also highlight the idea of invisible disabilities and explain how it feels to experience social or sensory overwhelm while trying to still function.

You can't get too profound in 5 minutes, and I think it's better to gain understanding from others rather than tell them what not to do.

 

[FayetheADHDsquirrel]

We are not toddlers. We understand more than we are often given credit for. We don't need all the baby talk.

 

[Atrapa Almas]

I would say:

1- Dont figure out how we feel or how we are reading our body language or facial expressions. Just ask.

2- Once you ask, be ready to listen and try to accept how we actually think or feel about something.

3- We are different, see the world in a different way. So dont try to anulate our differences to make us more like you.

 

[NDR2]

Give us a chance and take time to get to know us better. Don’t let the little foibles turn you off. Our “negatives” may not necessarily be intentional and the positives may outweigh them.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

As an instructor/educator both at a university and at the hospital, I do quite a bit of public speaking.

Some tips:
1. Know your audience. I always take a few minutes before starting to ask the audience questions. Education background, experience, and what do they expect to learn today. This way you have a feel for your level of language and approach, but also what to emphasize, even if it means deviating a bit from your original presentation.
2. Find moments to engage the audience in Q & A. Break it up from time to time. Pull them back into the conversation and re-engage them.
3. Find common ground. Throw out useful tips and tricks that will help them in their daily lives. Make it relevant to their experience.

In your case, your audience is primarily "disabled" individuals. Elaborating upon how "non-disabled" should interact with them might not be helpful. This is not your audience. You aren't speaking to the "non-disabled". See my point here?

Given your audience, I might approach this from a "life skills" and "psychological" perspective. "When someone says this,....(give your example)....how does this make you feel?" "What do you want to say?" "What do you actually say and do?" "How does it effect your self-esteem?" THEN, based upon whether the comment was malicious or simply ignorant, you can discuss POSITIVE ways to handle these situations socially and emotionally.

 

[Crossbreed]

The biggest takeaway for the "non-disabled" should be

1. that ASD1 is a difference, not a defect; and
2. that ASD2 & 3 are ASD1 with "complications."

 

[Pats]

A lot of what is thought about autistics is wrong. Like being uncaring - not true, they just can't see what's going on inside us and assume just because we don't know the correct thing to say and it just seems to match up with what they've heard. While, in reality, we care so deeply that we struggle with whatever is going on that we're accused of not caring about. Struggle to the point that our own life is affected.

 

[Aspychata]

Perhaps if you discuss ASD as being disabled then you may be doing a disservice to all listening. So l guess l am lost in understanding if you are presenting a topic of challenges all people face, which is just clear concise communication skills, or can you branch off into things like eye contact can be a struggle for us. We may fidget and shift, but we don't mean to be rude, we may not understand nuances or shades of certain words, so concise short explanations are so appreciated. We may not understand your humor, but we may laugh to fit in. Emotions can be tricky for us, we may not "get it" until we spend sometime thinking about a speaker and their message.