Lots of people hate the idea of speaking in public. Many people rank it ahead of death on their fear list. Given the trepidation that a public speaking event brings, it’s a good idea to be ready in advance. Use the following advice to help you hone your public speaking skills.
Preparation is key when it comes to making a good impression when speaking in public. Identify what points you wish to make. Perform research for supporting your statements, if you can. Write down your speech. Practice your speech a number of times until you have it memorized. The better prepared you are, the more confident you’ll be when delivering the speech.
While delivering your speech, look at your audience. Don’t allow anything to distract you, no matter what may be going on around the room or auditorium. Your goal is to make believers out of your audience, and to do this, you must give them your full attention.
You need to be properly prepared when you have a speaking engagement. Know what you’re going to say. Back up your words with thorough research. Write down what you want to say. Practice until you know the speech by heart. Being well prepared allows you to feel confident when the time comes for you to make your actual speech.
Know what you are talking about, inside and out. Research your topic completely. Then, write down the key points you want to touch on during your speech. It will be worth it when you find the audience asking questions.
Know who your audience is. If you know who is attending, it will help you to engage them better. If you are able to. try greeting some of them and learning some names. Your speech will be much more relaxed if you feel friendly with the audience.
If public speaking makes you nervous, use deep breathing techniques. Taking deep breaths will allow you to relax yourself before speaking. Inhale and exhale counting to four each time. Repeat six times, and you will feel much calmer.
If you notice that you left something out, simply press on. If you stop abruptly to backtrack to the missing section, the whole speech might be compromised. In general, the audience is not going to know that you missed a small portion of your prepared speech.
Dress appropriately for any speech you’re giving. Your appearance contributes greatly to your confidence level. Wear a necktie if you want to draw the audience’s attention towards your face.
Avoid alcohol before you deliver your speech. Though it may work to loosen you up, that might just be a bad idea. You do not want your speech to fall flat because you are too intoxicated to remember what you wanted to convey in your speech.
You should know your speech to become comfortable with it. Pick a topic that really interests you and that you have a personal connection with. Keep a conversational tone and impress your audience.
Learning how to breathe properly can help you relax before speaking in public. Prior to getting up on stage, engage in some deep breathing. Breath in and out very slowly, counting to four or five on each inhale and exhale. Do this six times to calm yourself down.
Go over your speech several times before you deliver it. You will feel more at ease with the material once you have done this. While having the speech memorized is ideal, you should carry note cards with you to the podium. This will give you peace of mind because you will be able to peek at your notes should you forget what you’re about to say.
To help people remember what you said, make a fantastic ending. Your conclusion should not fall short of keeping their attention. If you end in a boring manner, people will not remember your speech for very long.
Note Cards
Even if the event you’re speaking at is casual, dress nice. You will speak more confidently, if you are dressed nicely. Consider a tie because it draws the eye to your face and helps people focus on what you are saying.
Make use of note cards. Even though it is best that you memorize your speech, keeping a hard copy of it close by is a good idea. Your entire speech need not be written out, but make note cards on the key points to make sure you do not forget anything.
Keep your voice clear and sharp when delivering. Keep water near you when you are speaking. Also consider avoiding dairy and carbonated beverages the day you’ll be giving your speech. You may end up with excess mucous during your speech. Hot tea prior to your speech can help relax the vocal chords.
Picture your upcoming speech in your head. Try to see yourself from the perspective of the audience. When you do this, it will elevate your confidence and make it easier for you to craft your speech.
Wait until after your speech to enjoy a beer. While it might seem wise, it can actually backfire. It would be pretty awful to be all set to make your speech and then realize you forgot everything you were going to talk about because the alcohol has clouded your thinking.
Never wing a speech that you plan to deliver. This should never be attempted, no matter how well you know your subject material. While your delivery may be okay, you want more than that. The problem is, you might also forget some very important details along the way.
Start your speech by telling a story. You can talk about something that happened to you or something that happened to someone else. This will make you subject matter seem more human. Make certain that you share information that is appropriate for the audience.
Who is your audience? Each audience is bound to have different expectations with regards to your speech. For example, colleagues will want to learn something from your speech. Loved ones usually want to be entertained. Despite the audience, give them exactly what they want.
You need to master your material in order to gain true confidence. Make sure that you pick a subject matter that you are well versed in and personally passionate about. Stay conversational while delivering your speech. Use your knowledge to impress your audience.
It’s easy to see why so many people are more afraid of making a speech than passing into the next life. However, don’t let fear rob you of the opportunity of becoming a dynamic public speaker. Use the information presented here to help you master the art of public speaking.