One of people’s top five fears is the act of public speaking. Some folks even think that it is scarier than dying. Therefore, it is important to practice in advance in order to boost your confidence. Implement these advice and ideas in order to solve your problems with public speaking.
Don’t assume that people will automatically know what you mean. It’s your job to make your speech appealing so that you can earn and keep their attention. Since this is technically a performance, you have to work to get the desired results.
In order to make the best presentation when speaking publicly, you must prepare thoroughly. Know what you intend to say. Research if you need support for your statements. Write down what you want to say. Practice daily until you know your speech by heart. Sound preparation lets you feel comfortable when the time happens that you must speak.
Public speaking needs to be taken seriously. You can’t just get up and speak and expect that everyone will hang on to your every word automatically. You have to put in your best effort if you want people to connect with you and stay with you throughout your speech. This is a performance, which means that you will have to work hard in order to get the results you want.
Make sure you know your material completely. Even when you memorize your speech, it is good to know facts, figures and even jokes and stories related to your topic. Pay attention to how your audience is responding. It’s also good to use them to help reinforce your points in your speech by offering a question and answer session as a follow up.
Know the room before you speak in public. See the distance that your voice will carry without a microphone. Use the equipment on hand, if necessary. Learn how to use any visual aids that might be present. Find out what eye contact range you should have.
If you accidentally skipped over a sentence, forget it and keep going. Stopping during the speech to return to the point may cause you to go off the rails. Also, people will notice it more if you backtrack.
Time your speech. You can then edit your speech so it does not extend past the time allowed. Find more information if you need to make your speech longer. The final tip is to avoid rushing through your speech.
Deep Breathing
Practice deep breathing exercises if you are the type who is anxious when you speak in public. Prior to getting up on stage, engage in some deep breathing. Breath using four-count nasal inhales and five-count mouth exhales. You’ll feel yourself relaxing after you do this five or six times.
Practicing your speech is a great way to become confident. You can try recording the speech or practicing the speech in front of your mirror to spot any areas that need improvement. Practicing before loved ones is an ideal method since they can offer the best criticism.
If you’re preparing your speech ahead of time, memorize it before doing anything else. After you are able to do the speech from memory, you will be able to refine your delivery. Having your speech memorized in advance also gives you a chance to ad lib comfortably on the stage.
Don’t drink alcohol before a speech. Though it may work to loosen you up, that might just be a bad idea. Nothing is more awful than reaching the podium and drawing a blank on what to say, simply because you are drunk.
Know the ins and outs of what your speech will be about. Pick an interesting topic that you’re experienced with. If your tone is conversational, that will give you an upper hand. Nobody wants to be confused by complicated jargon that is difficult to understand.
Make sure to make your audience your ally. Smile when entering the room, and you can try shaking hands if you’re able. When you give off a positive vibe prior to your speech, the audience will be more interested in what you have to say.
Make sure you know your material completely. While memorizing your speech is important, it’s just as important to know other facts and figures or even stories and jokes as they relate to your subject matter Work them in when you can to see how your audience reacts. Also, use them to answer questions and back up the substance of your speech.
Practice your speech until it’s perfect. Do this while looking in the mirror to see how you look. Try getting feedback from family when doing dry runs of speeches for them. Good preparation ensures that you will make the best presentation possible.
To help people remember what you said, make a fantastic ending. This is what people are going to remember the most. If the conclusion is lackluster, the audience is likely to forget the whole presentation.
Note cards really can be helpful. Though memorizing your speech is always wise, keeping a written copy on hand is also smart. You don’t have to have the speech in its entirety before you as you stand at the podium, but your key points should at least be jotted down.
Make eye contact with your audience as much as you can. Don’t turn your attention elsewhere. If you want to engage your audience, you need to give them all of your attention.
Visual Aids
Don’t use visual aids that are too distracting or dazzling. This will help to accentuate your speech. You do not want them to overwhelm your message. Use visual aids as a way to make a point. Make them colorful and pleasing to the eye while not distracting listeners from paying attention to what you are saying.
Picture the speech when you have a speech scheduled. You want to imagine both the speech and how the audience reacts. Watching yourself speak and hearing the listeners react well can help you feel more prepared for the actual event.
You can become better at public speaking by telling a story that is true. Have your outline fully prepared. There should be a beginning, middle and an end to communicate your ideas. Be sure you use true life events in order to sound really authentic.
Allow people to ask questions at any point during your speech. This is important to keep them on their toes. The audience likes to interact, so give them the attention they need.
Prior to getting to the meat of your speech, try and get the audience to connect with you. You don’t always have to tell them a joke to accomplish this. Just share a little story from your life or about your day that they can identify with. This is helpful when establishing a connection with your listeners.
This article previously mentioned that speaking in public is a top fear listed by so many people. This doesn’t mean that fear of speaking in public should overwhelm you, however. Use the tips you’ve just been given, and you will become an effective and confident public speaker.
Take a look at the environment you are about to speak in. If you won’t be using a microphone, make sure you find out how far and how well your voice will carry. Practice with the equipment to learn how it operates. Learn how to use any visual aids that might be present. Figure out how much eye contact you must make.