Speaking in public often falls at the top of the list of things that people fear the most. Some folks even think that it is scarier than dying. Since speaking in public can be so intimidating, it is a good idea to prepare ahead of time by implementing some ideas. Break down your public speaking problems with the following ideas and advice.
When you practice your speech, be sure to time it. This way, you can remain within the time you are allotted. Find more information if you need to make your speech longer. Finally, don’t rush when speaking.
When you speak in public, preparation is critical. Know what you want to say. Make sure you can back up your point of view with facts. Write down the ideas you wish to convey. Rehearse your comments until you master them. The better prepared you are, the more confident you’ll be when delivering the speech.
Know your speech through and through. Once you can recite your speech from memory at any point of day, then you can work on delivery. Memorizing the speech itself also frees you up for improvisation later on.
Make eye contact with your audience as much as you can. Don’t get distracted by whatever else is happening. It is important to pay attention to the audience if you expect their attention in return.
Make sure that you know your audience. If you can, learn who the individuals are who are expected to attend. If you can, greet some of them as they walk in the door and learn their names. You will feel more comfortable, and so will your audience if you are engaging them on a personal level.
Focus on the truth when speaking in public. Prior to getting on stage, sketch out what you want to say. Make sure you have an intro, body, and conclusion. If you relate the story to something personal or some other event that truly happened, your story will be more natural.
Preparation is important when you give a speech. Know what you want to say. Do research to support your statements if necessary. Jot down notes of anything you’ll be conveying so you can scan over them while giving your speech. Go over them each day until you can confidently speak it from memory. Being well prepared allows you to feel confident when the time comes for you to make your actual speech.
Know your audience when giving a speech. Test the acoustics and the mic to see how much you have to project. Practice with the equipment to learn how it operates. Learn how you can use any of the visual aids if they are present. Get an idea of how much range of eye contact you need to make.
Keep going if you accidentally omit a certain sentence from your speech. Do not pause to go back, it might set you off course. Also, people will notice it more if you backtrack.
Learning how to breathe properly can help you relax before speaking in public. Before speaking, breathe in deeply and exhale fully several times to center and prepare yourself. Breathe in for a count of four, and then breathe out for a count of five. Do this about 6 times to calm yourself down.
Learn as much as you can about the subject you are presenting. You should even know facts and jokes about the topic of your speech. You can work these things into your speech to add time, engage the audience, and make yourself sound like a real professional. Be prepared for more questions on the subject.
Practice all that you can prior to your speech. Try giving your speech while looking in a mirror, or record it and play it back to find out how to make it better. You can also practice in front of your friends or family for constructive criticism.
Bring your audience to your corner before starting your speech. If possible, meet some of them prior to your speech. The audience is sure to show appreciation if you have a great attitude.
Practice your speech as often as possible. This is a great boost to your confidence, as you really understand everything about what’s in the speech beforehand. Even after you’ve memorized the speech, bring the notes with you when you take the podium. They can be a real help if you’ve forgotten a section and you need to get back on track.
Make eye contact with your audience as much as you can. Don’t let yourself get distracted by things occurring around the room. Your goal is to make believers out of your audience, and to do this, you must give them your full attention.
Practice your speech as much as you possibly can. Try practicing in the mirror and use different facial expressions and hand motions. Ask those close to you to allow you to deliver the speech to them and give you feedback. It will allow you to make adjustments to the errors that you find too.
Give a great ending to your speech. You want the entire thing to be memorable, but chances are, your audience will best remember the last few things that you say. If your ending is boring, it will quickly leave the minds of your audience.
Prior to giving your speech, warm up your audience. That does not mean that you open with a joke. For instance, you can talk about an incident that occurred as you traveled to the event if it is something that your audience can relate to. This will help you connect with the audience.
After you know your speech inside and out, practice it! This will allow you time to tweak the speech if needed. You need to work on breathing and proper pacing. Leave time for interruptions like laughter and applause. Whenever possible, practice your speech on the very equipment you will use.
Think positive thoughts. Being nervous is okay. There isn’t a person alive who does not feel nervous before giving a speech. But, you need to stop yourself from thinking negative thoughts. By thinking you won’t do well, you probably won’t. Think about succeeding, and you’ll be more likely to succeed.
Don’t tell the people how afraid you are. Your speech will usually hold more weight without that confession. Usually, the audience has no idea that you’re nervous. Try to give off a very confident image.
Public Speaking
Familiarize yourself with the venue where you will speak. Learn how far your voice carries if there is not a microphone. Implement equipment if need be. Utilize visual presentations to help your content reach the audience. Make sure you understand what an appropriate level of eye contact is.
As mentioned earlier, the fear of public speaking is among the top five everyone has, and some even fear public speaking more than they do death. However, you need not let your own fear of speaking in public grip you. Apply what you have learned from this article to control yourself and speak in public well.