At one point or another, you are probably going to have to speak before others. Regardless of who you are talking to, it is crucial that you have good public speaking skills. The following advice will help build your confidence when you get up in front of others.
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 need to make an effort to get and keep their attention. Your speech is a performance, you have to make people want to listen.
Be as familiar as possible with your material. Think about the material that you are trying to get across. Insert them and gauge how your audience reacts to them. They can also help you when it comes time for the audience to ask questions.
You need to be properly prepared when you have a speaking engagement. Be prepared when it comes to your topic. Educate yourself on the topic, if you have to. Write down what you want to say. Try practicing this speech until you know it by heart. Being prepared will make you confident when you step up to the podium.
Pay Attention
Make sure you look at your audience when giving a speech. Do not let yourself become distracted by something else happening in the room. You want your audience to pay attention to you, so you need to pay attention to them as well.
Practice your speech repeatedly. This will allow you time to tweak the speech if needed. Consider your pace and breathing. Leave time for any audience interruptions that may occur. Practice your speaking in the environment where you will give your speech.
After committing your speech to memory, practice it over and over. Try practicing tweaking your speech when you can. Pay attention to your speed and to how you breathe as well. You should pause every now and again to allow the audience to indicate their approval with applause. Use the equipment you are going to use for the speech to practice if you can.
When making a public speech, become acquainted with the room. Test your voice in it to see how far it projects if you aren’t using a microphone. Get a good feel for any equipment you may need to use. Visual aids can be very important in your speech. Figure out to make eye contact with those in the audience.
If you notice that you left something out, simply press on. If you stop while speaking to correct the part you missed, it might throw off the rest of the speech. Also, people will notice it more if you backtrack.
An excellent way to calm nerves before public speaking is by breathing deeply. Deep breaths that are taken slowly in and out can calm you. Breathe in with your nose and count to five. Release through your mouth while counting to five again. Do this approximately five times to feel a positive difference in how calm you feel.
Make sure you understand your topic before preparing your speech. Do a lot of research so you have not only your point of view, but others as well. Then, write down the key points you want to touch on during your speech. Doing so will help you when it comes time to answer questions.
Do not drink alcohol prior to giving your speech. You may think that you will be more relaxed. Your speech will be ruined if you’re drunk and forget what you wanted to say.
You should practice your speech regularly. That way, you will gain greater confidence from your familiarity with your content. Even if you’ve memorized your speech, bring some notes along with you on stage. 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.
Never let your audience know you are nervous. Even if you feel that you are not doing very well, the audience may have a different impression. Should you make an error, simply correct it and continue on without apologizing.
Familiarize yourself with the venue where you will speak. See if you can tell how sound travels without a microphone. Use the equipment to get used to it. If there are visual aids, learn to use them. Find out what eye contact range you should have.
It is important to speak with confidence in a clear voice when addressing large groups. Try to have some water nearby during your speech. Try to steer clear of soda or milk prior to your speaking engagement. These fluids can produce mucous or thicken saliva. A caffeine free tea will ease your tension and relax your voice.
Visual Aids
Don’t over do the visual aids. Visual aids should enhance the information you are giving. But, they should not be too distracting where they take away from your message. Visual aids should be of good quality, and used only for specific points where needed. They should be easy on the eye and look great but not take the focus away from your speech.
An excellent way to calm nerves before public speaking is by breathing deeply. Breathing in deeply and exhaling fully prior to starting your speech helps control your nerves. Breath using four-count nasal inhales and five-count mouth exhales. You’ll feel yourself relaxing after you do this five or six times.
Before you deliver the speech, visualize you successfully delivering your speech. You want to imagine both the speech and how the audience reacts. Also, your confidence will be boosted when you do this.
Winging it should not even cross your mind when it comes to public speaking. This is a bad idea regardless of the depth of your knowledge or passion with regards to the subject. You might get away with something passable. After the speech, you are likely to feel bad about it knowing that you left important pieces of information out.
When you are about to give your speech, have an understanding of the types of people who are in the crowd. Every audience has different expectations. Colleagues would like to learn from your speech. Your friends and loved ones are probably just hoping to be entertained. Regardless of the composition of the audience, be sure to provide them with what they expect.
Practice makes perfect, and helps you master what you plan to convey. Try practicing before a mirror or recording your speech to revise and spot areas in need of improvement. See if you can get someone to listen to it so that they can advise you of points that could use improving.
If you are nervous, picture yourself as a member of the audience. Do you think you’d make a big deal if your speaker made errors? Would you lambaste the speaker? Probably not, and your audience should be just as forgiving.
You needn’t be a politician or a gifted orator to deliver an effective speech or presentation. By preparing, exuding self confidence and understanding your subject matter, you can gain the attention of any audience. You might even find that applying these tips improves your life in other ways.