We all know that fear of public speaking amongst individuals is quite common, but did you know that around 75% of people are frightened at the thought of speaking in front of any type of audience? There’s even a term, glossophobia, given to the fear of public speaking. The underlying fear of embarrassment or judgment by others is what stops people from speaking with confidence in front of others. It can be challenging to overcome an intense fear of public speaking. For most people, the thought of speaking in public can feel extremely nerve-wracking, but it doesn’t have to be such a scary experience. On the flip side, delivering powerful rhetoric is extremely satisfying.
Public speaking is one of the most significant skills that you could acquire over a lifetime. It impacts the growth of your business and/or personal relationships.
Whether your job requires regular speaking in public or not, learning the skill will no doubt help to strengthen confidence and make more meaningful connections. Learning how to present yourself and communicate effectively is paramount to giving presentations, training people, or even participating in day to day meetings.
Don’t Forget to Listen
The best public speakers are also great listeners that practice active listening. It is important to keep your audience engaged and get feedback from them during and after your speech.
Some of the reasons why people don’t listen to include, being distracted when someone is speaking, taking too many notes, not being able to understand the speaker and hence tuning out, listening only for the facts and not paying attention to body language, getting sidetracked by certain phrases or expressions used by the speaker, or daydreaming.
Why Should I Care?
For most people, not knowing how to communicate and present effectively can rob them of opportunities in life. If good speaking skills create opportunities, equally poor ones may deprive you of them. Effective public speaking has the ability to motivate and influence people. Once learned, it can be an extremely powerful tool to inspire change amongst others.
Tips to Communicate Better
- Talk to yourself. Clarify the message in your own mind before you try communicating it to someone else.
- Rehearse. Nothing clarifies your thoughts more than writing them down and then saying them in different ways until you get them to where you want.
- Be very aware of the messages or inner tapes you are playing to yourself. Don’t sabotage yourself by giving negative messages about your ability to communicate, or about how the other person will receive your message.
- Trust your good intentions. Plan what you will say and then be optimistic that it will come out right and be received well.
- When you speak to individuals, take the time to express yourself in an organized manner. Don’t rush but be succinct.
- Clarify. Ask for feedback. Do not assume that the message sent was the message received.
- Know when to stop talking.
Tips to Control Nervousness
Tips to Control Nervousness- Smile. Look friendly and confident even if you don’t feel that way.
- Take deep breaths.
- Pretend if you must. There is hardly ever a better time to put on the face of optimism and confidence.
- Expect to do well. Visualize your success.
- Remember all the times you did well.
There are many places that teach public speaking. From local institutes to online learning lessons, they all guarantee to turn you into a great speaker. Cudoo offers one of the best.
This course is designed for anyone looking to develop the skills and confidence to interact with others, to speak in informal situations, and to present in front of small groups.
What Will You Learn?
- How to start and carry on conversations with confidence
- How to practice active listening to enhance interpersonal skills
- How to be a better communicator by rehearsing and being optimistic
- Getting comfortable in conversation-different levels of conversation
- Redesigning yourself for strength – learn about various components of a good speaker
- Professionalism – learn how to present a professional image
- Maximizing meetings – make the most out of meetings
- How to manage nervousness mentally and physically
Andrie Steliou
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