The fear of public speaking can be devastating and nerve-wracking for millions of people around the world! Some people would prefer to be thrown into a shark tank or be bitten by a snake rather than speak in public.
Who wants to be in front of a live audience? Yikes! Just thinking about speaking in front of others in some cases will cause nausea, tremors, heartburn, anxiety, and an adrenaline rush that can make one sweat as they have just been out of a shower.
Some nerves are good, but conquering the skill of public speaking can easily be tackled by following some basic tips which may improve presentation skills and give the best performance in front of others. The ability to communicate an idea, a message, or a skill to a large audience can be crucial for someone who would like to make an impact on the world. Even though we are in the era of online emojis, face-chat, or GIFs, public speaking is still the most effective way to persuade or inspire others.
It is also another factor why leaders speak live and take business trips to communicate with others when ready to make the deal of the century.
Read on and learn the top 10 most effective tips on how to improve your public speaking.
Practice Makes Perfect
Learn your materials and become an expert on what you plan to deliver. Prepare, prepare, prepare, and then once you feel ready, prepare some more! Feel confident that you can answer all questions that may arise during the live talk. Take enough time and go over your notes until you feel comfortable with them. It is also advisable to speak in front of a mirror or record yourself. Ask a friend for their feedback! This will lift your confidence while at the same time you will be able to critique your performance and improve your presentation skills.
Know your audience
Make sure you know who your audience is and learn as much as possible about them before you even begin to craft your message. This will assist you in developing the choice of words, motivational statement, and level of information to be delivered to them. Consider who the message is for and organize a pattern of information that will be easily understood.
Organize your thoughts/pattern
The first 30 seconds are the most important to grab the audience’s attention! You will notice many politicians with an opening line or even a joke to grab attention. Create a framework for your talk and write down the topic, general-purpose, specific idea, specific purpose, and all the main points you wish to deliver. Speaking under pressure can be very stressful and many times one might even forget to deliver the message, if not properly prepared.
Watch the audience and adapt to their feedback
Remain focused on the crowd. Take a look at their reactions and adjust your message accordingly. Stay flexible and deliver your message in a natural manner. Nobody wants to listen to a boring speech that is confusing, if not properly managed by the speaker. The audience will remain focused on the topic if you adapt your talk to their needs.
Be yourself and let your personality shine
Talk to your audience and use suitable language for your cause. Don’t try to communicate in a language that is overwhelming and not easily understood. Your audience will trust what you have to say by showing a shining personality with credibility and compassion for others.
Use a sense of humor, simple language, and tell stories
Everybody likes a good storyteller that makes them feel important. People tend to be better listeners if you tell a story or say something about yourself with some humor to it. This will keep your audience focused and more likely to remember what you have conveyed through the story as they will be creating images that will be more memorable for them.
Talk from your notes but do not read from a script
Everybody hates talks that are read directly from a script, especially if you are holding the piece of paper in front of you and covering your face. They are usually long and boring and people will most likely not remember what you said, as this is irritable and lacks an interpersonal connection. Keep eye contact with your audience hence keeping them focused on you and your message. While preparing your outline, create a memory palace that will help you remember keywords and points you want to convey.
Use voice and hand gestures effectively
By using nonverbal communication effectively it conveys your message thoroughly and directly to your audience. Try the hand gestures to be used securely as some cultures may misinterpret a gesture as inappropriate. Try to keep your voice loud and clear. Speak slowly, but with fluency, making sure everyone can easily understand.
Grab the attention of your crowd from the beginning until the end
Begin your talk with a famous quote, an interesting story, or something funny, as most politicians are trained to do. Nobody wants to walk into a room and hear the speaker begin with “Today I will talk about X”. Finally, conclude your talk with a final statement that will be easily remembered.
Use audiovisual aids appropriately
As ‘Steve Jobs’ the founder of Apple, had given some of the best presentations in history, he only used minimal audiovisual aids. Too many may lose the attention of the audience, therefore it is wise to use them sparingly to clarify your content.
Conclusion
They say that practice makes perfect! But who wants to be perfect? While speaking to others one must remain themselves and speak confidently and securely. Do not be shattered by a mistake as this is humanely correct! Prepare yourself and stay focused on the topic, remain within the timeframe of the talk, and most importantly try to be natural.
Joseph Yaghi
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