Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Successful Public Speaking

By Zoe Smith


How comfortable are you with speaking in front of people? Do you speak clearly and at ease, or find yourself in a bit of a mess at the thought of having to face an audience of some sort. I know many people who have some serious public speaking anxiety going on and the good news is-there are things you can do to help you overcome it. Here are super helpful public speaking tips that you can keep in your arsenal the next time you need to address a group of people.

1. More often than not, we will have ample time to prepare before giving a speech. Gather every bit of material you can on the topic needed and study like crazy. You don't need to incorporate every trivia you got, but you must make sure that you know as much as you can about what you are speaking about. When you are confident on your expertise or knowledge of something, it will significantly ease the anxiety you are feeling.

When you are confident in what you know, you will be a lot less anxious. Keep in mind that being prepared is only one part of it. Even if you have all these great info in front of you, don't read it word for word. Speak from your heart. This is what will attract people to listen to what you are saying and make you an effective public speaker.

2. If you are using power point or some similar program for presentation-do not use bullet points. It is akin to a lullaby and will end your illustrious speaking career before you even begin. The best presentations are concise and compelling so make use of engaging visuals, images, videos, etc. that are appropriate to your topic.

3. Now, some people will still feel the cold claws of public speaking anxiety in the pit of their stomachs even if they have prepared and a fantastic presentation in waiting to be shown. The scariest time is 1 minute before you are to speak so before the fear even hits you, take deep and relaxing breaths. Replay your speech in your mind and envision your audience responding well to it.

4. When you get in front of the people, it's good to find a friendly face there. If you don't have a good friend-find a person who is interested and receptive to you and address him/her when you are having trouble engaging the crowd. Even if everybody else is busy or unattentive-you have one person that appreciates your message and is helped by what you are saying.

5. If you want to make your speech a success, engage your audience. Involve them in stories or in whatever you are talking about. Ask questions and think about it as if you were simply conversing with a group of friends. When you encourage the audience to actively participate in the discussion, they will be more interested and remember your speech more positively.

Everybody has something to say-everybody. You might think you are the shyest person in the planet but there are people waiting to hear what you have in your heart. Use these great public speaking tips and make a difference today!




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment