Being able to speak before an audience makes you a more confident and appealing person. If you’re intimidated by this art form, sometimes learning a few tricks of the trade can help. Keep reading and learn how you can become a better speaker.
When speaking in public, make sure that what you have to say is engaging, otherwise you risk boring the crowd. Regardless of what you have to say, it will not go over well if it is boring. Practice your speech on people you know to see how the message you are giving is being received.
Make sure that you stay focused once you get out there and start talking. Your message will not be received well if you go too far off topic. Do everything you can to stay on the original topic, or you may risk scaring away a large portion of your audience.
Bring the audience to your side, and then begin speaking. Smile cordially at them when they are seating themselves, and shake hands with them if possible. Giving off positive energy to your audience will go a long way in keeping them interested in your speech.
Eye contact is critical during public speaking engagements. Although you may not be able to make eye contact with every member of a large audience, your efforts will not go unnoticed. Before your speech, identify key members of the audience and their assigned seating, if possible. This enables you to make the greatest impact on the most important audience members.
Don’t leap right into your topic. Be sure to start your speech with a nice greeting for your audience. This will help put everyone at ease. It also gives you a chance to settle into position and prepare yourself to speak. Of course, it is also simply the most polite thing to do.
Practice meditation to prepare for your speech. Imagine yourself doing well, feeling comfortable, speaking clearly and enjoying yourself. Imagine that your audience is interested and appreciates what you are saying. When you take the time to imagine a good experience, you greatly increase your chances of actually having a good experience.
Never let your audience know you are nervous. You may think you are making a fool of yourself, and your audience may not even be able to see it. Do not apologize for your mistakes; simply carry on.
Improve your public speaking by concluding with a call to action. A call to action does not have to mean giving your audience the hard sell. Instead, focus on suggesting actions that truly will benefit your audience members. Explain how your call to action will help them and make sure the action you recommend is simple and effective. Include a helpful call to action in every public speaking engagement.
When it comes time to make a speech in a public place, try to arrive early. This can help you become better acquainted with your surroundings. Getting familiar with the layout of the room, the microphones, and the other speech aids that are available in that room can help you become more relaxed before speaking.
If you can, look over the room and environment where you will be making a speech. Check how big it is, how good the acoustics are and get comfortable in the front of the room. The more familiar you are with room, the more at ease you will be when you have to make your speech.
Be prepared for the unexpected. While you hope that nothing will happen to ruin your speech, try to plan for any contingencies. What will you do if one of your audio visual aids does not work? What if the microphone fails? How will you handle audience interruptions or questions? Having a plan in place to handle possible issues makes it more likely that your public speaking experience will go well.
Make sure that you have a strong start to your speech since this is the best way to engage the audience. You should try relating a relevant, personal story or telling an anecdote. This is a great way to warm up the crowd and get the ready to hear the main message.
If you are using cue cards, only write down simple sound bites that will help you keep on track. Don’t write down your entire speech. If you do, you may end up simply reading your speech off of those cards. That makes for a very boring event to say the least.
Ask your friends to help you prepare for public speaking. Get four or five of them together, and present your speech as you would in front of the larger group you are preparing for. It’s essential to get used to having other people in the room while you speak.
If you must give a eulogy for a loved one, be sure to prepare well. This will help you keep your own grief under control as you speak. Keep it brief and memorable with a few key points about the deceased. Remember that, no matter how much you may be grieving, the event is not about you!
Pay attention to your voice when you are speaking in public. Not only do you want your voice to carry to each member in the audience, but you want to vary your voice to keep the audience’s interest. Vary the tone of your voice. Pause now and then for effect. Keep your audience’s attention with variations in your voice, even if you are talking about a dull topic, such as math.
If you will be using a white board, make sure that you have everything you need before the presentation. There is nothing more embarrassing than to be missing something that you need while you are talking, like a dry erase marker or eraser. Keep extra pens up there in case one runs out of ink.
