TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL PUBLIC SPEAKING

10 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL PUBLIC SPEAKING


In life, there are times when we have to stand in front of a crowd and speak. Be it in your office, with friends around a table, a business meeting or even in front of your family at a gathering. The importance of public speaking is never in doubt.

I can never forget my first time to speak to a large number of people in public. It was at a team building party for my project team in the office. I was to tell a joke! Even though I was cajoled into it, I was afraid and my major concerns were what if the people don’t find the joke funny or I make a grammatical mistake. Eventually, I summoned courage and I stood up and told the joke and was happy when everybody laughed and declared it the best joke of the day.

This scenario does not always apply to every public speaking especially when it is official. I was in a management meeting which was my first ever sometimes ago and a question about my department was directed to me. Despite the fact that the answer was right there in my head, I visibly drooped in my chair and had to take some moment before I could answer because all attention was on me. Here are some tips I’ve found and which has been useful and has helped make me a better public speaker. It helps control my nervousness so i can give effective and memorable presentations.
I am sure you will find them useful too!

1. Be familiar with the place in which you will speak. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and be at ease with your surroundings.

2. Know the audience. Greet some members of the audience as they arrive. Make acquaintance with them before your presentation. Its easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers.

3. Know your material. If you are not familiar with it or are uncomfortable with it, your nervousness will increase. Practice your speech and revise it if necessary.

4. Relax. Ease tension by doing exercises.

5. Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and assured. When you visualize yourself as successful, you will be successful.

6. Don’t apologize. If you mention your nervousness or apologize for any problem you think you have with your speech, you may be calling the audience’s attention to something they hadn’t noticed. Keep silent.

7. Concentrate on the message, not the medium. Focus your attention away from your anxieties and outwardly towards your message and your audience. Your nervousness will dissipate.

8. Turn your anxieties into positive energy. Harness your nervous energy and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm.

9. Be fun. Even though the gathering is official, your audiences don’t want to be bored. Nobody wants to sit through hours of uninteresting speech so be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. You will be remembered!

10. Gain experience. Experience builds confidence which is the key to effective speaking.