1. Prepare well. When you find out that you have a speaking appointment coming up, start preparing it as soon as possible. The more time you have to prepare for it, the better. Practice in the mirror to get used to looking toward your audience. Imagine in your mind what the room will look like and visualize someone coughing or coming in late while you are practicing. Make it as real as you can so your mind can start to become familiar with the idea of you speaking in front of many eyes.
2. Begin your talk by getting your audience's attention. You could start with a short story about yourself that will introduce your topic for you. You could start off making them laugh by telling a good joke. You could ask them a question such as, "How many of you _____________?" You could start with an illustration or demonstration. Get your audience hooked from the beginning and it will propel you to a successful ending.
3. Look at your audience. You may not be able to look them in the eyes at first, but you need to look at them. Keeping your eyes on your notes and never looking up will cause them to lose interest in what you have to say. One thing that might be helpful is for you to look at someone's forehead. That person will think you are looking at her and the gentleman behind her will think you are looking at him. Keep your eyes moving from forehead to forehead as you speak. This will make the audience feel that you are talking directly to them.
4. Express yourself. You can use hand gestures, voice inflection, facial expressions or anything else that will keep your speech from sounding drab, dry and monotone.
5. Pacing back and forth can help if you don't make them sea sick. But don't pace back and forth continuously. Walk to the left side and stop. Talk to the audience on that side of the room. Finish your point and then begin your next point as you walk to the right side and talk to those sitting on that side. Sometimes you may want to stop in the middle to look at your notes again. Pacing back and forth in this manner will keep people from falling asleep because you are keeping them moving as they follow your pace.
6. End your talk with something that they will remember. If you want a response from them, end with an appeal or a call to action. End with a challenge. End with a recap of what you've already told them. End with another emotional or funny story. Make sure that your ending is just as powerful as your beginning and you will leave there with a feeling of satisfaction.
When asked, the majority of people in the US would claim that there greatest fear is getting up in front of a crowd and giving a speech. People 100 years ago would not say that public speaking was their worst fear, but they had more threatening things to worry about right? I'm talking about things like war, and wild animals, and rampant crime without great law enforcement. The fact that our society is more tame is perhaps part of this strange fear of a relatively benign circumstance but doesn't explain it entirely. I want to discuss why we are so afraid and measures that can be taken to put our fears to rest.
So why are we so afraid of public speaking? Well for one thing not very many of us are good at it and we don't know how to get better. Public oration was a skill highly valued in the past and therefore it was something that was worked on with much effort and time in school. Part of the reason that more people that were schooled in speech making in the past was because school was really only for those to whom the skill would be beneficial. What I am trying to get at is that only the "gifted" children were formally trained in such skills and the rest of kids worked on the far and never had the need to make a speech. With the requirement of grade school, and the assumption of a college education, there are more people than ever that, in my opinion, shouldn't be there in the first place and will never use the skills they may gain in the second.
So first we are not good at it, second we don't for the most part need to do it regularly, and third as mention in the first paragraph threatening has taken on a whole new definition in this relatively safe society. So why are people called on to do public speaking that don't have the natural skills, desires, or regular practice that they need to be good? Well that is a function of the vast middle class in this country who think they are good enough to carry on the traditions of the rich and famous, but who lack the upbringing and training that make a person truly gifted in the art of public speaking. Famous examples would be graduation addresses, wedding tosts, eulogies, etc. We, I think, expect too much of ourselves and therefore are definitely afraid of the inevitably horrible job that we are going to do?
My answer? Well either imagine all the horrible things that are much worse than the agony of embarrassment. Or you could actually take the time to get trained (not recommended unless your job requires that you do it all the time). Or you could just give up on the senseless traditions of the past that were required of people that were much better trained to do public speaking.
Both Ian Williamson & Tomas Morkenson are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Ian Williamson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Guide Guitar, History and Sports Car. For more by Ian Williamson please visit. Ian Williamson's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.
Tomas Morkenson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Public Speaking, College Student Loan and Finances. Tomas Morkenson teaches a class at a large high school. He is continually amazed at how confident and polished any person can be with proper trai. Tomas Morkenson's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.