People tend to either love or loathe public speaking. You can improve your abilities though if you are fearful. Read on for great suggestions on how you can become a confident speaker.
The way you look can determine how well you do at public speaking. If you are not well-groomed or dressed at your best, you are not going to feel very confident with yourself. This lack of confidence may cause you more fear and could mess up your whole speech. So, be sure to look your best!
If you have to speak publicly, try to keep it at twenty minutes or less. This is the average attention span of most individuals, so speaking for longer than this is going to risk boring them. If you have to speak for longer than this, find some way to change gears in the middle to liven things up.
When addressing an audience, face them during every word of your speech. Do not turn your attention to things going on behind you or elsewhere. Your goal is to make believers out of your audience, and to do this, you must give them your full attention.
The tone of your speech should depend on who you are giving it to. For instance, if your speech is work-related, your speech should be professional. On the other hand, if you are around friends and have to make a speech, you can be more personal. Base your whole speech on your audience.
Make sure that the beginning of your speech is a moment to relax. Greet and address your audience. Then pause for three seconds. This gives them a chance to focus on you, while you get a moment to transform your nervous energy into enthusiasm for the material you are about to deliver.
If public speaking makes you nervous, use deep breathing techniques. Before speaking, breathe in deeply and exhale fully several times to center and prepare yourself. Breathe through your nose and count to four, then exhale counting to five. Do this six times, and you’ll start to become very calm.
Never assume that you are going in front of a hostile audience. They are giving you their time and attention. They want to be informed, captivated, entertained and moved. Visualize them clapping for you, because they probably hope you give them reason to do just that at some point.
Take the time to research other important speeches. The internet has a wealth of recorded speeches so that you can observe how they do it. Focus on the qualities that you liked in their speech and emulate them. Look for qualities such as their ease in speaking, their humor and how they capture the attention of the audience.
Do not chew gum or eat when you are making a speech. The chewing is unprofessional and distracts your audience. It is permissible to sip from a glass of water occasionally so that your throat does not get dry. Keep that to a minimum too, as it serves as a distraction from your message.
Practice your speech daily. Doing so will increase the confidence you have, as you will be very familiar with the material. While having the speech memorized is ideal, you should carry note cards with you to the podium. Your note cards may come in handy, should you lose your place during 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.
If looking at an audience makes you nervous, try not to look at anyone in the eye. Instead, look above their heads. Your audience will not be able to tell, and you will not be distracted by anyone’s expression. This will help you keep your focus on your message better.
Try your best to convey emotions as you speak to your audience. If you are monotone, this will only make people bored and they will stop listening to you. While you don’t have to bounce of the walls to let them know you have energy, it is important that you show some type of feeling.
Videotape a couple of practice sessions of your public speaking engagements. When you can see yourself in action this way, you can easily see what you can improve upon. It may be the way you move your hands or the expression on your face. Seeing this on film gives you a more objective perspective.
If you plan to give multiple speeches within a short period of time, take care to protect your vocal cords. A hoarse or inaudible voice is not likely to sway audience members’ opinions. Sleep with a humidifier in your room, sip hot tea, and drink plenty of water throughout the day.
Allow for questions and answers from your audience before your speech is over. They might forget what is on their mind. Instead, allow people to ask questions throughout the speech. This will help them appreciate you as a speaker.
Monitoring your speed is essential during a speech. Nervousness often causes you to speak too rapidly, and the audience may miss your main points. If you speak too slowly, the audience may get inpatient. In order to get a good tempo, make sure you practice the speech enough to gauge the perfect pace.
Do not take public speaking with a grain of salt. You have to do adequate research and study public speaking techniques. You need to practice a lot in order to boost your confidence. Make a memorable speech by preparing thoroughly. This is key to being effective at public speaking.
