Public speaking is the process of presenting or performing in front of a live audience. We all have to do public speaking in different situations in our life, which can be family function, project presentation, group discussions, teaching to students or addressing the team of colleagues.
We need to express our thoughts effectively during such occasions. Public speaking can be scary. However, you can overcome your fear of public speaking by preparing well, being confident, and with the help of enough practice.
To be able to speak effectively in front of an audience, you need to understand the purpose of the occasion and choose your topic and prepare your speech or presentation accordingly.
While speaking in public it is very important to match the frequency with your audience in order to keep them engaged till the end. Choosing the wrong topic can ruin your presentation.
To understand the motive of your public speaking activity you first need to understand the types of public speaking.
Public speaking is categorized into three types:
1. Informative Speaking:
It is the most common type of public speaking. Day-to-day conversations, business meetings, presentations can be considered as informative public speaking.
It is basically based on the principle of exchanging information. Transfer of information can be related to academic topics, professional or technical knowledge transfer, project, or client presentations.
2. Persuasive Speaking:
We usually convince, persuade, or motivate others to take positive action or to reconsider their decision. This type of speaking can involve everything from arguing about some topic to talking about what to eat for dinner.
Persuading others is a challenging task. If you develop the skill to persuade others through your speaking it can be beneficial for your growth in your career. Marketing jobs usually require persuasive speaking.
3. Entertaining Speaking:
Entertaining Speeches are intended for entertainment and majorly concern with personal or informal relations. These can be informal conversations.
Speaking at weddings, award ceremonies, book reading, after the end of the dinner, and even delivering eulogies at funerals and memorial services come under this category. The purpose is to entertain the audience, instead of a formal speech.
There are three things to aim at in public speaking: first, to get into your subject, then to get your subject into yourself, and lastly, to get your subject into the heart of your audience. – Alexander Gregg
Why public speaking is important?
Public speaking is very important to develop and master communication and leadership qualities. It also helps you to express your thoughts more effectively.
Through public speaking you can change the life of others in a positive way, can motivate and influence people. It will also help you in your career development, maintaining relationships with your friends and families, and in business growth.
The advantages of public speaking are as follows:
Increases self-confidence
Make you stand out
Reduces stage fear
Improves leadership quality
Improves communication skills
Increases your professional network
Improves ability to deliver your message across
Increases social network
Mastering the skill of public speaking strongly affects the way people think about you and your attitude towards life. It depends on how good or bad you speak.
In the first few attempts of public speaking, you might feel nervous and anxious but through practice and preparation, you can master this skill.
Listed below are a few tips that can help you master the art of public speaking.
Tips to get better at public speaking:
1. Prepare the topic:
Pick a topic that you are interested in and also the one about which the audience would love to listen.
Your topic should be well organized and should engage the audience till the last moment.
Collect information on your topic so you will have enough data to talk about. Use Presentation tools and make slides that are attractive and eye-catching.
Make sure you grab the attention of the audience and make the session interactive. You can also use audio, video, or animated clips to add visual engagement to your speech.
2. Practice again and again:
Practicing the speech is an important step to perform well on stage. If you don't practice enough before speaking in front of an audience, it can be difficult for you to express your thoughts effectively.
By practicing many times you will be able to increase your confidence and knowledge of the topic. You can practice in front of your family and friends or in front of the mirror.
Practicing in front of the mirror will help you understand mistakes related to your body language. Eventually, you will get familiar with the presentation and your speech will go smoothly on your big day.
3. Relax:
It's normal to feel nervous before going for public speaking.
Try to relax and keep your mind focused. By relaxing your body and mind you'll feel more comfortable and confident.
Practice diaphragm breathing to reduce feelings of breathlessness caused by speech anxiety. Do meditation, exercise, or yoga to keep yourself calm. Take a walk and listen to music to relieve stress.
4. Pace yourself:
The most important part of speaking is controlling the pace of your voice and words.
Your speech can be boring if you speak at a slow, steady pace.
The combination of slow, fast, and medium speed makes your speech more engaging and understandable. Speak naturally and take pauses at appropriate times.
Avoid filler words like 'um', 'er', 'ah', and 'you know', it may show that you are not comfortable with the topic. Make sure to carefully articulate and pronounce your words.
5. Dress Comfortably, But Professionally:
The dress code depends on the type of speech and who your audience will be, but a decent, professional dress code always creates a good impression.
Choose the color combination that attracts people. Don't use too bright or flashy colors. Keep the jewelry and accessories simple and less in amount.
For women, try to avoid high heels so that you can walk comfortably on stage.
6. Engage With Your Audience:
Public speaking is not only standing in front of people and speaking continuously.
You should also be able to engage with your audience. Interact with the audience by asking questions or conducting small activities.
Appreciate them for their participation in the activities. In the first few minutes try and grab the attention by mentioning interesting things/facts related to the topic so that audience will listen to you till the end.
Tell a story, share thought-provoking stories or incidents, share some of your experiences, statistics, and facts related to the topic to keep your audience intrigued.
Try to maintain good eye contact with everyone. It will make them feel like you are speaking directly to them.
7. Ask Questions & collect Answers:
By asking questions you involve the audience in your talk. They will listen to you more attentively to be able to answer.
Prepare a list of questions with the possible objections to answers that the audience may have.
Ask for feedback at the end of the speech. Feedback gives you an idea of the areas that you lack and need to improve.
8. Say thank you when you’re done:
Acknowledge the audience at the end of the speech for patiently listening to you and giving you the opportunity to express your thoughts. Your expression of gratitude shows how respectful and professional you are.
With the help of the above-mentioned tips, you can get better at public speaking.
Public speaking is a powerful medium of information transfer. Being able to speak in public gives you a chance to share your knowledge, experience, and thoughts. Public speaking enables you to motivate, influence, or persuade people.
With an effective speech or presentation, you can move your audience. You get the luxury to impact people's lives through your words. By delivering an excellent presentation, by maintaining a warm gesture, you can be in the good looks of your audience for a long time.
Your words and thoughts stay with them for a long time and this can make you a person of great value. All you need to do is prepare well, be confident and you are all set to set the stage on fire!
Have you started improving your public skills yet? Let us know in the comments.
For more tips to improve skills for a good speaker please let me know and visit my website www.ajinkyachopade.com you will find various related blogs and material here.
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