Speaking and sharing ideas in front of a large audience have always been a difficult task for many people.
Many professional speakers have admitted that they feel nervous for the first few minutes of the speech but they get comfortable with the environment as time passes.
All the great speakers were bad speakers first. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
It is normal to feel nervous while speaking in public. But sometimes, your stage fear can become an obstacle in your personal and professional growth.
However, the fear of public speaking isn't as bad as it looks. If you put your mind to it, you can easily overcome it.
The very first step to overcome any fear is to understand the reasons that are responsible to instill that fear, that anxiety in you.
There can many reasons that can hold you back from speaking in public with confidence.
For example, language barrier, poor understanding of the topic, fearing the response of the audience, the pressure of performing well, or simply anxiety popping up even at the thought of speaking in public.
Once you understand what scares you the most you are all set to find ways to work on it. And then comes this powerful tool called confidence. Confidence cannot be bought overnight. However, you can build it through practice and consistent effort.
Once you start believing in your potential, nobody can stop you. And here we are with 8 tips that will help you speak in public with confidence.
Here are 8 tips that can help you speak in public with confidence:
1. Selection of topic and its preparation: Choose the topic that you are interested in and have the proper knowledge of.
This will increase your comfort level with the topic and you can deliver your presentation successfully.
If you don't have the luxury to choose your own topic, then you must do your research on it in order to get familiarised with the topic.
Search for information, facts, and figures, or go for an expert opinion on the topic if necessary. More the knowledge of the topic you have, the more will you feel confident while delivering it.
Whether you know the topic or not, you need to organize your thoughts and prepare a strategy to deliver it effectively. Write down the main points of your presentation.
Divide your presentation into 3 parts namely the start of the presentation, the middle part, and the end of the presentation. Adjust your points based on their importance and stick to them while delivering your content.
2. Focus:
Focus on the gist of your topic. Be clear and concise while delivering your presentation. Make a point to elaborate your topic and terms involved in it in a way that makes it easier for the audience to understand.
Know that you climb up the stage to share valuable content with the audience and they are going to enjoy your presentation. Thinking about this whole scenario in this manner will make you feel confident.
Interact with the audience to keep them engaged. Talk as if you are having a conversation with them. Encourage them to participate by asking questions or conducting small activities. This will create an environment of comfort between you and the audience.
Don't get distracted from the topic. Think of the information that you need to share with your audience and talk as if you own all the information about the topic.
3. Relax your body:
Do exercise or yoga to keep your mind and body fresh and relaxed. A stressed mind will lead you to more stress. And more stress to anxiety.
So, relax your mind before your performance. This will help you to calm your nerves and collect your thoughts. With a peaceful, relaxed mind you could overcome your nervousness while speaking.
You will be able to think rationally and focus on finding a solution if in case you get stuck or something goes wrong. Be prepared for the worse but think about the best.
Get enough sleep the day before your presentation. This will help you to relax your mind and body and will help you maintain your energy level throughout the day.
More ways that can help you to maintain the energy level are:
Take a slow and deep breath
Avoid consuming too much caffeine
Listen to music
Drink plenty of water and eat nutritious food
4. Take a pause:
Take pauses at appropriate times can make your speech more effective.
Taking a pause helps your audience to understand and note the points that you state.
Also, these pauses can give you a chance to calm down and think about your next line or sub-topic.
Taking Pause can help you to avoid the use of filler words like uh, um, ah, so, okay, and this way, your audience will know that you have complete knowledge of the subject and you are confident.
5. Body language:
Body language includes gestures, hand movements, eye contact, and facial expressions. All of these are important elements of your speech.
Having good body language can elevate your performance and create a good impact on your audience.
The way you walk on the stage, the way you talk, with what emotions and expressions, your eye contact with the audience, pulls a lot of attention during a presentation.
To create a good first impression through body language, note down the following points:
Keep your body and mind relaxed
Maintain good eye contact
Make use of hand movements
Move around the stage
Breath slowly
Match facial expressions with your words
Speak loudly so that everyone in the audience will be able to hear you clearly
6. Give Examples:
Explaining your point with examples can be more helpful for your audience to better understand the topic.
Stating your own experiences or examples can make your presentation interesting and interactive. You can also use facts and figures or statistics, interesting graphics, pie charts or tables, videos, etc. to agrab the attention of the audience.
Narrating short stories can ensure an emotional connection with your audience and they find themselves more involved in your persentation.
7. Be prepared for the worst:
We all make mistakes and it is obvious. Don't stress yourself to be perfect. It is okay to make mistakes. But make sure that you don't get stuck.
If you make a mistake while delivering your presentation, don't panic. Take a pause. Relax and use your presence of mind to face the situation. Maintain your composure. Have a backup plan if something goes wrong. Believe in yourself and let the show go on.
Besides, you make a mistake during your presentation, things that are not in your control might go wrong too.
For example, there might be a power cut and you might not be able to see your ppt, or, you might face a situation where your microphone stops working. Be prepared for such circumstances by anticipating it.
Practice speaking without the help of your ppt. Make sure you speak loud enough if there arises some technical issue.
8. Connect with the audience:
The first 5-10 minutes are the most important part of your speech.
You should be able to engage and connect with the audience so that they pay attention to you.
Use a catchy phrase or start with an interesting story so that you instantly catch the attention of your audience and make sure they stay glued to your presentation till the end.
You can connect with the audience by:
Telling a funny story related to the topic
Crack a joke in-between the presentation
Ask questions or conduct small activities
Speak some lines in regional language
Complement the people
Keep a friendly behavior
You must have now got an idea of what things to do in order to speak in public with confidence, you can follow the above-metioned tips and work on your presentation skills.
Public speaking is the art of expressing your views in front of a large audience. Anyone can learn and master this skill and give speeches or presentations confidently.
All you need to do is to put some effort and practice things before your big day. The points mentioned in this article will help you reduce your stress, increase your confidence, and can help you perform better.
Get your mind determined to overcome the fear of public speaking and the stage will soon be all yours!
What are your ways to overcome the fear of public speaking? Let us know in the comments.
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