17 Ways to be a Good Public Speaker.

   

 

Words do two major things: they provide food for the minds and create light for understanding and awareness". - Jim Rohn.

What is Public Speaking?

Public Speaking is a kind of presentation you make in front of a live audience. Through your speech, you convey your ideas, educate the audience, and motivate them.

Modern-day business needs a good public speaker. The public speaker should have the skill and confidence to engage the audience and make them engrossed enough to get his/her key message across.

The goal of the public speaker is to inform, convince, and entertain his/her audience. The modern curriculum in school also gives importance to presentations and giving speeches.

Everybody is not an expert or confident when she/he is in front of a large audience or even small gatherings. They become nervous, anxious, and conscious about themselves.

Today, standing up in front of a team or audience has become necessary to put your message across. You have to be competent to do well otherwise it will not be effective.

Public speaking was started and developed in Rome, and Latin America. The prominent personalities and thinkers used to speak to the audience (public) to create awareness.

Modern technology continues to transform the art of public speaking through video conferencing, multimedia presentations, and other non-traditional forms.

Some of the historical speeches are-

A- Mahatma Gandhi's message of the non-violence movement in India, in 1920. This speech actually inspired Martin Luther King Jr.'s " I Have a Dream" speech at the Washington movement in 1963.

B- Frances Wright was one of the first women public speakers in the US. She advocated for equal education for women.

C- Two sisters named Angeline Grimke and Sarah Grimke encouraged women to come out and speak to the public, Through their own speeches.

D- Winstone Churchill, delivered his famous 'our finest hour'. He managed to combine the most magnificent use of English.

E- John Kennedy's ability to speak as if he were having an authentic conversation with an audience, as opposed to lecturing to them, is one quality that made him such a compelling communicator.

The good news is that with practice and thorough preparation, you can overcome your nervousness and anxiety to become an expert public speaker.

'' Mind your speech a little, lest you mar your fortunes''.- William Shakespeare.

Every speaker's style of speech, execution, and influence is different. Speaking and writing involve the creative use of words.

Rudyard Kipling when once asked the secret of successful writing said,'' I keep six honest seeing men. They taught me all I know. Their names are what, why, where, when, who, and how. A well-written article should have the answer of these six honest men''

The key to public speaking is sawn from school days. The school conducts elocution, storytelling, and speech on any topic. This creates an awareness in children and they try to overcome the fear of speaking in front of large gatherings of school students.

How to become an expert and confident public speaker?

1- Know yourself first.

"When you know yourself you are empowered. When you accept yourself you are invincible". -Tina Lifford.

You should know yourself first to know your audience. Find out your strengths and use them to your maximum benefit. Find out your weaknesses and work on them. They should be minimized.

Keep on telling yourself that you can do it. Believing in yourself that you have the skills, knowledge, and expertise that are essential to be a good speaker. Be positive as the day and time of giving a speech approach nearer.

'' Knowing others is knowledge, knowing yourself is wisdom''.- Chinese Proverb.

2- Have clarity about what you want to talk about.

Be clear about what you are going to talk about. You have to be an expert on the subject matter and the way you present it.

The subject matter is what you are going to talk about and the presentation is how you are going to talk.

You are speaking to inspire, give knowledge as well as information, and convince the audience about your ideas and thoughts. For this, you have to have thorough knowledge about the subject and be very clear about your thoughts.

'' There are certain things in which mediocrity is not to be endured, such as poetry, music, painting, and public speaking''.- Jean de la Bruyere.

3- Be confident.

Confidence is the key component of public speaking. You have to visualize that you have succeeded in influencing the audience. Believe me, it really works.

Focus on the feeling of success and being a very confident person. Continue with positive thoughts and visualization until you really achieve the same results.

'' If your action inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader''.- John Quincy Adams.

4- Connect with audience.

Learn and practice to connect with the audience. Prepare yourself to face the audience positively. Let the event be interactive.

Make regular eye contact and ask questions to engage in the course of speech. By doing this you will make your audience more focused and they will become more intense listeners.

'' There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one wish you gave''- Dale Carnegie.

5- Be fearless while giving a presentation.

 Yes, it's natural to get nervous but you have to fake the fearlessness.

One way of feeling fear is good because it will make you more determined to prepare for the speech. You will keep no stone unturned to make the best presentation.

''The best way to conquer stage right is to know what you're talking bout''.- Michel H. Meson.

 6- Be focused when on stage.

Once on the stage, forget about everything and focus only on what message you want to convey to your audience.

Concentrate, give attention to the smallest detail, and be in a positive mindset about the value you are going to provide to each member of the audience.

'' Words have incredible power. They can make people's hearts soar, or they can make people's hearts sore''.- Dr. Mardy Grothe.

7- Do not cramp with so many ideas in your speech. 

Be careful to not confuse the audience with too many topics in one go. Instead take one small, solid, inspiring thought and speak on that confidently.

With too many ideas, there is always a fear that you may have left something or may lose your chain of thoughts.

''The success of your speech will be judged not by the knowledge you send but by what the listeners receive''.- Lilly Walters.

8-  Manage your nervousness. 

Avoid drinking too much of caffeine-based beverages. They are stimulants and may leave you with more nervousness and fearfulness.

Before going to the stage, practice mindfulness. Keep your mind calm and cool. If you have time, you can even try some mild exercises to keep your nerves in control.

Exercise releases endorphins which reduce stress and thus make you feel better.

9- Keep the audience in your mind.

"Designing a presentation without an audience in mind is like writing a love letter and addressing it: to whom it may concern". -Ken Haemer.

The most important thing is to remember not to just read the presentation. Practice vigorously pay attention to your audience and note to the notes.

Pay attention to your body language, posture, and gestures. Keep on improvising so that you sound natural and not like a robot. The rapport between you and your audience is a very important aspect of your public speech.

10- Be calm and cool.

Do not rush through your presentation and try to finish it just because you have to complete it. By doing this you are vulnerable to exposing yourself as a weak speaker.

Your audience may get frustrated and irritated and may leave the venue. Be patient with yourself and your audience.

Every new speaker needs time to bring out the best in himself/herself. Believe in your abilities and capabilities and go ahead with confidence.

11- Do not be scared of making mistakes.

Making mistakes will always happen. You should not react awkwardly and feel embarrassed. Here immediately use your presence of mind and save the situation.

Try to behave normally. Be humorous, crack jokes on yourself, and continue with your presentation. Nobody is perfect. With time and experience, everyone learns.

So instead of feeling upset, try to do your best in the given situation.

12- Keep on practicing till you are on stage.

Practice the speech relentlessly until the time of the speech. Stand in front of the mirror and practice. This is the best way to observe yourself.

'Practice makes the man perfect' is an old adage. For every new venture or new beginning, you need to continuously put in effort.

'' Before anything else, preparation is the key to success''.- Alexander Graham Bell.

13- Work on voice modulation and practice the tone of your voice. 

Your tone and projection play a vital role in engaging and entertaining your audience.

Monotony in your voice may distract your audience. Soon you will find that they are getting distracted and bored. They may walk away from the place.

'' Oratory is the power to talk people out of their sober and natural opinions''.- Joseph Chatfield.

14- Be engaged with your audience.

The modern-day audience loves to have some emotions and humor in the speech. When the subject is boring try to weave a humorous story. ( Mostly tech-related topics may bore the audience).

You have to constantly discover yourself to give the best to your audience. Make the speech so lively that the audience craves more.

'' People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel''.- Maya Angelou.

15- Listen to famous speakers and observe them.

 Take the guidance and learn to perfect your speech. Listen to the TED talks.

You will be amazed to see even the 15-year-old child speak perfectly with huge confidence. Get inspired by them and build your confidence.

'' Most of the successful people I have known are the ones who do more listening than talking''.- Bernard Baruch.

"Practice makes a man perfect" is an old saying. Perfect yourself by speaking in front of the mirror.

16- Finish your speech within the time limit.

Most importantly, finish the talk within the time limit. Never go over the allotted time frame. Otherwise, it will show you in a bad light.

If you continue beyond the time limit, people will know that you are not well-prepared. It's against etiquette.

Taking more than the allotted time also shows yourself disrespectful of the agenda for the event or organizers.

'' Make sure you have stopped speaking before your audience has stopped listening''.- Dorothy Sarnoff.

17- Ask for feedback. 

Most of the time we are very scared to ask a response. We fear criticism or honest feedback.

Remember that honest opinions and feedback will help you to avoid ill-preparation. You will become aware of your shortcomings and will try to improve yourself.

'' What is the shortest word in the English language that contains the letters: abcdef? Answer: feedback. Don't forget that feedback is one of the essential elements of good communication''.- Anonymus.

Feedback encourages you to accept your faults or mistakes and positively work on them. It actually allows you to improve yourself.

Bottomline- 

Speaking is a great way to connect with people and a skill everyone should master. Today, it's the basic requirement for any new ventures, startups, and other related fields.

An effective speech can bring revolutionary changes. It's also a great way to impress current and future employers along the way.

To be a confident public speaker, you have to practice and hone your skills.

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