How To Speak In Public Effectively

According to Wikipedia, public speaking is the process and act of speaking or giving a lecture to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain a listening audience. Public speaking is commonly understood as face-to-face speaking between individuals and an audience for the purpose of communication. It is closely allied to "presenting", although the latter is more often associated with commercial activity. Most of the time, public speaking is to persuade the audience.

In general, public speaking has five basic elements, can be stated as “"who is saying what to whom using what medium with what effects?". While its purpose can range from simply transmitting information, telling a story, to motivating people or informing them. A good public speaker should be able to change the emotions of their listeners, not just inform them.

Above the fear of spiders, ghosts, height, etc., public speaking is considered to be number one phobia. People tend to get nervous and unconfident when they must speak in front of public. To make the presentation goes well, a presenter must pay attention on some of these aspects, they are:

-          Gestures

-          Control of the voice (inflection)

-          Vocabulary, word choice

-          Speaking notes, pitches

-          Using humor

-          Developing a relationship with the audience

To get over the nervousness and to to control your butterflies, you can try the following tips:

1.      Expect to be nervous

Don’t worry, even people with public speaking experiences also get nervous when they must speak in public. Turn your nervousness into an energy that you can use to boost your delivery.

2.      Prepare and know your material

Prepare what you want to say, know what you are going to say – and why you want to say it. Pick a topic you are interested in. Use humor, personal stories and conversational language – that way you won’t easily forget what to say.

3.      Practice

First, practice in front of a mirror, then try a small forum, go on with bigger ones. Practice, pause and breathe. Practice with a timer and allow time for the unexpected.

4.      Breathe

Before you begin speaking, take a slow, deep breaths, and relax yourself

5.      Rehearse

Don’t just stand up when you rehearse, walk around as you practice out loud. Don’t memorize your speech or practice it word for word. Talk it through, point by point. Rehearse out loud with all equipment you plan on using, make revision if necessary.

6.      Focus on your audience

Stage fright is rooted in self-preoccupation. (“How am I doing?” “Am I making any sense?”) Stop focusing on yourself. Focus, instead, on your audience. (“How are you?” “Are you getting this?” “Can you hear me?”). Greet some of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to strangers.

7.      Simplify

Try to communicate what your audience can hear and understand in the limited time you have. Keep it short and simple.

8.      Visualize success

Practice relaxation techniques in the days before your presentation. Lie down or sit comfortably in a quiet place. Breathe slowly. Close your eyes. Scan your body, consciously relaxing any tense muscles. Imagine your upcoming speaking engagement. Picture yourself speaking with confidence. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and confident. Visualize the audience clapping – it will boost your confidence

9.      Connect with your audience

Make the audience your friends. Talk to individuals before your presentation to get to know them. Look them in the eye as you speak to them, one person at a time. If your audience sides with you, your job as a speaker becomes much easier and you can relax.

10.  Act confident

People won’t see how nervous you are. Don’t tell them. Smile. Stick your chest out. Look confident, even if you don’t feel it.

11.  Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. They’re rooting for you.

12.  Don’t apologize for any nervousness or problem – the audience probably never noticed it.

13.  Concentrate on the message – not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties and concentrate on your message and your audience.

14.  Gain experience. Mainly, your speech should represent you — as an authority and as a person. Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking.

References:

www.libelcom.com

www.wikipedia.org

www.toastmasters.org