10 Tips for Public Speaking
6. Convince with confidence
When you begin your speech, start with a smile. Speak with confidence. It is all about your convic-tion in the topic that will compel the audience to listen to you. Even if you go wrong with the matter at any time, be patient and continue speaking. The audience will appreciate you for your confidence. This appreciation will help you overcome your stage fright.
7. Body language
When you are delivering a speech, the audience not just listens to the contents of the speech but also constantly notices you. Hence, it is very important that your body language conveys your confidence. Even if you are nervous, don’t show it to the audience. Smile or pause for a breath whenever you feel you are too nervous. You can impress the audience with your active gestures like moving your hands or showing a ‘thumbs up’ when a person from the audience gives the right answer to your question.
8. Interact with the audience
Delivering a speech not just means rote learning a few points and conveying it with confidence. It also means winning over the audience. In fact, for most people, delivering a speech is a problem because they are frightened at the sight of a huge crowd. But, friends, had there been no people to listen to you, what would have been the point of a speech? A huge audience simply means more people are ready to follow you. It’s up to you to make it big by convincing them or losing it by being scared of them. To win over the audience, the foremost thing to be done is to interact with them. They would not like to listen to a person who neglects their presence. Instead, you must talk to them. Ask them questions. Crack a joke or two. Cite a few personal examples so that you keep them engaged. This way, your speech will seep in their mind and you will become popular within no time!
9. Be prepared for the worst
Whenever you are delivering a speech, you must always be prepared for the worst. Here, worst means anything. A sudden cough or an uncontrollable hiccup or a dryness of throat that may land you in an embarrassing situation. It’s advisable to be armed for such kinds of mishaps. There are simple tips, like carrying a bottle of water from which you can easily drink, without spilling droplets around. You must always carry a handkerchief or a tissue paper to cover your mouth in case of a cough or to wipe out sweat. When you prepare yourself for the worst of things, you feel much more confident and tend to reduce the fear that peeps out.
10. Avoid apologies
Whenever you fumble or take a pause to gather your thoughts, do not apologize for it. This also goes for coughing amid the speech or misspelling a name. It’s quite natural and you need not be sorry for it. The audience understands, it’s human. Moreover, if you say sorry, you tend to bring your mistake into notice and the audience is distracted from the actual topic. This also reduces your credibility.
Public speaking is surely a difficult task for newbies. However, if a little effort goes in the making, these newbies would turn into successful public speakers who would have a huge fan following. So, do you now feel like giving it a try? Follow the aforesaid tips and observe the difference.
