Do you suffer from glossophobia? Relax. Plenty of people — a whopping 74%, as a matter of fact — are terrified of public speaking.
Improving your public speaking skills is one of the best ways to boost your self-confidence in
all areas of your life. If English is not your first language and you are required to do public speaking or any form of presentation for that matter, there are always ways in which you can improve your speaking skills. You’ll be more comfortable at networking events, you won’t freeze when you are asked to introduce yourself to a group and you’ll be able to speak your mind on issues that are important to you. It can help you build your client base by coming across as stronger and assured. To help calm these nerves, you can click here to see how best to go about this whilst building up a rapport with potential future customers.
Public speaking tips and tricks
The key to overcoming your fear of public speaking is to be prepared.
Preparing your speech:
- Write it down: Don’t worry about structure, grammar, spelling, punctuation or anything else at this stage; just write it down.
- Organize it: Make sure it covers all your main points. Tie the end to the beginning, if possible.
- Add humor: A joke at the beginning of your speech will get people laughing and set a relaxing tone. Be sure your humor is appropriate.
- Practice, practice, practice: Read your speech out loud. Over and over and over again. You need to hear what you’re saying. Consider recording your speech for review.
- Smooth out the stumbles: At this point, it’s OK to read directly from your speech. Your goal is to make it sound like you’re talking to friends. Every place you stumble is a clue that you need to rework it.
- Build in pauses: Well-timed pauses, built into your speech, are excellent public-speaking techniques. Even a few seconds of silence will capture your audience’s attention and add emphasis to what comes next.
- Time yourself: Adjust your content according to how much time you’ve been given. And if there is a Q&A after your speech, be sure to allow for that.
Do not read your speech word for word! You know your content. When you’re at the podium, use a finger to keep your place in your speech in case you need to glance down to remind yourself of where you are and what comes next. Consider also transferring the major points of your speech onto file cards.
At the venue:
- Take a bathroom break: Make sure you don’t have food lodged in your teeth. If you wear makeup, give it a last check. Is your zipper up, your jacket buttoned correctly?
- Relax: You know your material. Take a few deep breaths to ease your tension. A certain amount of tension is natural and good; it keeps you sharp.
- People want you to succeed: These people are not your enemies. They want to hear what you have to say.
- Don’t apologize: If you stumble, don’t apologize. Don’t tell people how nervous you are. Most people won’t even notice.
- Watch your ahs and ums: It’s better to pause than use these annoying filler sounds.
- Eye contact: Pick a person on the left, right and middle who appears to be engaged and friendly. Speak directly to these people, moving your eyes back and forth across the hall throughout your speech. It will appear that you are making eye contact with the entire group.
- Sound check: If you’re using a microphone, keep it just a few inches from your mouth. As you move your head to make eye contact, move the microphone with your mouth. If the microphone is stationary, you may have to shift your body for consistent sound levels.
These are just a few tips that will help you to Improve your Public Speaking, but of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many classes and courses that can help in depth. As with any learned skill, the more you speak in public, the easier it will get. It won’t be long before you are as comfortable speaking at the front of the room as you are hanging out with family members at the kitchen table.
Don’t let your fear of public speaking prevent you from developing your full potential!
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Jackie Harder is a public speaking coach and trainer who used to be shy.