Public speaking on one of the most universal fears. Most people don’t like having to speak before and audience of strangers or colleagues. But the tips below can help you conquer that fear. So keep reading, put these tips into action and practice everyday. Your confidence and speaking skills will soar!
People won’t automatically pay attention to what you’ve to say. it’s up to you to grab their attention and hold on to it. Your speech is a performance, you’ve to make people want to listen.
Make sure you wear a supportive pair of shoes when you do public speaking. You want your posture to be tall and confident, with open and relaxed shoulders so you portray confidence. If you get tense on stage from feet, knee or low back pain, it’ll affect your speech greatly.
Know your surroundings. Take a few moments when you arrive to acquaint yourself with your surroundings. If you can arrive early, go to the podium and do a soundcheck before your audience arrives. If you’ve visual aids, practice using them while you’re orientating yourself with your surroundings.
Read more in the book “Public Speaking: Persuade And Influence Any Audience“
You’ll win your audience over if you add a little humor to your speech. There is nothing wrong with throwing in a joke or two and putting a smile on your audience’s faces. However, don’t go overboard on the jokes, as your audience won’t take you serious.
Try dressing nice, even if it’s a casual event. You’ll speak more confidently, if you’re dressed nicely. Men should try wearing neckties to direct the audience to their faces so that they better focus on your speech.
Bring your audience to your corner before starting your speech. Smile and shake the hands of people if you can. If you’re positive, your audience will be interested in your speech.
Look your audience in the eye. People will trust you when you look them in the eye. This doesn’t mean that you should stare intently at them. However, when delivering a speech, let your gaze wander around the room. This technique will help you engage the audience and make them feel comfortable, as well as helping you overcome any negativity.
Don’t leap right into your topic. Be sure to start your speech with a nice greeting for your audience. This will help put everyone at ease. It also gives you a chance to settle into position and prepare yourself to speak. Of course, it’s also simply the most polite thing to do.
It’s a good idea to use slides as a visual aid. don’t allow this to be the largest part of your presentation. If people notice that there is more on the slides than what’s coming from your mouth, they’ll lose interest before you know it.
As you see above, there are many ways to deal with the fear of public speaking. You should look at the tips from above above and find the ones that are suited to the aspect that drives your fear of public speaking. So keep these tips in mind, practice as often as you can and reap the success.