Introduction
Public speaking is a skill that can be learned and practiced. There are many tips and tricks you can use to become a better public speaker, but the best thing you can do is prepare adequately ahead of time for any given event. Here are some of the most important things to remember when speaking in front of others:
Adequate Preparation
According to Dale Carnegie (The Art of public speaking), Adequate preparation forms the spinal cord of the speech to be delivered. Before stepping onto that platform, you should partake profound research and understand the topic you’re going to discuss better. Grounded research will help in improving the relevancy, accuracy, reliability and conciseness of your speech. Adequate preparation will also enable you to tackle the questions raised by the audience during the discussion and eradicate ambiguity of the speech.
Know your audience
Understanding the scope of your audience is another integral aspect. Their age bracket, gender, area of residence, occupation,goals, expectations, objectives, professions, level of understanding about the subject matter etc. This is done in the research stage when preparing for the speech.
Knowing your audience will help in choosing appropriate language that suits them, analysing more relevant examples for illustrations, addressing their needs precisely and ensuring the success of the whole process. Remember the speech is meant for the audience so the better you understand them the better its success is achieved.
Know the purpose of the speech.
Understand what you want to achieve with it.
Understand the audience's needs, wants, and expectations.
Know your context: where you're speaking and why (e.g., graduation ceremony; business meeting), as well as any other relevant details about their environment (e.g., location).
Use a conversational style
To be great at public speaking, you need to be natural and relaxed. You also need to use a conversational style and avoid reading from a script.
You should never feel nervous when it comes time for your speech! If you do, then maybe it's time for some self-reflection on the topic of public speaking—or maybe even just some practice before you get up there in front of an audience.
When delivering your presentation, don't pause too long between sentences or thoughts; people will get bored with all those pauses in their day-to-day lives (even if they're professional speakers). Instead, try keeping things moving along quickly by pausing briefly after each sentence or thought before moving on again into what comes next: "I've been working as an accountant since 2002...," etcetera
Pace yourself
The first thing you need to keep in mind is that you’re going to be speaking for an extended period of time. You might have been told that your speech should last no longer than 15 minutes, but this doesn’t mean it will be easy! If you rush through the speech and don’t take enough breaks, then the audience will notice it and probably won’t listen as closely as they could if they were given enough time for their brains to fully absorb what’s being said.
So how do we keep ourselves from rushing? It's important not only for our own mental health but also theirs: if someone gets tired or frustrated because they feel like there wasn't enough time spent on certain topics (or because there was too much), then everyone loses out on learning something new—and this includes YOU!
focus on the listener
Be mindful of your audience
Respect your audience by being respectful and courteous.
- Know what to expect from the listener, such as their level of knowledge about the subject matter, how much time they have for listening and how it will affect them emotionally.
Understand their needs: For example, some people need more structure than others in order to remain focused on a task at hand; others may benefit from being left alone while they work through an issue or problem in private before sharing it with others; still others may not feel comfortable talking about certain topics because they don't know where else other people might be able to find help or support when things get tough.* Make eye contact with all parts of the room (including members sitting behind you) throughout the presentation so everyone can see who you're talking directly at - this helps maintain focus on what's important rather than getting distracted by peripheral details like furniture arrangement!
Speak with confidence and clarity.
Speaking confidently and clearly is one of the most important skills you can learn as a public speaker. Confident speakers make their audience feel comfortable, which makes it easier for them to listen and learn from what you have to say. When you speak with confidence, people will be able to tune into what you're saying easily because they won't feel like they're being talked down on by someone who lacks confidence in their own abilities as well as their message.
You should also use body language when speaking publicly
— this helps convey your message even more effectively than simply using words alone would do! For example: if I were trying to teach my students about "The Four Directions," I could say "This means north" while pointing at my left shoulder; but if I wanted them understand how important it was not only north but also south east, then there isn't much point in having said anything at all beyond pointing directly ahead toward where those two directions would fall within our lesson plan (which means north east).
Practice!
Practice is key to becoming a master public speaker. The best way to practice is in front of friends and family, but it's important that you don't get too comfortable with this, or else you'll start sounding like everyone else. That's why it's important for you to find someone who will give honest feedback about what they think about your performance.
You can also practice outside of the house by using video cameras as your audience, or even live audiences at conferences where there are other speakers who may want their own turn at speaking before yours!
Conclusion
Public speaking can be a daunting task, but if you take the time to prepare, practice and rehearse, you’ll be able to give a successful speech that your audience will love. It takes practice, but the rewards of being able to work your way through an audience with confidence and ease is well worth it!
