HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS
Do you know what public speaking is? Public speaking refers to communicating information and addressing an audience effectively, whether in public or with people you already know. The type of communication is structured to persuade, inform, and entertain. Good public speaking skills can significantly impact you by increasing your confidence, sharing your thoughts effectively and clearly, and making you even better at leading.
It’s exciting if we master public speaking skills well. Therefore, let’s find out how to improve your public speaking skills together.
- Overcome Your Nervousness, Prepare and Practice is Number One
Sometimes you feel nervous, but nervousness is not completely bad because it makes you ready and more alert to give your best performance. Preparing and practicing is the best way to overcome your anxiety. Take your time to review your notes several times and practice the material until you become comfortable with it. You can practice with the help of a family member, friend, or supportive co-worker as an audience.
- Know Your Audience
It will help you to prepare what kind of information and how the information will be conveyed to the audience, such as choice of words, intonation, level of information, and motivation. There are several types of audiences, some of them are:
- The Sniper. This type of audience usually likes to criticize, therefore you should master the material being presented.
- The Hotshot. This type of audience usually likes to ask questions, express opinions, and is active during discussion sessions. To deal with it, you can prepare the material as well as possible so that the forum can run smoothly.
- The Snowman. This type of audience usually listens to the whole material, but they rarely interact, are embarrassed to speak in public, and are passive during discussion sessions. So, you can make eye contact or approach them and lighten the mood so that they become more interested.
Of course, there are many more unique types of audiences out there. So don’t forget to research and find out your audiences!
- Avoid a Script and Make Eye Contact
When you have a script, it’s better to outline each point and include it in notes. So, you don’t need to read the entire script and seem to master the material or information delivered. Don’t forget eye contact because it shows that you pay attention to the audience so they can focus on the material or information delivered.
- Make a Strong Conclusion to Get Lasting Impression
Wise for you to create a solid ending to any presentation, like when you grab the audience’s attention within the first 30 seconds of the presentation. You can give a memorable quote, a call to action that encourages the audience to take the next step, and a summary of essential material or information.
- Adapt and Watch for The Feedback
Don’t forget to stay flexible, adjust your message, and gauge their reaction. It will help you to focus on the audience so that the audience doesn’t lose attention to you and get confused about what you want to convey.
Those are some ways to improve your public speaking skills and many more. You can look for them through books or the internet, and don’t forget to apply for them. Good luck in improving your public speaking skills!
References:
CFI Team. (2018, November 13). Public speaking. Corporate Finance Institute. Retrieved August 4, 2022, from https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/soft-skills/public-speaking/
CLEVERISM. (2016, August 12). Public speaking. Cleverism. Retrieved August 4, 2022, from https://www.cleverism.com/skills-and-tools/public-speaking/
Coursera. (2022, May 25). 10 tips to improve public speaking skills. Coursera. Retrieved August 4, 2022, from https://www.coursera.org/articles/public-speaking
North, M. (2022, July 6). 10 tips for improving your public speaking skills – professional development: Harvard DCE. Professional Development | Harvard DCE. Retrieved August 4, 2022, from https://professional.dce.harvard.edu/blog/10-tips-for-improving-your-public-speaking-skills/