You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.” – John Ford.
Imagine you have something in your heart but you don’t have anyone to express it to. It can be a topic you’re passionate about or a story you’re dying to tell. Public speaking offers that platform where audiences will pay attention. A skill that is universally needed to become a charismatic leader, performer and entrepreneur. To move and inspire an audience with your speech alone is one of life’s greatest achievements.
The Fear Of The Stage
Anxiety, fear, restlessness and nervousness etc. all these overpowering emotions can run through your mind when you are on that stage with that mic. It can be daunting to stand in front of so many people waiting and staring at you to speak. But don’t worry that stage exists to be conquered by you and your words. You just need to be willing to improve and dedicate yourself.
How To Be A Public Speaker
Public speaking is not a God-given talent someone is born with. Nor is it defined by someone’s upbringing. Anyone can give an award-winning speech whether they are introverted or extroverted. So, to be a public speaker you can just follow these easy steps:
Researching and Gaining Knowledge
Whether you are giving an impromptu speech, writing a paper or going for debates you must have a decent library of knowledge in your head. If you are not knowledgeable about multiple fields you run the risk of running out of words. Thus, you must always be researching and keep up to date various subject matters on a regular basis.
Knowing Your Audience
Your audience matters the most when crafting an intriguing speech. Their preferences, beliefs and demographics can affect how your speech is evaluated. Therefore when creating the outline or script be aware of these factors.
Create An Outline
Before you walk up that stage, all your thoughts need to be organized in your head. How, when and what you must plan through an outline. Creating an outline listing all the topic’s points and timing everything in the allotted time helps the speech flow smoothly. You can also create a script depending on prep time.
The Mirror Is Your Best Friend
To evaluate how you appear and sound while giving a speech, a simple and easy way can be to practice your speeches in front of a mirror or with a recorder. With this you can practice and build up confidence.
Dress To Impress
Dressing and looking your best can give a much needed confidence boost to anyone, especially when you are standing on that podium. The audience can get an instant positive impression of you.
Facial Expressions, Body Language and Mannerisms
The audience are not just there to listen, they’ll have their eyes fixed to you while you’re standing on that stage. Knowing when to smile, laugh, show sadness and anger is very important to relate to the audience. It can be stress inducing to stand there but to lessen this you can use hand gestures movements, keep your body structure confident and sometimes even walk a little.
Interacting And Maintaining Eye Contact
A speech may seem one sided at first glance but the most engaging speeches have interactive elements. Such as asking questions, pointing out audience members or motivating audience reactions etc. You must keep maintaining eye contact to gauge their reactions as well.
The Beginning And The Ending
The start of your speech has to be attention grabbing and exciting. You can hook them with a quote, a thought provoking question or a joke even. While at the end you can circle back to the main thesis of the speech, tying everything in a comprehensive way or give a call to action.
Accepting And Learning From Failure
At the end of the day, there’s one thing you must always be prepared for: you’ll underperform, you’ll fumble and you’ll . But if you keep on this path trying and improving, you’ll have the courage and charisma to captivate anyone with your words.
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Writer
Rahul Sen Gupta
Intern, Content Writing Department
YSSE