To most people, public speaking is just going up in front of a crowd and speaking, however, this is not truly the spirit of public speaking. It’s about influencing people, making them care about what you say and effectively communicating your idea. Whether it’s giving a presentation in class or at a speech for house captain to even wedding toasts, public speaking is one of the most essential and powerful tools that we naturally have.
However, the idea of public speaking can often be daunting to most people, fearing embarrassment, the eyes of the crowd or that they won’t do well enough. This fear can often limit our full potential in communicating and networking with other individuals which can lead to huge problems later on in life. However, public speaking is a skill that everyone can learn and eventually use to overcome their fears – hence this article was created to help! We’ll be diving into the world of public speaking, giving quick tips and tricks alongside some general dos and don’ts of the skill. Whether you’re a novice or experienced speaker, this guide will definitely help you gain new skills and tricks to use!
1. Research! Know What You’re Going to Say
The most important part of a speech is the content, if there’s no content, you’re just saying words! Weeks before a speech, you should find out what you’re going to say. Try researching about different topics and if you already have one, find out more about it! Read news articles, watch videos and find out the most you can about the subject – if you don’t understand it, your explanation probably won’t make the audience understand either.
You should find specific points, case studies or statistics in your case study and compile them in a place easily accessible to you, a google doc, notebook, anything you see fit! Try to keep things concise at first, putting your content in bullet points and trying to understand it. You can also include the sources where you got your information to look back and add more.
After compiling everything you’re going to say – try to organize them! Which topics are more important than others? (they usually go first) Which topics are less important? Which topics can be combined? Organization is essential to a speech becoming successful. After this, you’ll want to start writing! Try including more detail and compile your ideas into longer sentences, explaining things more thoroughly compared to your bullet-points.
2. Know Your Audience
The second part of your research should be about your audience – who they are, their interests and how they respond. This is essential to crafting a successful speech. You should aim to find out things that interest this specific audience or would allow them to respond positively and use that to your advantage!
Interesting your audience is essential, so try picking topics close to them. If you’re speaking in front of a school, find out what the students are interested in. If you’re speaking at a wedding, find out some facts about the couple. Whatever the event is, know who you’re speaking to. The more your audience relates to your content – the more they care!
Whoever your audience is, your tone and word choice should also reflect that. If it’s a more casual, laid-back audience – you can crack some jokes and be a bit more light-hearted. If it’s a full on serious convention – use a more formal tone.
3. Be Natural!
There’s no point pretending to be someone else on stage, it won’t feel authentic and the audience will definitely feel it. You should try to sound natural, just like when you’re speaking to yourself or when you’re practicing. If you’re nervous, pause, it’s better than using filler words like “uh” or “uhm”. Take deep breaths and try to calm yourself down – you’ll do much better!
Using pauses or “beats” are your most valuable weapon. This leaves room for the audience to think or for the information to sink into the audience. If you’re unsure what to do or forget something, just pause. If you just said something extremely important or impactful, pause. In addition, they also signify importance and impact to your audience but can also allow the audience to re-connect if they are lost or confused. Pauses are a powerful weapon in your speech and you should both plan them and use them periodically by reading the room.
4. Practice, Practice, Practice!
The most important thing about public speaking is being prepared. A prepared and rehearsed speech will always sound better than a spontaneous one. Practice provides you time to find out your points of improvement and to physically hear your speech – it may sound different from what you think! There is a large difference between just reading your speech and rehearsing. By practicing your speech either by recording it or in front of people you know, you’ll familiarize yourself with your speech much better and find ways to constantly improve your speech.
Other than familiarizing yourself with your speech, it can also help you deal with stage fright. If you can do the speech alone or with friends perfectly fine, it’ll give you much more confidence when you’re on stage because you know you can do it. Practicing is one of the most essential parts of a speech and is necessary for a great speech.
5. Have Fun & Relax!
The point of public speaking is not to stress out – you should enjoy it! Think of it as talking with friends, put your own twist on it and do it your own way. This way, you’re minimizing stress and actually having fun with it. The more fun you have, the better the speech! Just remember, whatever goes wrong, just move on. Don’t ponder or overthink about the things that could go wrong, think about what could go right!
Hopefully, once you’ve finished reading this guide, you’ll be more confident in your public speaking skills, beginner or advanced. I hope you’ve learnt something new or found points of improvement in your speech. This is only an extremely basic guide, so feel free to explore and dive deeper into the world of public speaking. It’ll only be as scary as you think it is, so, be brave and try it out!
Very good