Public speaking skills are something you will need at every stage of your life. Whether you are giving a presentation a school, lead a meeting at work, or give a best man’s toast at your friend’s wedding, you need to know how to be a good public speaker. Find out how to improve speaking skills!
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1. Determine your goal
The number one tip in every “How to give a public speech” guide is knowing the purpose of your speech. There are three main types of public speaking, and much of the success of your speech depends on whether you chose the right speech type. The three types are:
- Informative speech, where your goal is to present the audience with new knowledge. Here public speaking examples include classes and lectures.
- Persuasive speech, where your job is to convince the audience that your point of view is the correct one.
- Entertaining speech, which usually takes place at weddings, birthdays, and other special occasions and requires the speaker to be fun.
2. Prepare your speech
One of the most important tips on how to speak with confidence in public is never going to the event unprepared. You should not only write a draft for your speech in advance, but also make it nearly perfect.
Read your speech out loud, making logical pauses and using the right intonation. Make sure the speech doesn’t sound too boring for the projected audience – if necessary, add an anecdote, some statistics, or other fragments for attracting the attention of the public.
Making your speech interesting is particularly important in the first 30-60 seconds of your speech, when there is a big chance that your audience won’t find it worth listening if there isn’t something that grabs their attention.
3. Don’t be afraid to become personal
Even if you’re researching how to speak in public in the most official setting, it never hurts to let your personality come through. Your audience would rather see a real person behind the speech than listen to a robot reading from a piece of paper.
Allowing your personality to shine during your speech not only makes the things you say more interesting, but it also makes the audience more likely to believe in what you are telling them. Effective public speaking is always personality-based!
4. Work on your voice
You may feel like the most confident speaker in the world, but your trembling and breaking voice will not work in your favour. How to overcome fear of public speaking? Pay attention to your voice!
One of the most important public speaking techniques is learning how to breathe with your diaphragm, not with your chest. With this technique, you will never feel out of breath. Plus, you will be able to control your tone, volume, and pitch of the voice for a better-sounding speech.
5. Pay attention to the audience
Once you go on stage before your audience, your job is to establish a contact with your audience – it’s actually one of the most essential public speaking tips you’ll ever get.
Even before you begin your speech – for example, while your equipment is still being installed – you can already start an informal conversation with the audience. You can even make a little joke to instantly build a rapport between you and the listeners.
As soon as your speech begins, pay attention to the reactions of the audience. If your listeners nod and smile, it means you’re doing everything right. If the listeners look around, appear confused, or fidget in their seats, you need to make improvements to your speech using your newly acquired presentation skills on the fly.
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