|
Home / Speaking
Top 5 Strategies to Effective Public Speaking
By:Barry Husband
I was never a huge fan of public speaking. I was always very nervous and had this overwhelming feeling the audience was judging my every word. I now know how to overcome my fears and deliver a memorable presentation.
I have summarized for you the top 5 strategies I use to make sure every presentation is a showstopper.
Realize 90% of Nervousness Doesn't Even Show
The audience usually can’t see the telltale symptoms of nervousness. The butterflies, the shaky hands or the sweaty palms. The key is for you to not focus on them either. You need to focus on the audience. When you do this two things will happen: 1) they will like you more, and 2) much of the nervousness that you feel will go away.
Don’t Avoid Eye-Contact.
When we are nervous, it is a natural reaction to want to hide. When you are standing in front of a group of people where do you hide? You can’t. So you will tend to look down or look away from your audience. If we can’t see them they can’t see us, right? Wrong.
The other trick people try is to look over the tops of their heads. The idea here is that by looking a peoples foreheads, they will think you are looking at them. Wrong again.
You need to look directly into people’s eyes with kindness. Create a rapport with the audience through your visual contact. If anyone smiles when you look at him or her, smile back. This will make you, and the audience, feel more at ease and will make your presentation more genuine.
Identify three people in the audience whom you want to speak to: One on your left, one in front of you and one on your right. Deliver your speech to these three people. Look at each one for about 4-5 seconds and “switch target” to the next person. Don’t maintain eye contact for too long. This will create an uncomfortable situation. You don’t want to creep people out.
By using this technique, it will give the impression to the entire audience that you are making eye contact, because you are sweeping the room with your glances.
Don't Apologize.
Never start a presentation with an apology. By starting a presentation with an apology for your nervousness or for having a cold, you are drawing attention to something the audience may not have noticed. You are also announcing to the audience, “the presentation you are about to receive is less than you deserve, but please don’t blame me.”
Avoid Rushing Monotone Voice.
A fast paced monotone speech is a sure-fire way to make your audience feel unimportant. It will also cause them to lose focus and become bored. How many lectures did you sit through in school listening to a monotone professor drone on about whatever subject he was teaching? How much of those lectures did you actually remember?
You don’t want to subject your audience to this same torture and you want them to remember what you talked about.
You can easily avoid monotone messages. Before saying a word think about the value of your message. Think about the aspects that create passionate feelings. Think about speaking clearly with compassion. Smile. Tell yourself a joke. Take a huge confidence breath.
Use eye-contact, positively say “you,” and flow with the message. If you do, you’ll hear, “I felt like you were speaking specifically to me.” That’s one of the best compliments you can get. And it proves that you’re speaking TO not AT the audience.
Limit your talk to a few key points.
Narrow down your topic to either one key point for a short talk, or three key points for a longer talk (a talk longer than 30-minutes). Ask yourself, “If my audience only remembered one thing from my talk, what would be the most important thing for them to remember?” The more points your presentation has, the less focus the audience will have on each individual point. Once you have your key points, then create your PowerPoint slides.
If you remember these five key points, you will be sure to knock-em dead
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: public speaking, presentation skills, speeches
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
Barry Husband is the author of the “Public Speaking Guide”. To learn more great tips on public speaking visit his website at www.home-biz-online.ws/publicspeaking/publicspeaking.html
|
|
| Top Speaking Articles |
- 1). 8 Tips to improve your comunication skills By : John Khu
If you often have difficulty in starting conversations and maintaining the interest of people you are speaking with, you are just a member of what is probably the largest group of humans on this planet – “nice people with less than perfect communication skills”.
Your upbringing and life experiences may have made you defensive or even negative about most people that you meet.
|
|
|
- 3). Fluent Speech And How To Achieve It By : blueboy
This article is all about how to achieve fluency and looks at the specific speech impediment known as stammering/stuttering. My name is Steve Hill, I suffered with a stutter from the age of four and despite regular conventional speech therapy, continued stuttering until the age of twenty-two.
I found life with a stutter extremely frustrating as at times I could speak very well.
|
- 4). How to Develop a Dynamic Story By : Barbara White
Story telling is a very effective way to get your point across. Here are some tips to help you develop a dynamic powerful story.
• Decide on the purpose for the story. What is the main point you want to make? Slant the telling of the story so that that point is clear.
• Create the backdrop. Describe the scene so that the audience can picture it in their minds.
|
- 5). Eulogy Speeches: Use A Story To Help You Get Started By : Tom Antion
So you "have" to do a eulogy speech... or maybe you "want" to get a chance to express in public all the deep feelings you have for your loved one who has passed away.
Yes, I know it's a tough time to write a eulogy speech or anything else for that matter. Yes, I know you're probably distraught and having a hard time focusing. That's OK. I'm going to give you an easy tip to get going.
|
|
|
|
|
- 8). speaking precisely By : gmcMatch.com
You can express yourself better if you learn the proper words to use for each situation.
You can pick up these words by reading good books and articles. Just be careful you don't pronounce something incorrectly in your head, and then speak that way in public. People will think you're ignorant.
I remember listening to a radio talk show one time when a man called in and mispronounced a word.
|
- 9). Public Speaking Tips By : Simon Oldmann
Any public speaking involves delivering information to people who are, in one way or another, waiting to get some information. This is a key reason why you should pay careful attention as you prepare to make you speech and as you plan to meet your audience.
Some people are naturals at public speaking and getting to audiences, you may think of politicians.
|
- 10). Three Easy Steps To Be Good In Public Speaking By : David Idle
Throughout the history of human civilization, people have been expressing their confidence and strength, not only by force, but also by the noble art of public speaking.
The orators of ancient Greece were highly respected and valued in the community. Likewise, today’s world leaders are admired and esteemed when they have the power to address the public with poise and conviction.
|
| New Speaking Articles |
- 1). Public Speaking - The Art of Speech Making By : Robin Chandler
How do you speak naturally while all those people are watching you? This document covers hints and tips on public speaking, dealing with anxiety, public speaking skills and techniques and public speaking training.
|
- 2). Eight Steps to Better Public Speaking By : Robert Scheer
How public speakers can overcome nervous and stage fright. How to prepare your speech beforehand. The best time to rehearse. How to psych yourself up before going onstage. How to make an audience like you.
|
- 3). Top 7 Ways to Succeed in the Business of Speaking By : Sandra Schrift
Publishing Guidelines: You are welcome to publish this article in its entirety, electronically, or in print free of charge, as long as you include my full signature file for ezines, and my Web site address in hyperlink for other sites. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to me. Thank you.
______________________________________________
Top.
|
- 4). Public Speaking Fear? You Should Be Afraid By : Paul Evans
Like most pubic speaking consultants, I usually hammer all the reasons a person should not be afraid of presenting. However, the more coaching I do, the more I realize the fear is legit. People should be afraid of getting in front of a group.
While there is a lot to gain from speaking publicly, there is also a lot to lose. Here are seven reasons to be scared…
Number One: No skill.
|
- 5). Top 7 Steps to Better Public Speaking By : Sandra Schrift
Publishing Guidelines: You are welcome to publish this article in its entirety, electronically, or in print free of charge, as long as you include my full signature file for ezines, and my Web site address in hyperlink for other sites. Please send a courtesy link or email me where you publish. Thank you.
___________________________________________________________
TITLE: Top 7 Steps to Better Public Speaking
AUTHOR: Sandra Schrift
COPYRIGHT: ©2006 by Sandra Schrift.
|
- 6). Argumentation: Turn It from Adversarial to Educational By : Jonathan Steele
Argumentation is usually associated with debate. Using argumentation in public speaking does not require being adversarial. To use it effectively can enhance the experience for the listener.
Your first thought might be to avoid it, especially when trying to persuade. The kind of argument being discussed here is not bickering or being obnoxious or even debate.
|
|
|
- 8). Public Speaking Tips By : Simon Oldmann
Any public speaking involves delivering information to people who are, in one way or another, waiting to get some information. This is a key reason why you should pay careful attention as you prepare to make you speech and as you plan to meet your audience.
Some people are naturals at public speaking and getting to audiences, you may think of politicians.
|
- 9). Public Speaking, Why All The Fuss? By : Tomas Morkenson
When asked, the majority of people in the US would claim that there greatest fear is getting up in front of a crowd and giving a speech. People 100 years ago would not say that public speaking was their worst fear, but they had more threatening things to worry about right? I’m talking about things like war, and wild animals, and rampant crime without great law enforcement.
|
- 10). A world of presentations without PowerPoint By : thomsonchemmanoor
Most of the presentations made nowadays are made with the help of PowerPoint. There are also class teachers and lecturers who use PowerPoint to make the teaching and learning process more interesting. However, it is the professional who makes presentations without the use of PowerPoint, while following some of their age-old beliefs for presentations.
|
|
|
