For some people, just the thought of speaking in front of a crowd is terrifying. All those eyes on you, focused on every detail, just waiting for a slip up.. Or so it feels. This isn’t true though, people generally listen quite open-mindedly to one another. Despite that fact, up to 75% of people still fear public speaking. A lot of these people only suffer a mild fear, though for others it’s almost disabling. Luckily this skill is like a lot of others in life, in that you can learn it. Here are some pointers to get you started.
Prepare Thoroughly
Being confident is a massive help for speaking, but confidence isn’t something most of us can just switch on and off. The way to build confidence is to prepare well. Knowing your topic deeply and having the answers ready for all common questions puts you in a good position. It removes a lot of stress because you’re covered for any situation. A deep understanding of what you’re talking about lets you speak more naturally too, you can even adapt your speech on the fly if the audience is reacting differently to expected.
Work on Relaxation
Some people overlook this one. Being relaxed and natural is important if you want to come across well, yet it’s natural to get tense before a speech too. Practicing relaxation techniques is a great way around this. Deep breathing works well, so does meditation a little while before the presentation. There are all sorts of ways people use to relax, so experiment and see what works well for you.
Practice
After you’ve done all the preparation and gotten your deep understanding of the knowledge, it’s time to create the speech. Doing this and practicing it will let you spot any areas that don’t flow or which should be in a different order. Get it sounding natural and don’t write word for word. Use bullet point reminders for topics so that your flow is good, and note any key points too. Outside of this, use your understanding to give a natural speech. Practice in front of a friend or small crowd if possible to really nail it.
Use a Presentation
Using a presentation is a huge help because your explanations are helped by visuals. People love visual stuff much more than they love to read or hear things as well - that’s why television is so popular. The presentation can be helpful to you as an extra reminder on key points and flow, while the audience will eat up anything that looks great.
Another advantage here is the right presentation can even remove the pressure from you by becoming the focal point. There are some programs geared with really cool features which pull this off well. For example you could create beautiful presentations using Beautiful.AI quite easily, yet they look like top end professional work.
Find a Connection With the Audience
A major bonus to you is when you can connect with the audience. Get a good understanding of their motives and why they’re listening to you. Know what they want, what drives them, what pains them. Relate to them in the way that best suits this particular audience. Creating a personal connection with a good story or anecdote that is specific to this type of crowd is a great idea. It makes you more likable and relieves some pressure too.
