How To Speak In Public

Speaking in public, confidently, without hesitation and keeping the audience spellbound, is something that can be achieved only with practice. Apart from being presentable, you need to know all the basic techniques, in order to be a good public speaker. You should have a good understanding about the subject, the audience and their level of knowledge. If you want to know how to speak in public, this article will help you a great deal. Check out the tips given in the lines below and learn how to become a good public speaker.

It is always easier to speak about something you know very well. However, even if you have a broad knowledge about the subject, make sure to understand it in and out. For this, you need to do research. Flip through newspapers and magazines, browse the internet and update yourself about recent developments in the regard. Gather information on the background of the subject as well. This will help you provide an in-depth analysis of the subject. If you understand your subject well, you would feel confident about speaking in public.

To put across your thoughts in an effective manner, you need to study the audience. The first thing to consider is the age group of your public. Next, get acquainted with their general interests and find their level of knowledge about the subject. This will affect how deeply you want to go into the subject and how you are going to present the facts. The public will affect your presentation, indirectly.

Another important step in public speaking is rehearsal. To present yourself confidently in public, you need to rehearse the speech many times. For the purpose, write down the points you are going to present. Write the entire speech on paper or just note down the important points. Since silent reading won't help you monitor your voice modulation, it is suggested to speak out the words loudly, while rehearsing. Take the help of your friend, to know whether you are delivering the speech correctly or not. Keep practicing until you are fluent.

Now that you are thorough with the subject and have rehearsed enough, it is the time to prepare yourself to face the audience. Stage-fear is obvious, especially when you are a beginner. However, you need to ease yourself of all the tensions. Take a deep breath, a few minutes before going on stage. Banish all the fears about going off the track.

 

Your body language reflects your level of confidence. Do not slouch, while on stage. Stand straight, but not in the 'attention position'. Putting one hand in your pocket is okay, but both hands in your pocket will look very odd. If there is a podium on stage, you can rest your hands on them.

Your smile will convey that you are confident to face the public. The audience will respond to your more positively, if you speak with a smiling face. This will help you carry on the speech with much more self-assurance.

Remember, the speech is meant for every one in the audience. Therefore, try to make eye contact with everyone present there, instead of focusing only on one person. In case you feel distracted looking into the eyes of the audience, focus on their foreheads or on a place at the background of the audience, just above their head.

Do not intimidate your audience with silent and serious moments. Do not be too much factual. If humor finds place anywhere in the subject, you can include it. Make sure that it is funny and not offensive. Include humor only if it is closely related to the topic. Cracking a joke totally irrelevant to the situation can worsen the speech!