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Improve Your Public Speaking Ability with These 4 Tips
Rebecca Appleton • 20 December 2019
It’s a common issue amongst professionals and entrepreneurs alike. No matter how driven and intelligent you are, some of us just get nervous or seem to turn clumsy when it comes to presenting and public speaking
It’s very, very common and nothing to be ashamed of. That said it’s also a very important skill and particularly important for those in leadership roles.
Here’s a few hints, tips and things to keep in mind to help you improve your public speaking ability:
Embrace Nervous
Cliché as it may sound, nervous is normal. In fact, many people confuse excitement and nervousness, both feel similar and can be linked to the release of adrenaline in the body. What’s important is to acknowledge this feeling as standard and not as a sign of weakness or inability.
Even the most talented and regular public speakers get these feelings and have simply learned to embrace and control them, don’t let it consume you.
Talk to Your Audience
No matter who you are or how important you think you are, you are never ever giving a talk for yourself. Even if you’re talking about yourself the purpose of the speaking is to speak to your audience. You’re talking to them and you need to know and care about what they want and what they need. Don’t set out to communicate your agenda alone, set out to talk to your audience about what they need to know and how the agenda affects or impacts them.
If you don’t have empathy for your audience beyond your own agenda your talk will fall flat.
Personality is Key
Some tend to think that good public speaking is about memorising your lines and delivering your presentation in the perfect order. Sometimes it is partly that, but you can’t misjudge the value of personality. There will be a reason you are the one communicating this material and not someone else. Perhaps you have a passion for it, perhaps it’s of personal importance to you or something similar. Regardless what the reason is let people know and inject your own personality into your approach.
Be yourself and don’t be afraid to make sure your presentation style reflects you and your feelings on the subject matter, it’ll come across more natural, feel less effortful and be more memorable for your audience.
Speak Don’t Read
This is a tip we always give to everyone. Don’t read. There is nothing worse that having a PowerPoint slide up on the screen filled with text and having someone just read it to you. You may as well just send them the material over email, it’s not going to stick and your whole presentation will be dull as dishwater.
You need to know your material enough to be able to talk confidently about it without having to look at a script. Use stimulating visual aids and markers to keep you on track and engage your audience.
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