6 Tips to Master the Art of Public Speaking

Public speaking is an art and mastering the art can inspire and uplift your confidence, and make you a poised and polished public speaker. But, while some enjoy interacting with the audience, others dread the thought of being in front of people. For them, public speaking is a fear that produces a visceral reaction and makes them feel threatened. So, how they can deal with it?

Here are the secrets that can help master the art of public speaking:

1. Understand, Being Nervous Is Normal

Sweaty palms, trembling hands and pounding hearts; do you have these feelings? Well, they are common but people associate them with the sense that they will not perform well. Also, some nerves are good, for instance, the adrenaline rush that can make you sweat can also push you to give best performance.

Further, the best way to avoid anxiety is to prepare and practice. So, before delivering a speech, take time and prepare your notes. Practice and videotape your practices to see where you are lacking. You can also ask friends to critique your performance.If, after all the preparation, there is no change in your anxiety levels, you may wish to consider fear of public speaking therapy to overcome your fears.

2. Keep Your Fears Aside And Work On Mastering The Concepts

If you think that the only way to deliver a flawless speech is to memorize every single word of it, you are wrong! Memorization not only make the audience feel that you are just delivering the content (aka the things will not look natural), but will also make you sound over-rehearsed. And the worst part, if your mind goes blank at the time of the speech, you will lose the connection with the audience. Or perhaps have panic attacks.

So, instead of cramming content, focus on the concepts. The concepts will help youdeliver the speech naturally, and in case if you forget at some point, you can easily move to another.

3. Connect With Your Audience Before Presenting

Meeting with the people before you deliver your speech will offer many benefits. First, it will warm the members of the audience to you, and second, it will give you a feel for the type of audience to whom you will be speaking – their sense of humor and energy level for example. Knowing your audience is important if you are a speaker. Remember, unless your central idea revolves around the politics, religion and other sensitive things, don’t introduce these topics. Also, involve your audience and make the speech more engaging. Think of delivering content that the public wants to hear, but try not to over-generalise.

4. Ease Your Anxious Nerves

Even the most professional speakers get nervous before facing the audience. However, you can relax your nerves by concentrating more on the audience than yourself and the speech. Just keep in mind that you are here to offer information to your audience, so focus on that. Simply focus on delivering the speech and on your posture.

Stand straight, take deep breaths and make eye contact with people; this will make you feel confident, and you will be able to deliver a speech with ease. You can also use the podium to give presentations, as podiums can give you a hiding place from thousands of staring eyes.

5. Stay Positive

Positive thinking can put a huge difference in the quality of your speech and your confidence. Fears incline you toward negative thoughts and can hamper your success. Thoughts like “ I can’t do this”  or “ I’ll go flat in front of an audience” can pull you down. So, sideline these thoughts and stay positive. Use visualizations and affirmations to boost your confidence.

6. Be An Interactive Speaker

Present your speech in a way that your audience will feel connected. Try things that make the public feel involved; practice on the tone and projection of the speech. This will add a layer of entertainment and also keep the audience engaged. No matter what topic you are speaking about, there’s always a space for emotion and humor.

If you are committed to the strenuous practices and can work on honing your skills, you can easily master the art of public speaking. No matter how comprehensive, nervous and anxious you are, just keep up with the tips mentioned above, and master the art of delivering best speech.