Have you ever wanted to get up in front of an audience and speak to them about something you are passionate about like the videos you see from TEDx? Do you wish you could be paid to give a keynote speech or motivational talk like Tony Robbins? If you have contemplated the idea of standing up in front of people and sharing your voice but have not done so because of fear, then you are not alone.
Most people avoid public speaking at all costs because they dread being judged and ridiculed. However, there is a great power that comes from developing the courage to do so. Many professional motivational speakers all started off shy or nervous and admit that it took them a great deal of time to overcome this hurdle. Even Tony Robbins said he struggled his first couple of years until he worked at it tirelessly.
Just listen to what this business keynote speaker had to say about it:
"It took me almost two years until I could finally muster up the courage to stand up in front of my peers and talk to them with confidence. What I realized is that most of what was holding me back were negative beliefs and ideas about myself that were not true."
If you have been holding yourself back, here are 6 top tips you can use to improve your speaking skills:
1. Use Humor To Get Things Going
One of the best ways to break the ice with your audience is to use humor. You can do this by opening with a joke or a funny remark. (Just make sure that the laughter does not come from the expense of another human being because this can hurt, rather than help.)
Also, learn to laugh at yourself. Have fun with the public-speaking process by using humor to get you through it. Eventually, you will realize that public-speaking can be fun. Once you realize this, you will be on the road to becoming a good public speaker.
Being able to laugh at yourself is an acquired skill and many actors rely on this skill of not taking themselves too seriously. Otherwise, how would they be able to step outside themselves to become someone else on screen? Realize that you are simply delivering a performance for your audience and let yourself be who you want to be while you are up there speaking to a crowd. Public speaking is about being the best self you can be, even if it is not your normal self. Take on a confident persona during a public-speaking engagement.
2. Wear Colorful Clothing
Color counts because color changes moods, so set the tone by wearing colors appropriate to the occasion. A festive event requires festive colors. Your audience will appreciate this because visual appeal helps make the verbal message more appealing. Make sure that you are comfortable in your clothing, though. Don't wear clothing that binds because you will not look natural or speak naturally. Wearing appropriate clothing can help lessen your fear of public speaking because you will get a positive reaction from your audience.
3. Make Eye Contact
Your audience will favor you for making eye contact with them because making eye contact personalizes the message. It makes each audience member feel as if you are speaking directly to him/her. Too, it will bring about greater commitment to your message if you personalize it. If you watch closely, you will discover your audience's commitment to your message by their heads nodding. When a speaker sees the audience's heads nodding in a positive direction, this can automatically help lessen the speaker's fear of public speaking.
Eye contact combined with the right tone of voice, gestures, and body language will help you effectively communicate your message to your audience. Watching and analyzing other successful speakers can provide valuable insights into effective speaking techniques and strategies. To further improve your public speaking skills, consider attending public speaking workshops, where you can learn from experienced speakers and receive tips and advice on how to improve your delivery. These workshops often provide opportunities to practice in front of a live audience, giving you the chance to implement new skills and receive immediate feedback.
4. Control Your Hands
Don't close yourself off from your audience by clasping your hands together. Refrain from wringing your hands or flailing them about while speaking. Wringing your hands and flailing your arms suggests nervousness and can cause your audience to be nervous. If you stir your audience to a state of nervousness, this will cause your fear of public speaking to heighten during the time your audience is nervous or out of control. The key to reducing your own nervousness is to control your audience's nervousness.
5. Unite With Your Audience
Rather than issuing a division between you (the keynote speaker) and your audience, why not unite (as one) with your audience. You can easily do this by using the pronoun we, instead of using I and you. If you think this sounds funny, just remember that your audience will more likely listen to you if they feel you are part of the process. So, make yourself feel more secure in a public-speaking event by instilling security in your own audience. Use we, rather than I and you.
6. Don't Take It Personally
Realize that once you give your public-speaking presentation, it is over. Unless you are a politician, you will not likely be recorded or have any other permanent record of your performance, so once your its over, its over. Just remember what you did well so that you can do it again and refrain from doing again what you failed to do well. In short, make each public-speaking engagement a trial-and-error process. Each public-speaking opportunity is a chance to do something different, a chance to do something better.
4. Control Your Hands
Don't close yourself off from your audience by clasping your hands together. Refrain from wringing your hands or flailing them about while speaking. Wringing your hands and flailing your arms suggests nervousness and can cause your audience to be nervous. If you stir your audience to a state of nervousness, this will cause your fear of public speaking to heighten during the time your audience is nervous or out of control. The key to reducing your own nervousness is to control your audience's nervousness.
5. Unite With Your Audience
Rather than issuing a division between you (the keynote speaker) and your audience, why not unite (as one) with your audience. You can easily do this by using the pronoun we, instead of using I and you. If you think this sounds funny, just remember that your audience will more likely listen to you if they feel you are part of the process. So, make yourself feel more secure in a public-speaking event by instilling security in your own audience. Use we, rather than I and you.
6. Don't Take It Personally
Realize that once you give your public-speaking presentation, it is over. Unless you are a politician, you will not likely be recorded or have any other permanent record of your performance, so once your its over, its over. Just remember what you did well so that you can do it again and refrain from doing again what you failed to do well. In short, make each public-speaking engagement a trial-and-error process. Each public-speaking opportunity is a chance to do something different, a chance to do something better.
Perfect Public Speaking
Most people won't become perfect public speakers in their lifetime. But everyone can improve their public speaking abilities. Keep these top tips in mind to speak better than ever for business or personal events.