Gain Confidence with Public Speaking Skills
Public speaking is well-known as one of the top anxiety provoking activities, but it is an important skill for everyone to have.
Even though I am a member of my local Board of Education and have spoken out at board meetings, other committee meetings and Town Meetings, I still get nervous and shaky before making a public speech.
However, even if you get nervous, it is important to hone your public speaking skills to better communicate at work, be involved in community leadership or make a presentation.
There are so many great examples of speeches that are easily accessible, you can watch a TED Talk or find a famous speech or a commencement speech on YouTube. Watch a few speeches and think about what about them impresses you, how repeating certain points or facts can get your message across.
Cory Booker recently made an impassioned speech before Congress concerning Black Lives Matter, where he not only spoke about recent national headlines, but shared his own experiences with law enforcement and how it had impacted his life.
Commencement speeches are great way for people to offer advice to graduates and parents.
But speeches aren’t just for graduations or weddings, you may also be asked to give a public presentation for work.
Tips for improving your speech ahead of time:
Have your facts straight, if there are numbers or specific things do your research and cite your sources, whether it is a specific budget or article about the topic.
Write down your speech, or use index cards to write down important points.
Practice ahead of time, either in front of friends and family or just on your own. Time your speech so you have an idea of the length, especially if there is a time limit involved.
I took a public speaking class in college and I remember the professor emphasized:
“Say what you are going to say, say it and then say what you said.”
It was a fun class, I remember we had to do a demonstration speech. It was a night class, so there were a number of athletes in the class, which meant along with learning how to cook a grilled cheese with a iron in a dorm room, I learned how to throw a curve ball and how to correctly tape a hockey stick.
I wasn’t an athlete, but I was a musician, so my demonstration speech was about how to put together and play a bassoon. I talked about how I was learning to make my own double reeds, showed how to put the bassoon together and played a few notes.
There are things you are an expert about that you might not even consider specialized knowledge, such as how to tape a hockey stick or make the perfect loaf of bread.
Add a little humor is another piece of advice often given to public speakers. I think this depends on the audience or topic, for example when I recently spoke before my local Board of Finance to support increasing the Board of Education budget, it wasn’t really the time for a joke. Instead I spoke about rising costs, the importance of supporting local education and how it can impact property values.
But often humor is a good way to break the ice or get people’s attention.
Public speaking is an important skill for everyone to have, and the more you use the skill, the more comfortable you will be.
Hopefully, you found value in these tips and can use them the next time you need to make a public presentation.
If you would like help creating content for your social media, website, an email marketing campaign or a newsletter, please contact me at hello@katecareytrull.com
Related blogs: