An experienced speaker could talk for days about everything that goes into making a good public speaker, however I have found a simple formula that if followed can ensure your success.
The one in our equation refers to the most essential element in public speaking; the content of your talk. When I was new at public speaking my knees trembled because I had stage fright and was afraid I would forget my speech and my mind would go blank. Once I had my talk down pat so that an unexpected interruption didn’t throw me I started to relax. You must have the information down so well that you can talk off my head about your topic. Another thing I learned the hard way was that less is more. Much of my early talking was in teaching situations where I had to get across a lot of information in a short period of time. I found that if I could slow down and present the information verbally and visually the group achieved greater understanding.
Now we must add the other needed components to achieve our success. The first thing I concentrate on after content is my voice and what I do with it. A monotone voice will put your audience to sleep. You must experiment with modulating your voice, the pitch of it, the speed you talk and how you emphasize your information. Pause to create an effect. A pause is uncomfortable for the listener and causes them to become alert and psychologically want you to continue. talk in a clear, crisp voice and project out to your audience so everyone can hear what you have to say. Walk around the stage if that is comfortable for you and the speech is not formal. An excellent tool is a tape recorder. Record yourself and listen. Do you use any ha-a-a-’s ? Do you stumble in areas? Where can you add excitement to your information by raising your voice or pausing? Once I am happy with my efforts here I move on to the second piece.
The second thing is your physical presence and how you use it. We are not always aware of how we are communicating through out body. Your expression, your gestures, your stance, posture, movement all tell your audience things about either you as a person or the subject you are speaking on. Make sure it is saying what you want to project. Watch people and observe what they are doing. Watch television or a movie with the sound turned off and figure out what is happening. A good speaker would probably be a good actor as well. A tool that helps me is a video recording. In component one you listened without seeing. Now you will watch yourself without hearing and observe. Rehearse your talk over and over until it is second nature.
The third thing is what I think of as the “goodies”. These are little stories, jokes and antidotes you will use to enrich your speech. They wake up an audience starting to nod off, build a rapport with your audience and convey information in a way that can be easier to understand. I collect these for the time when I might use them. With friends insisting that I read their email humor it is easier then ever to compile jokes.
The fourth piece helps bring everything together: media. This could be anything from a projected picture of my cat (if it is cute and relevant to the topic), a PowerPoint slide show, a movie clip or even a recording of someone famous quoting something. It adds interest and changes the pace of your speech adding freshness.
If you add all of these pieces to your speech you are sure to be a successful speaker. Something that helped me was to take a public speaking program. You can find reviews online to help you select the best one for you.
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