- MAIN IDEAS
Why is Public Speaking Important?
o Public
Speaking helps to prepare individuals for future leadership roles.
o Skills
include forming an effective message and communicating this message to others.
o These
skills can be practised through a variety of methods.
How to break the ice?
o
Try
to do some exercises to reduce your tension and anxiety.
o
Using
some useful techniques or resources to feel more secure:
-
Introduce
yourself.
-
Integrate
humour or a personal anecdote in your speech.
-
Tell
a personal story at any occasion.
-
Explain
what you have chosen and why.
-
Talk
about your hobbies or your favourite activities.
-
Pick
any item in the room and talk about it.
…
- A KEY-WORD RELATED TO SPEAK IN PUBLIC: DON'T MEMORIZE!
- When you are speaking in public, it's better not to memorize your message. In most occasions, memorized speeches often sound like mechanical and you may lose the essence of your message because you might forget a word and consequently, you will become confused and flustered.
The best ways for speaking in a crowd is writing down some key-words or phrases and speak about them. For example, you can do it using index cards.
- There are some useful guidelines that you can follow like "The Seven Principles of Public Speking" to become a master communicator.
- THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
1) PERCEPTION: stop trying to be a great "public speaker".
People want to listen to someone who is interesting, relaxing and comfortable. In our daily speeches, we are comfortable, but as soon as the idea of "public" comes to our minds, we also become so consumed with trying to be the best. Consequently, we often fail with the idea of having a connection with the audience (they are people just like you).
2) PERFECTION: don't try to be "perfect".
When you make a mistake, no one really cares except for you. In psychology, this is known as the "spotlight effect", where you feel that all attention is on your own. Even if you make a mistake, just keep going! An audience prefers a speaker that they can associate with a clear exposition about any topic.
3) VISUALIZATION: if you can "see" it, you can "speak" it!
Try to visualize the scenario ahead of time. Imagine you are in front of the audience. At the same time, imagine how well you did it.
4) DISCIPLINE: practice, practice and practice!
The goal is not to be a perfect public speaker. The goal is to be an effective public speaking. Like anything else, public speaking requires practice!
5) DESCRIPTION: make it personal.
When you are speaking, try to relate the topic to a personal experience. Tell stories. People like hearing successes and downfalls about the others.
6) INSPIRATION: speak to serve.
Take the focus of yourself. The purpose is to benefit your audience. Think about the purpose - how will you help the audience?
7) ANTICIPATION: leave them wanting more.
Keep it short and simple! Be concise. People have short attention spans, especially if they are not interested in the topic being discussed. It's better to leave listeners wishing you would have spoken more rather than squirming and fidgeting in their seats.