Also known as oratory or oration, the art of public speaking is one that a large amount of people find challenging and uncomfortable. Contrary to popular belief- this is very normal and ok! The skill of becoming a good public speaker is not necessarily synonymous with being a confident public speaker, more so appearing to be a confident public speaker. In other words, learning how to hide your nerves and feign confidence! This is largely what we will be exploring in this post.
What is public speaking?
Public speaking involves any form of talking to an audience, whether this be performing a stage show for an audience of thousands or delivering a presentation to a small group of your classmates. Unlike what a lot of people may realise, public speaking is actually a pretty important skill to possess for a number of jobs. Think of teachers (who are essentially delivering presentations all day, everyday!) or managers who may deliver daily team briefings.
In simple terms, the skill of public speaking is important for jobs that involve any form of leadership or management. So, what are the key skills that you need to work on to improve your public speaking?
1) Strong communication
In order to be a competent public speaker, you should be a strong communicator who is able to deliver a message clearly. Skills in writing are incredibly useful here, as you can use the typical essay structure (introduction, main body, conclusion) using closely connected points throughout to slowly and carefully lead your audience through a topic.
2) Knowledge
Having a built-up knowledge of a given topic is a great way of ensuring your ability to strongly communicate about it. This can also help you to pick and choose which pieces of knowledge to present (and how to do it) based on the needs of your audience. To add, having a rich knowledge about your topic will prevent you from feeling the need to memorise a script, the disingenuity of which can disengage you from your audience.
3) Audience Engagement
Skills in audience engagement are vital to being a proficient public speaker as this can be the difference between an audience being fully captivated by a speech or leaving bored. Roughly, how old is your audience? What is their current understanding of your topic? What level of formality will your audience be expecting? Knowing factors such as these about your audience beforehand will aid you greatly in tailoring your speech specifically to them, meaning they are far more likely to understand and be interested. If not, a safe option is to tailor your speech to a general, formal audience who know very little of your topic.
4) Design
Believe it or not, having some basic knowledge on how to design some attractive slides to complement a talk can greatly improve your audience’s interest. A couple of main points to keep in mind for this follow:
- Use a gentle background colour to use throughout your presentation. This will be aesthetically pleasing to the eyes of your audience and will prevent them from wanting to look away too often, for example if the colour is too bright.
- Try to avoid over-crowding your slides. In keeping the audience engaged, it is important to not over-whelm them with too much information to take in (whilst also trying to listen to you!). It is a good idea to have a few note-style bullet points, which you can also use as prompts to remember what to say next, with a couple of relevant images for a bit of pizazz!
5) Feigning confidence
You do not have to love giving presentations in order to be good at them. In fact, it is incredibly normal to be nervous about public speaking- and even strongly disliking it! How many times have you been anxious about turning in a piece of homework only for it to come back with a shockingly good grade- and vice versa? When it comes to public speaking, whilst actually being confident is advantageous- it is not necessary. It is the ability to at least seem confident that is. Surprisingly, this isn’t actually too difficult to achieve- as long as you know what to do!
The main tip to remember is that your audience will be more relaxed if you seem natural. Talk to them (not at them!) as if you are in a regular conversation. This means taking full advantage of those natural hand gestures that most people use when speaking, as well as allowing your eyes to float around the room, looking at your audience to involve them.
6) Speaking
The way you speak is a massive part of seeming confident. Having the ability to project your voice (taking a strong, deep breath to increase your volume without shouting) with clear, steady-paced articulation is vital to ensure that your audience can follow along and understand you easily. Again, much like you would in standard conversation, try to avoid speaking in a monotone voice. This is something difficult to achieve consciously, but if you’re passionate and/or knowledgeable about your subject, this should come pretty naturally. If in doubt, make sure to change your vocal tone every now and then to highlight important points.
7) Practice makes progress
Don’t put the expectation upon yourself that you need to be perfect, because regular socialisation (which is the feel you’re aiming for!) is not perfect or rehearsed. Practicing frequently, without overdoing it, will help you to become familiar with your content as well as your mannerisms while delivering said content, which will increase your confidence.
Whether it be your friends, family or a collection of stuffed toys, practicing your public speaking skills to any form of audience is very helpful in getting yourself used to it.
8) What Say You
Here with Nuse, our media project What Say You is a great way to practice your public speaking skills. Especially if you feel as though you’re lacking confidence or experience, this is a great way to start. The project is virtual, meaning you can deliver your speech in the comfort of your home. It is in the form of a pre-recorded piece, meaning you can record it as many times as you like before you submit. It also must be no longer than two minutes, therefore your speech can be quite short!
In all, public speaking is a valuable skill that can be used in many settings, from personal gatherings to corporate meetings. Developing public speaking skills takes practice and patience, but the rewards are tremendous! When done correctly, those who have mastered this art form can command the attention of a room and deliver their message with confidence and clarity.
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