Public speaking fear can be a huge obstacle if you want to develop your career. Here are a few public speaking tricks and a suggestion if you are looking for a public speaking coach. Use Your Voice and Hands Effectively. Omit Nervous Gestures. Nonverbal communication carries most of the message. Good delivery does not call attention to itself, but instead conveys the speaker’s ideas clearly and without distraction. Grab Attention at the Beginning, and Close with a Dynamic End. Do you enjoy hearing a speech start with “Today I’m going to talk to you about X”? Most people don’t. Instead, use a startling statistic, an interesting anecdote, or concise quotation. Conclude your speech with a summary and a strong statement that your audience is sure to remember.
Throw away your notes: Although you should have written notes on all of the points you want to make for each slide, don’t take them into the presentation with you. (If you must have something in case of an emergency, then create a list of bullet points below your slides in your presentation software.) Using notes has two key harmful effects on your talk: Firstly, notes make it appear like you aren’t an expert on the topic. They reduce your credibility. Secondly, they become something to hide behind to help contain your nerves. If you are looking down at your notes, then you aren’t engaging with your audience. If you aren’t engaging with your audience, then they aren’t listening properly. Additionally, if you are reading directly from notes then your tone of voice will likely be flat, and you will have minimal stage presence. If this is the case, you might be talking about the most exciting topic on the planet, and your audience may well still be nodding off. See more details How to teach culture to my workplace.
Practice with distractions. Once I know the content, I like to add a little bit of distraction to test how well prepared I really am. Turn on the TV or rehearse while pushing your child in the swing. Anything that adds a little more challenge. Find a style that works for you. Different events will often require a different approach or style. Sometimes reading a prepared speech is fine. But know it backward are forward so you’re not staring down at the pages the whole time. Some use notes. Others prefer to be 100 percent scripted and memorized. If that’s your style, memorize the content so well that you can go off script if needed — and so you don’t sound like you’re reciting a poem. Use the proper approach for the appropriate event.
What people say ? Many of the most gifted speakers that we see and admire – such as Warren Buffet, actually took public speaking lessons and have attributed that to much of his success. I love the fact that the author shares relatable experiences and struggles he has had with public speaking. Some of the very same struggles I am currently overcoming: Anxiety, nervousness, fear and just wanting to dive in a hole and just stay there rather than speak to a crowd of people. But as said in the book: “if you want to change your perspective, invest in your preparation, and take time to practice, then you will overcome your fear of public speaking.” I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for practical and actionable strategies in overcoming the fear of public speaking. It is indeed possible. The Amazon book can be obtained here: Public speaking course book.
Speak to one person at a time: One of the most terrifying things about public speaking is the crowd. Just by looking at the crowd, all in silence just to hear you speak, will send shivers down your spine. To overcome this, you just need to speak to one person at a time. Choose one member of your audience and dedicate your whole presentation to him or her. Just assume that everyone else is not paying attention. When someone asks you a question, change your focus to that person and answer the question as if the two of you are in a coffee shop chatting away. Isn’t that the most relaxing way to handle a crowd?
Mike’s training stretches from private Spanish speaking schools in Mexico, national college debate tournaments, master classes in cultural leadership, certifications in coaching, and his current MBA. Mike has been a professional speaker for 18 years and has spoken to groups of 10 to 10,000. Source: https://thepublicspeaking.school/.