If you tremble when you think of giving a speech, youre not alone.
Just thinking about it makes me shudder insideand Ive spent 18 years giving talks.
Heres what Ive learned over the years to bust my fear of public speaking.
Thats not an easy goal but it can be done.
Begin by setting aside time to assemble your piece.
Move on by jotting down points you want to get across to your audience.
Then arrange them logically, so they flow naturally from one to the next.
By taking notes you make way for your talk to crystallize in your head.
Strengthen your speech bydoing your due diligence and researching your topic.
For example, lets say you have a simple speaking assignment, like introducing a guest speaker.
Find out who he really is and how he wants to be introduced.
If you cant meet in the flesh, it’s possible for you to use the phone or Skype.
Now youre halfway done.
First, you should probably know wholl be listening when you speak.
To put it another way,know your audience.
Find ways to get acquainted with your listeners.
Aim to be intimate with them.
Dig up their eccentricities, wants, aches, and pet peeves.
What are they dying to learn, to hear, or to talk about?
What are their interests?
Be aware of their age bracket.
Demographics is an integral part of discovering your audience.
You dont need a formal survey to get this information, either.
Just interact with them in the first five minutes of your talk.
Be An Expert On Your Topic
Lets say youre giving a talk on love and romance.
Think about your own love life.
What are your romantic experiences?
Or, think of lessons youve learned from famous love stories.
Use these lessons to jazz up your talk.
you might also research love itself, and its fascinating, countless definitions across cultures and borders.
Study them, and look at what interests you the most.
Pick instances in your own life and connect them specifically to the definitions you studied.
take a stab at turn yourself into a love expert before standing on the podium.
When the spotlight hits you, youll be ready to speak with confidence, eloquence, and authority.
Accentuate The Positive
What kind of a speaker are you?
To be more effective, you have to identify your style.
Get in touch with your strengths and weaknesses as a speaker and zero in on what you do best.
Do you have a great sense of humor?
Or are you a good storyteller?
Get Comfortable With the Environment
Go check the event venue where youll speak.
Acquaint yourself with the place.
Get to know its size.
By knowing the dimensions of the area, youll be able to prepare your movements wisely.
The measurements of the venue are directly proportional to your gestures and movements.
Big places require big gestures and wide movements.
Small spaces demand the opposite.
If the venue is as small as a high school classroom, adjust accordingly.
In a small space, rolling your eyes will catch peoples attention.
Even a half smile can emphasize a point.
I know thats weirdly funny, and thats exactly the point!
Im pretty sure youll be smiling while climbing the stage.
Besides, youre the speaker.
After your first two lines, move on to your third, the fourth, and so on.
Generally, when youre done with your initial ten sentences, youre as good as done.
Take it one step at a time, and once youre on your way, the rest is easy.
verify youre groomed and looking crisp in your favorite outfit.
When you look great, you feel great.
It will make you feel more comfortable and more engaging to an equally casual audience.
No one will take you to court just for speaking in front of a crowd.
However, if you prepare properly, youll never be embarrassed.
Convince yourself of this:Youll prepare thoroughly and studiously, and youll put up an engaging talk.
If you mess up, your audience will remember you for that.
Thats enough reason to practice, and keep practicing.
Record a video of yourself practicing your speech and study your strengths and weaknesses.
Pinpoint times when you use like, ummm, or aaah, and do your best to eliminate them.
There are many disfluencies like these, but um and ah are the most common.
Discard them from your speech.
When you record yourself, youll also notice whether you speak too fast or too slow.
Adjust your talking speed so your audience will get the most of your presentation.
If you do, make a point to vary your tone.
Remember, practice leads to perfection.
Illustration by Sam Wooley.
hit up the author at[email protected].
