Plan Your Public Speaking Success

You probably already know that it makes sense to plan for any public speaking engagement that you have coming up. There are several advantages to doing this properly as you will see in this article. We would never advise that you head into a public speaking engagement and deliver something “off the cuff”. It is very likely to end in disaster!

 

Overcome Nervousness with Planning

 

A lot of people are nervous when they have to speak in public and this is a natural thing. Even the most seasoned of confident speakers will experience nerves from time to time. It is actually a good thing to experience nerves at a public speaking event. The reason for this is that it will create an adrenaline rush in your body that will ensure that you stay alert.

 

Preparing your presentation will help a lot to minimize the nerves that you experience. It is essential that you are as comfortable as possible with what you are presenting and it is a good idea to practice in front of someone that will tell you the truth. As an alternative, you can record yourself and then go over the recording with a critical eye.

 

Knowing your Audience will help a lot

 

All successful public speakers find out as much as they can about their audience before they present to them. When you really know your audience well you will be able to create a connection with them a lot easier. 

 

Knowing your audience will ensure that you will provide them with what they want. You need to know what the burning questions are that they have about your niche. Providing answers to these questions will delight them and they will perceive you to be an expert. 

 

Audience engagement is critical and knowing your audience will help here. You can anticipate what they want to know and what questions they are likely to ask. Tailor your content to the needs of your audience and your presentation will be a great success.

 

Create an Outline for your Presentation

 

Some people like to create a full script for their presentation but we recommend that you do not do this. Reading from a script is not a good idea with public speaking as it can make your delivery sound very flat. You will also lose eye contact with your audience because you need to keep looking at your script.

 

It is better to create an outline for your presentation that you can glance at from time to time to ensure that you stay on track. Use bullet points or a list of the important things that you need to talk about. You can also highlight any important points that you need to make within a section of your presentation as well.

 

Use the Correct Visuals

 

An audience at a public speaking event will expect you to use visuals such as PowerPoint slides. This is perfectly normal for a business presentation. Be careful not to create too many slides for your presentation though. Having too many slides can divert the focus of your audience which you want to avoid.

 

Any visual that you use needs to enhance what you are saying. If this is not the case then the visual is useless. When you are using slides do not reveal all of the content on them at the beginning. Make a point speaking and then uncover this on the slide. 

 

Improve Your Conversation Skills To Be A Confident Speaker

A lot of people do not realize that if they improve their conversation skills then they will be more confident with their speaking. Having good conversation skills brings its own rewards as well. Here we will discuss some proven methods for developing your conversation skills so that you can be confident with anyone that you meet.

 

Decide on your Intention

 

Any important conversation that you are going to have should have an intention. We recommend that you plan for these important conversations and identify what your outcome or intention is. The bottom line here is that you need to decide what the purpose of your conversation will be. Things will definitely go better for you when you do this.

 

A Friendly Approach is recommended

 

When you want to approach someone to begin a conversation it is essential that you get your body language right. You must make the best first impression that you can and often people form this impression without you saying a word.

 

Be sure to establish eye contact with the person but do not turn this into a stare. Keep your hands visible at all times and smile at the person. It is best that you adopt a relaxed posture when you are approaching someone. You want to give the impression that you are friendly and open.

 

Have some Conversation Starters ready

 

Are you good at starting conversations? Most people are not and will end up saying something that will not be well received by the other person. Starting a conversation well is tough and you will need to practice this.

 

A tried and tested conversation starter that you can use is “hi, how are you?” and then you can introduce yourself. There are a number of great conversation starters that you can find online. It is a good idea to go through these and make a note of those that you are comfortable with. Use them to get the conversation rolling.

 

Keep the Conversation going

 

Good conversationalists will look for ways to keep a conversation going. They do this by asking the right questions so that they can find out what really excites a person. You can then use conversation sparks which will result in a dopamine rush for the person you are conversing with.

 

Good Conversationalists tell Stories

 

Why do good conversationalists tell stories? Because it works of course! Who doesn’t love a good story? When you have mastered the art of storytelling you will be a hit with most of the people that you hold conversations with.

 

Encourage others to Respond

 

Always bear in mind that a conversation is a two-way thing. Some people get carried away and want to dominate conversations. This is not a good idea. You can be seen as the leader of a conversation without having to resort to this.

 

You can use certain questions to elicit a response from the other person. After telling a story you can ask “how about you?” Ask this in the right way and you should get the other person to open up more and contribute to the conversation.

 

Finish the Conversation with a Lasting Impression

 

It is likely that you will want to leave a lasting impression with a number of people that you have a conversation with. This is very true in business and it can be in your personal life as well. Think of ways that you can create a lasting memory of your conversation for others.

 

Developing The Traits Of Confident Speakers

Modelling successful people so that you can be successful too is something that has worked for centuries. It can be a great way to shortcut your success and it certainly applies to becoming a confident speaker.

 

You need to know what the most common traits of confident speakers are and then develop these in yourself. So, in this article we will reveal the most important traits that confident speakers possess so that you can work on developing the same traits.

 

Confident Speakers are Confident

 

Yes, this is obvious, but it is essential that you realize that confidence is the number one trait that you need to possess to be a successful speaker. When you are confident with your speaking you will attract many people that will hang on your every word.

 

If you do not feel that your confidence level is sufficient enough then there are several ways that you can give your self-confidence a boost. You do need to put in some effort on a consistent basis to improve your confidence though. Watch videos of confident speakers and check their delivery, their body language and more.

 

Confident Speakers tell Stories

 

People love to listen to good stories and confident speakers know this. They always use a storytelling approach when they are speaking because they know that it works so well. You will be able to drive a high level of engagement when you tell a good story.

 

A lot of people avoid telling stories because they don’t feel like they have any stories from their own life that are worth telling. This is usually not the case in reality and we recommend that you dig deep to uncover some good stories about yourself. 

 

Another thing that you can do is to search online for good stories of someone else’s life that will relate to what you are going to speak about. The bottom line is that there is no excuse not to tell good stories.

 

Confident Speakers have Passion in their Voice

 

The most successful speakers will use passion in their voice and this is great for audience engagement. Would you sooner listen to a passionate speaker or one that has a monotone delivery when they are speaking? You already know the answer to this.

 

If you are not passionate about your subject then how can you expect others to be? Confident speakers are able to inject the right amount of passion whenever they are speaking. It may take you a while to emulate this trait but it will certainly be worth it.

 

Confident Speakers are Concise

 

A confident speaker will always use the least number of words possible to get their message across. They respect the time of others (and their own) and they never want to be perceived as someone who just talks for the sake of it.

 

If you need to work on this then you must do that. Nobody will want to listen to you if you just ramble on and on repeating yourself several times. 

 

Confident Speakers can read the Signs

 

A confident speaker can tell if their message is being received and whether their speech is being well received or not. You can develop this trait too as it is so important. If the signs are telling you that things are not going that well then you can change your approach to improve things.

 

Why Planning Is So Important For Confident Speaking

Planning what you are going to talk about will help you to be a more confident speaker. Of course, we are not expecting you to plan every conversation that you have. But it is a good idea to plan for the important ones. It is especially important when you are addressing a group of people such as a large audience on a webinar.

 

It can be tempting just to “wing it” and skip any preparation. The problem with this is unless you are supremely confident with your speaking it is not likely to turn out well. In this article, we will discuss why it is important to be prepared.

 

You will have more Options

 

The worst possible thing that can happen to you when you are speaking in any situation is to run out of things to say. Imagine addressing a large number of people and then having to deal with an awkward silence because you don’t know what to say next. Your reputation will take a nose dive if this happens.

 

When you plan your important conversations and presentations you can identify a number of options that you can take should you need to do this. Yes, it does take effort to plan and prepare, but the results that you will achieve will justify this effort.

 

Your Words will Flow better

 

A major benefit of planning what you are going to say is that it should result in a better flow of your words. When you practice your speaking, you should find that you develop a more natural flow with your words.

 

Practicing will also help to boost your confidence. When you have rehearsed everything, you will feel a lot more in control. There is no need for you to create a script and read from it. It is better to create an outline and refer to this.

 

You will be more Focused

 

Staying on topic is a very important thing to do and confident speakers are masters of this. It helps to avoid not having enough to say or saying too much. Unfortunately, there are a lot of speakers that do not have the right focus when they are speaking and things can quickly come off the rails in this situation.

 

Create a Backup Plan

 

What are you going to do if something goes wrong when you are speaking? Maybe you notice that your audience is not as engaged as you want them to be for example. If you plan what you are going to say then you can come up with ideas for a backup plan if something goes wrong.

 

When you Plan it will help you to Anticipate

 

Confident speakers are usually able to anticipate the questions that their audience is going to ask them. Some of this comes from experience and some from the planning that they do. During the planning of their speech, they think about the type of questions that are likely to come up and prepare to answer these questions.

 

Planning helps to minimize speaking errors

 

We recommend that you record yourself speaking when you are in the planning stage and look for errors. Maybe you have repeated yourself or you are using too many “ums” and “ahs” when you speak. You need to be critical when you watch your recordings back so that you can minimize these errors on the day.

 

3 Online Courses To Improve Public Speaking

When you are ready to improve your public speaking skills, then taking a course in public speaking may be one of the best decisions that you can make. This will help you learn some of the techniques that you need and will give you some practice so that your skills will get better. Some of the best online courses that you can take include:

Storytelling and Influencing: Communicate with Impact

 

This is a course through Coursera that will provide students with 13 hours of public speaking practice. The lessons are going to tackle how to give a great speech from a business perspective, though it can be effective for those who just want to do better with public speaking. In the class, students will learn how to do persuasion, how to tell a story, how to connect with others, and even how to handle some of the negative feedback. 

Intro to Public Speaking – Give a 5 Minute Talk Without Dying

 

This is a short class of just 47 minutes, making it perfect if you want to learn some tips but not spend forever learning the secrets or coming back week after week. While you will not be an expert after it is done, you will gain some new skills that will be amazing. The goal is to help the student learn some of the basic parts of public speaking like practicing the speech, creating an outline, brainstorming the right topics, and building a stage presence that is sure to wow the audience. 

Dynamic Public Speaking Certification

 

This course is a bit longer, but the student will get a certification when they are done. It requires three hours of week to complete within seven months. There are also four courses that are covered within it including an introduction to public speaking, speaking to inform, speaking to persuade, and speaking to inspire. You will be able to progress through the course with writing, practicing, and recording speeches while getting feedback on what is working and what you can improve on. 

 

There are so many benefits to public speaking and it is worth your time to hone these skills and get better at it. With practice and the right course to help you along, you will be able to enhance your skills and speak in any public situation that you want, convincing others that you are a professional!

 

It’s Not Just What You Say, But How You Say It

It is easy to get caught up in the words that you will say during a presentation. You spend hours writing out the sentences, practicing, and trying to make it perfect. While the words behind the message are important, there are a few other things to consider as well. Namely, you need to also pay attention to your body language and your appearance. 

The Importance of Your Appearance

 

The way that you look and present yourself will make a big difference as well. You need to make sure your outfit looks nice and matches the situation that you are in. Showing up in baggy clothes that do not match or looking like you just rolled out of bed will never be a good idea for giving a great speech. 

 

Dress nicely for the event. Consider what will look the best. Sometimes being really dressed up is necessary and other times business casual is a better option. Have your hair cut or kept back out of your face and jewelry can be worn, but make sure that it is simple and elegant without being distracting. 

Your Body Language

 

You also need to consider your body language. A few changes to the way that you hold your hands, how you stand, and even a smile can help get your message across better. If you spend time pacing, fidgeting, and slouching, no one is in the audience will take you seriously. 

 

There are different things that you can do with your body language to help make sure that you appear more confident. First, stand up straight and tall. This gives the appearance of confidence and may be enough to make you feel better. Maintain eye contact with the audience, rather than looking at the ground. And if you are going to use your hands, make sure that they are used in a way to promote your message, rather than a distraction. 

 

And finally, make sure that you smile. A smile can help you and your audience feel at ease, like you are forming a good connection together, and will make a big difference. You do not need to smile the whole time, but when you feel nervous about the situation, give a smile and see what a difference it can make. 

 

A few simple changes to your appearance and the body language that you show to others will make a world of difference in how well you can present yourself and how you get your message out to others. 

 

The 5 Most Common Filler Words In The English Language

One way to ruin your speech and lose the attention of those who have come to listen to you is to add lots of filler words. These are simple words that will fill up space, but do not add anything to the conversation and do not move it further. Filler words are some of the most commonly spoken words in all languages, but when you are participating in public speaking, it is a good idea to avoid them as much as possible. 

There are different reasons why people choose to use filler words. They may use this when they hesitate or pause during a conversation, to be indirect as a way of showing politeness, to indicate the tone or mode, and to express doubt. None of these are good for public speaking though, so it is best to just keep them out of the speech if possible. 

There are a lot of filler words in the English language, but some of the most common are:

1.  Oh: This is one of the most common and is often found right at the beginning of a sentence. It can get distracting and repetitive if it is used too often. 

2.  Like: Like has become very common for young English speakers. There are different ways to add it into a sentence, but unless you are saying that you like something in particular, it is a filler word that can be removed. 

3.  You know: This one can fit anywhere in the sentence from the beginning to the end. It is a way to collect the thoughts during a speech, but it is not necessary and can take out some of the seriousness of the speech. 

4.  Well: This is often just a way to add in more sounds to the sentence or to make the speaker sound better, but it is just a waste of space. 

5.  Uh or umm: These are often used interchangeably and will make the speech very convoluted. This one does not mean anything, but can be used when the speaker is nervous. 

 

Most speakers have a filler word that they tend to use more than they should. When you recognize these filler words and learn how to avoid them in some of your public speaking engagements, your speech will flow better and you will enjoy the way that it sounds while delivering your message. 

To Speak Or Not To Speak?

When having a conversation with someone else, there are two things going on. One person is doing the talking, and the other person is doing the listening. The problems in conversation can often happen when both partners want to talk, and neither really wants to take the time to listen to the other person. 

 

While talking is an important part of communication, if no one is doing the listening, you will end up with hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and a conversation that is not the best to start with. There is a time to talk and a time to listen in any conversation. And you may be surprised by how much listening you should be doing. 

 

It is actually better to spend more time in the conversation listening rather than talking. This is counterintuitive to what we are used to, but there are some benefits. When you take a step back and listen to the other person, you can learn and really formulate your responses, rather than just jumping in with the first thing that you think. 

 

How many times have you been in a conversation, but focused more on your own thoughts and what you should say next, rather than hearing what that other person has to say? Or how often has that happened to you, where it felt like they were not listening to you? This is a good example of why you should listen. 

 

During the conversation, do not focus on what you are going to say first. Spend the time listening to what the other person is saying. Ask for clarification if something is confusing or if you think there is more information that you need. And really listen, rather than focusing on what you will say next. You can then speak up and give your response, based on what the other person has told you. 

 

Do not worry about the conversation stalling. This will actually help it to get ahead and do better because both of you will be on the same page. And even if you do need to pause for a few seconds afterwards before you respond, that is not a big deal. It shows that you are actively listening and trying to come up with the right response for that person, rather than the one that you want to get out there. A good balance between talking and listening will be critical to good communication. 

 

Visualization: The Key To A Good Speech

When it comes to giving one of the best speeches possible, visualization is going to be a great tool to help you out. When you visualize how the speech should go and all the right moves that you can do to give the perfect speech, you will find it is easier to put it into fruition.

Visualize Your Speech 

 

To start, we need to visualize the whole speech. Sit down alone for a few minutes and imagine how you would like the speech to go. Imagine yourself getting up in front of the class, keeping calm and collected as you go. Imagine the words that you would like to say, the tone inflections, and all the other parts that need to go into the speech. Imagine how it will feel when the whole speech is done. Try to add in as many details as possible from start to finish, including how you feel, who is there, and how well it goes. You can use this to help you get through the speech. 

Visualize How You Can Recover If You Mess Up 

 

It is possible that you will mess up during the speech. Maybe you will forget something important that you would like to discuss or you stumble over a word. You may even lose your space in the speech at some point. Rather than getting nervous about it and worrying about how bad it looks, take this time to visualize the mistake and figure out how you will recover. 

 

Sit down and close your eyes. Imagine that you are giving the speech and you do make a mistake. What are you going to do? There are different ways to recover, so spend some time going over them to see how you will respond. This can give you more confidence even if any mistake does happen. 

Visualize How You Will Respond To Q&As

 

If you plan to have a Q&A session with your speech, you can visualize this portion as well. Imagine some of the questions that others are going to ask you about the topic and come up with the responses. When you can imagine some of the potential questions ahead of time, you can reduce some of the stress you feel the day of the speech as well. 

 

Visualization is one of the best tools that you can use to help take control over your speech and to reduce the anxiety that you feel along the way. Try some of the techniques above to see how easy it can be for you. 

 

Active Listening: A Task More Difficult Than Public Speaking

Active listening is the ability of a person to focus their attention on the speaker, to process and absorb what that person is saying, and to respond thoughtfully. It is about really paying attention to what the speaker is saying, rather than daydreaming, worrying about the to-do list, or focusing on what you are going to say next. 

 

Active listening is going to be different than what most people do, which is passive listening. With passive listening, you kind of hear the person in the background, but you do not absorb what they are saying that well. 

 

The goal of active listening is to fully pay attention to what the speaker is telling you. You will look at some of their verbal cues, their nonverbal cues, and listen to them rather than paying attention to some of the other things that are on your mind. It includes asking a lot of questions to learn more about what they want to share, getting clarification and digging deeper when necessary. 

 

There will be some talking when you use active listening. But the listening has to come first. When you actively listen to the other person, you will have a better idea of what they are trying to share, and some of the hidden meanings that are there. And this makes it easier to give a response that will work well with what that person was telling to you, rather than making the conversation go off on a tangent. 

 

Active listening is something that takes time to learn. Too many of us focus on passive listening or are focusing on what is important to us at the time. This is a habit that we need to get out of and since it is lifelong, it is hard to break. Trying a little bit at a time will make a difference and can help you to really have some of the meaningful conversations that you want. 

 

When it comes to having a good conversation with other people, you need to start utilizing active listening. Even trying it a little bit can be enough to make the conversation flow more and helps make the other person feel like you value them more than before. It is a hard habit to learn, but by being empathetic, focusing on the speaker rather than yourself, and practicing, you will get this skill down in no time. 

 

5 Celebrities Who Overcame Their Fear Of Public Speaking

Public speaking can be nerve wracking for everyone. It is normal to feel nervous when it is time to do a presentation or get up in front of people. You may feel like you are the only one who gets nervous with public speaking, but many celebrities also have the same fear. 

 

It is hard to imagine. The people who get up on the screen and give amazing performances that leave us in awe have trouble speaking in front of others too? It’s true! Celebrities can struggle with speaking in front of other people too. Some of the celebrities who have overcome their fear of public speaking include:

 

1.  Rowan Atkinson: Known as playing Mr. Bean, Atkinson finds himself uncomfortable when it is time to speak in public. This can often be seen when he appears on talk shows. To help handle this, many of his characters overcome problems with speaking and he has even stepped forward to discuss the importance of freedom of speech in our country. 

2.  Tiger Woods: Tiger Woods has had trouble with public speaking as well. He uses one of the best techniques to help with this problem though; practicing. He says that before bed, he practices to his dog, who is always a great audience. 

3.  Sir Richard Branson: Though he is known for daring adventures and lots of fun, he does get nervous any time he has to go on stage. To help with this, he starts with a Q&A session to ease into it. 

4.  Thomas Jefferson: Fears of public speaking have been around for years. According to historical documents, Jefferson struggled with this as well. He tended to focus more on his great writing abilities to compensate for his issues with speaking in public. 

5.  Adele: While Adele is known for her amazing singing chops, she does have anxiety when she needs to perform in public. She has been able to overcome some of these fears and become a world-known singer. 

 

Public speaking is something that everyone can be worried about and can give anxiety to anyone. It doesn’t matter if you are giving a speech in front of your class or to a worldwide audience, everyone will feel nervous and anxious at some point. Recognizing the fear and learning how to compensate for it to gain more confidence can help put that fear of public speaking on the backburner.