Mastering Public Speaking

Learn Presentation Skills That Reduce Fear and Build Self Confidence

Jun 9, 2009

Learning effective presentation skills is the key to overcoming the fear and anxiety of public speaking and becoming a powerful, persuasive speaker. These tips will help.

Confident speaking is a hallmark of the successful professional. This how-to guide to public speaking and improving presentation and communications skills is designed for managers, business people, teachers, researchers, corporate executives, students, and anyone who must give professional presentations.

Effective public speaking begins the moment the presenter walks on stage or steps behind the podium or stands in front of a group. Body language and appropriate dress give the first impressions of a speaker to an audience. Being well groomed and using confident body language, with tall posture and eye contact, sends a message that the speaker is someone that the audience should listen to.

Prepare the Presentation in Advance

Impromptu speaking is fine for a person with extensive public speaking skills. However, for most people, preparation is necessary. Poor presentations are given while reading from notes or a teleprompter. Excellent presentations are given in such a manner that the audience is unaware if the speaker is using notes.

Therefore, it’s advisable to create an outline on small note cards. Make each note card a different color. Use blue for the introduction and thesis statement, yellow for facts and important instruction, pink for details and examples, and green for the closing. Number the note cards, so that if they drop, it will be an easy task to put them back in order.

Know the Audience

When preparing a speech, knowing who the audience will be is vital to keeping their interest. Knowing their level of expertise in the subject, as well as how formal or informal they will be, helps a speaker write material targeted to the audience. The article "How to Write a Good Speech" gives writing guidelines. For ideas on public speaking topics, see Naomi Rockler-Gladen’s article, "Persuasive Speaking Topics".

Practice Public Speaking Five Minutes at a Time

Practice the presentation in small chunks of time. Pull out the note cards and practice just one section at a time. For example, practicing the introduction for a few minutes, several times a day, will embed that part of the public speech. This will develop confidence and smoothness in the speaker. If this rehearsal method is followed for the entire speech, the note cards will only be needed as a backup in the case of stage fright.

Audio Visual Aids and Handouts

The goal of a speaker is to keep the audience focused on the topic being spoken about at that moment. For this reason, handouts should never be given out in advance of the time they will be needed. If they are handed out too early, the audience will be distracted, reading the handouts, looking ahead, and perhaps even looking at their watches.

Likewise, audio and visual aids should be presented at the moment they will be needed in the presentation. If they are presented too early or too late, the audience will lose focus on the speaker. "Using Audio Visual Aids for a Presentation" explains this skill in more depth.

Keep the Audience Engaged With Transitions

Audiences stay engaged when they are actively involved in the presentation. Transitions can accomplish this, by requiring some sort of action or response from the audience. Transitions can be words or actions. Examples of simple transitions are:

Respect the Audience

It’s so important for a speaker to respect an audience. Beginning and finishing the presentation on time shows respect for their busy schedules. Speaking to the audience’s level of expertise shows respect for their knowledge. Being well groomed and well mannered shows respect to their sensibilities.

Public speaking does not have to be a fearful proposition. In fact, well-prepared presenters often feel that it is enjoyable. These tips will help reduce fear, build confidence, and develop effective professional public speaking skills.

The copyright of the article Mastering Public Speaking in Training/Professional Development is owned by Suzanne Pitner. Permission to republish Mastering Public Speaking in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.