Keep your fears to yourself; share your courage with others. -Robert Louis Stevenson Close your eyes and imagine youre in a classroom; the class is full of a whole diverse group of individuals. Whom do you think speaks well and who is a public embarrassment? You probably might select those who look smart or those who often recite in class as being stellar public speakers. You might even think that these people are actually more confident than they are. Or perhaps, they are born speakers and you are not. Well, it may surprise you that theyre probably thinking the same thing about you! They may also feel that you are a born speaker chock full of charisma and wit and envy you because they have an ingrained fear about speaking in public. Some people might have a special interest in public speaking, but most people do not know anything about it, nor do they relish the thought of doing it. It has been said that the fear of speaking in public outranks the fear of death, startling huh? On the other hand, you may actually be a fantastic speaker without even realizing it. It pays to find out by actually doing it and by witnessing yourself doing it. Like this kid I remember from junior high school This particular nameless young dude needed to prepare a long speech, a speech that he feared like nothing else. Two weeks before, he had started writing his speech. He could not sleep at night. In fact, the night before his speech, he did not sleep at all, not a wink. However, when he finally did deliver his speech and he saw it on video, he realized that it was not as bad as he expected it to be. He did not experience the usual symptoms of speech anxiety, like going blank while speaking, or speaking very softly and hearing chuckles from the audience. Through reviewing the video, he discovered that he had actually improved as a public speaker; he had actually become quite polished. Well that nameless kid was me, but you probably already knew that right? Anyway, if you cant video tape yourself, you can try watching yourself delivering your speech in front of a mirror. I hear it worked wonders for Eddie Murphy. How To Prepare Yourself For Speaking In Public Basic rules of public speaking: Gain an understanding of who you are. Discover your own knowledge, capabilities, biases and potentials. Gain an understanding of your audience. Ponder exactly what the audience wants to hear, what provokes their interest, what they believe in and what they want to know. Gain an understanding of the situation. Consider how the setting of the place and other unforeseen factors could affect the way you deliver your speech. Anticipate response from the audience. Make sure you have a clear purpose in mind so that the audience will respond in the way you want them to. Search for other sources of information. There might be more materials available for you to make your speech more colorful. Come up with an argument that is reasonable. Make sure that the purpose of your speech is supported by clear and reliable data to formulate a sound argument. Add structure to your message. Organize your ideas so that the audience will not have a hard time following and digesting your ideas. Talk directly to your audience. Make sure the language you are using is one that your audience is comfortable with. Consider the occasion in delivering your speech. Gain self-confidence through practice. It is only through practice can you effectively present your speech. Master the flow of your presentation by repeatedly rehearsing it. That way, you can have command over your speech. These are just a few rules or guidelines if you will that you can apply to becoming a more proficient public speaker, with practice comes performance perfection. Here is just a little closing anecdote to give you a running start at this public speaking thing I have always had a pretty pervasive fear of speaking in public and although I implicitly enjoy the outcome, my first impulse is almost always somewhat of a knee-jerk, so if I can do it, anyone can do it I promise. |
