Public Speaking Is Hard, Here’s The Best Way To Master It
Some of the best tips to master public speaking include using more casual conversational language, using short sentences, and practicing reading your speech aloud.
Public speaking is one of the most daunting things adults do on a daily basis. It takes a lot of practice, and very few become masters at it. If you get anxious and dread the day when you have to stand up in front of your peers and speak, this article may give you a few tips to make the process a little easier and maybe even enjoyable.
Speakers are a lot more comfortable when public speaking if they use language that is natural to them. By using fancier, more elaborate language, you can put yourself under pressure, and most of the time, it shows. Also, you are more likely to make a mistake if you use language unnatural to how you speak in an everyday environment.
Another tip is to use short sentences. Using long sentences full of information will confuse your audience or cause you to lose their attention, both of which you do not want to do. Keep your sentences straight and to the point. Leave pauses so your audience can digest what you are saying. These tips will put you on the road to success with public speaking.
Also, do not use contractions instead of full words if in an informal setting. If you are public speaking in a formal setting, use formal language to match the environment. In a relaxed setting, you can use informal language like “isn’t” instead of “is not”. Your audience does not need to hear complicated sentences if it is not necessary.
When you have completed your speech, read it out loud. By hearing what you are saying, you can tweak any fact or language that needs to be changed or revised. Also, recording yourself is another way to pick up on any errors, sections of your speech that may lull or any ways you might improve.
One of the main ways people excel at public speaking is they change their tone throughout their speech. Now not every second word, but where something is integral to the message you are trying to get across, try to lower your voice. This brings the audience in and gains their attention. Tips like this differentiate between someone who is public speaking because they have to and someone who is public speaking because they want to.
Staying on the topic of voice, another tip from professionals is to read your speech over and over. One of the times you rehearse, try to read your work dramatically and outrageously and record it. By recording this, you will have pushed your voice to its limit. Ultimately you will not go with this version of your speech, but you will have pushed your voice beyond your normal reading voice and into someone who propels their voice for a living, like a stage actor.
Last but not least, remember who your audience is, whether you are public speaking at a work conference, a university, a wedding or creating a podcast. You are starting a conversation with a specific audience; remember to keep that in mind when writing your speech.
Hopefully, these tips will help you on the road to becoming the best public speaker you can be. Just get up, smile, and have some fun.
