If humanity had a common fear, it’d be public speaking.
Oh, the horror that comes unforetold whenever we must give a public speech. Some of us will study and memorize lines only to end up blank the moment we face a crowd of watching eyes. It used to happen to me; it happens to you (if not, why are you here?), and it can happen to anyone.
This one time our undergraduate class was divided into several groups by the lecturer and she asked each group to give a presentation on the class topic. Soon, it was my turn. I’ll tell you this; the first time you lose yourself while speaking, you mostly never recover. It’s like a shadow hanging over you. And my shadow was pretty thick. Yet my performance was exemplary compared to one particular guy in a separate group.
Turns out he was a stammerer. Also the group leader (yeah, I wondered, too), and when the time came for him to make his case, his face squeezed into about seven different formations just to say “hello”. Of course, you can imagine how their presentation went. And still, bad as that was, it was nothing compared to this girl.
She was a member of the last group to present. She came out all chic and savvy, and I was expecting some Coachella-type performance. But she lost her flow after two minutes and started laughing in embarrassment. We laughed with her, of course, but the lecturer found nothing funny. Their group was last to present and also last on the scoresheet.
What’s my point? Public speaking, though not the most important skill in the world, is a skill you must master regardless. How? Well, that is the point of this article.
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What Is Public Speaking?
Public speaking (also called oratory or oration) is the process or act of performing a speech to a live audience. That “live” is the scary part for all of us.
Public speaking is commonly understood as formal, face-to-face, speaking of a single person to a group of listeners. However, due to the evolution of public speaking, it is modernly viewed as any form of speaking (formally and informally) between an audience and the speaker.
Public Speaking For Beginners
If you don’t have a lot of experience in public speaking, hence the term beginner, then I am going to give you some information that will help you move forward. I will discuss the dos and don’ts of public speaking, so be sure to study the steps efficiently so you can improve your communication skills.
Here we go.
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Don’t Ramble, Be Concise
It’s very easy to lose yourself in any discussion when you go too far off point. Any listener will not really grasp what you’re saying when you ramble too much and get long-winded. A disorganized speaker can’t seize the attention of his audience.
In fact, I reckon many will get bored after the first three minutes and start pressing their phones.
A quick fix to this is to organize yourself and plan well beforehand. Craft out an excellent introduction and always make sure your central points have interlinking phrases and transition statements.
Ever seen Annalise Keating speaking in court? Perhaps you should.
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Good Eye Contact
Another tip I will give is not to look at the wrong places with your eyes. When speaking publicly, you might want to avoid looking over the crowd, at the floor, or at uninteresting places like the walls or ceiling. What should have your interest is the audience. You should cultivate the habit of catching the eye of a few listeners. Not everyone, just a few.
Look directly at a person until you’re able to finish one statement, then find another face. Follow the method of One thought, One person. You focus on just a person until you finish a particular thought, then switch. Rinse and repeat until you’re finished with your speech.
Now, this might not be an easy thing to do because eye contact, in many cases, is the hardest part of nonverbal communication to learn. But people want to connect with you and not just listen to what you’re saying, so it is a plus when you master eye contact. Check the link below to learn other ways to build your communication skills.
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Less Is More
One important thing you must always remember during public speaking is to avoid cluttering your notes. Many of us would want to cram in everything so that we can release everything, but that only chokes our mind, and more often than not, we find ourselves forgetting important facts, in the worst cases making fools of ourselves.
A quick fix is to always write down talking points, and make sure not to clutter up your notes or PowerPoint with too much information. If there’s too much information, your speech will be stiff and you’d be reading from your notes throughout which leaves you no time to connect with your audience, and that’s very bad.
Let’s take a university seminar for example. You’re asked to give a presentation and the whole time you’re out front, your gaze is lowered and locked on your notes. You might ace the speech but you definitely won’t score an A if your performance was being judged.
Do Not Fidget
I really cannot stress this part enough. The last thing you want to project is a lack of confidence because even if you’re correct or saying the right things, your words won’t hold weight if you fidget too much. So try not to make any unnecessary movements or hand gestures unless they’re absolutely necessary.
Just take a good look at Dominic Toretto from the hit saga: Fast and Furious. Anytime he has to address the family, you don’t see him fidgeting much, do you? Calm as a rock, that one. Got the head to match, in my opinion.
Let’s come to Game of Thrones (sucks for you if you haven’t seen it). Remember when all three powers (the North, Dragon, and the Crown) arranged a parley in the penultimate season? Where they discussed how they would move against the Night King? Did you watch Daenerys Targaryen closely? Did you see how she handled herself irrespective of Queen Cersei’s barbs? The dragon queen might have even secured a truce (her intention) if Jon Snow’s pride hadn’t stuck a rod up his butt.
That’s the power that comes with not fidgeting when you speak. People will take your words seriously.
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Oration Is Important
How you use your voice during public speaking is the crowning achievement of your speech. You should make sure not to speak too low to the point where the audience has to ask that you repeat yourself.
Also, avoid conversation fillers like “Uh” and “Um” and also try not to be anxious, because it can be registered. What you should do is speak loudly and clearly, such that the person at the back can hear you clearly. Also, use pauses when right to create more effect. Doing that will positively improve your public speaking skills.
You could also try watching shows that make you improve your vocabulary. Suits is a favorite of mine. You can watch it on Netflix.
A Word From Battabox On Public Speaking
There goes the bell! These are the tips and tricks that you can use to boost your public speaking skills. Be sure to master them and you will see significant results.
If you have any questions let us know below.
