How to become a Master in Public speaking!

 “It’s much easier to be convincing if you care about your topic. Figure out what’s important to you about your message and speak from the heart.”

Public speaking is a great skill to develop and one that doesn’t come naturally to everyone. You may have terrible stage fright, don’t know what to say or how to say it, or simply don’t know how to captivate an audience.

There are practical and easy ways to improve your public speaking abilities. This post will explore:

• Preparation, introductions, and message best practices
• Tips that will improve your public speaking ability
• Guidelines for finding a mentor that can help
• Professional and practical tips on how to overcome your “stage fright”.

Public speaking is scary for a lot of people, but it doesn’t have to be! If you practice and address the specific reasons why public speaking is scary for you, you can and will develop a highly valued and esteemed skill.

Public Speaking Best Practices: the things to keep in mind…

1. Have a clear plan for what you are going to say and why you are going to say it. If it’s not well thought out, it will show.
2. Look professional. This means that you need to be well-groomed, smell nice, and wear appropriate clothing.
3. Act professional. This means that before (and after) the event, you need to be courteous, kind, and friendly. What you have to say will lose credibility if your audience doesn’t have a good first (or last) impression of you.
4. Watch others who are master public speakers, take notes, and learn from the best. Just make sure they really are great at public speaking so you don’t pick up bad habits!
5. Figure out how to calm your nerves. What makes public speaking scary for you? Once you figure it out, learn how to control it. Taking deep breaths, using positive visualisation (whatever makes you happy), and smiling are all exercises that work for many people.
6. Figure out if you have a “whisker word” and work to stop using it, even in everyday conversations.

a. A whisker word is a word that you use to fill silence while you are thinking of what to say next. For many people, it is “um” or “uh,” but can also be “so,” “therefore,” “and,” or even a phrase such as “you know.”

b. To figure out if you have a whisker word, ask your friends if there is a particular word that you say often, especially when speaking in front of a crowd. The word shows up more when you are nervous. Or, record yourself and listen for the word that keeps popping up

c. One method to stop whisker words: Put a rubberband around your wrist or a crystal (like a turquoise) in one of your hand. Every time you catch yourself saying the word, give the rubber band a light snap! Or squeeze the crystal You’ll notice the word and try to stop yourself from saying it rather quickly.

7. Practice, practice, practice! Practice makes perfect so the more opportunities you have to speak in front of a crowd, the better you will get.

Introductions

1. Start by introducing yourself and your role in clear, straightforward terms. Especially if this is first time many listeners are meeting you.
2. Before delving into the event/meetings details, provide a brief, high-level explanation of objectives for the event/meeting.

Body of your message

1. Only use slides if you have powerful images. Action shots of people, or screenshots of your creation/web page in action are great. Do not use slides to host large bodies of text.
2. Keep it short and simple. A great message is one that is concise, to-the-point, and doesn’t bore the audience. In fact:

You remember approximately 20 percent of what you hear. You remember approximately 30 percent of what you see. You remember approximately 50 percent of what you hear and see together. You remember approximately 70 percent of what you say (if you think as you are saying it).

In other words, say what you need to say, using powerful visuals, then let your audience discuss or conduct an activity that solidifies the points you are trying to make for themselves. They will remember more of what they say and do on their own.

3. Don’t use your whisker word! (See #6 from “things to keep in mind…”)

How to practice

Here are a few great tips I have practiced in my past:

• Step 1: Record Yourself.
• Record 3-5 minutes of yourself presenting. Get feedback from your mentor/peers:
• What’s working about what I’m doing?
• What would you like to see more of?
• Step 2: Re-record Yourself.
• In light of feedback, re-record and resubmit to the same mentor/peers with the following question: Was that better?
• Step 3: Repeat until satisfied with the results!

Choose a Mentor

Because public speaking is a very public skill, it’s important to get feedback from someone you respect and trust regarding how you are doing with your public speaking progress. You want to choose someone that will give you constructive feedback that isn’t mean or belittling, but rather builds you up and encourages you to keep improving. 

Some people choose family members, close friends, or trusted work colleagues. It doesn’t matter who you choose, as long as you trust them to be honest, motivating, and will check in with your about your progress often. 

Once you’ve chosen who you’d like for the perfect mentor, ask them if they are interested in helping you. Be very clear with what and how you would like their help, and expectations you have for their feedback.

My 7 tips about how to overcome what we call (us Performer) “the stage fright”

1. Remain Calm – Do Breathing Exercises

Take some time before you go onstage to do deep breathing exercises.

• Slowly breathe in for four counts and out for four counts all through your nose.
• Each time, try to relax and control your breathing, so you can get to a higher number of breaths each time.

This breath exercise is called Sama Vritti or “Equal Breathing”.

The practice on focusing on your breath not only relaxes you, but the counting will help take your mind off going on stage.

2. Avoid Caffeine

You may feel that you need a buzz to get you energised for your public speaking. But, caffeinated drinks will only increase your heart rate and make you feel more agitated and anxious. Other things to avoid include: Salt, fast food & sugar.

3. Be Prepared

A lot of anxiety can come from not knowing your text properly. If you are well practised and fully prepared, this will help boost your confidence before you public speak.

But also remember that mistakes happen. Audiences are a lot more forgiving than you think. Just go out there and do your best.

4. Be Positive

A great way to learn how to get over stage fright, is to be positive with yourself. Talk “you” up to “you”. Tell yourself that you’re going to do a great job and that the audience will love you. Compliment yourself on the hard work you put in to get to this point – and believe it.

If you are projecting self confidence, the audience will believe it – and you will start to too.

5. Find A Friendly Face

Either have a friend there to help you out, or find a friendly face in the crowd. Focus on speaking to them as if they were the only person in the room. Obviously don't stare them out, as that would be awkward to everyone in the room. Be discrete, remember to look around a bit - but still have this friendly face to come back to if you get nervous.

6. Check out your posture

The way we hold ourselves can change our thought process. If you have poor posture and slump around the stage, this will have an affect not just on your vo, but your confidence. Stand up straight, hold your head high and tell the world with your posture that you are confident and ready to shine.

7. Do some Meditation, Stretches or Yoga

Help to get yourself into a relaxed frame of mind by relaxing your entire body.

"It helps you learn not to concentrate on things you can't control, to live in the present. It seeps into the rest your life. You'll notice you”.

Hope this post will help you in mastering your Public speaking performance. Feel free to comment below and share your tips with us!