ABSOLUTE ASCENDANCY

Commencing operation . . .

Overview

Public speaking is something most are fearful of. It is, however, a valuable skill and one worth honing, as public speaking is very much a learnable skill, so even if you were not born a natural speaker, you can get better!

10 Ways to Improve Public Speaking

1. Plan Well
2. Rehearse
3. Engage
4. Body Language
5. Appearance
6. Flow
7. Environment
8. Feedback
9. Personality
10. Blunders

1. Plan Well

Now I have come across many people in my life who were most able to “wing it” when doing a presentation. If that works for you, so be it, but I always had to have at least a rough idea of the structure of my speeches. It may sound counter-intuitive, but planning increases your ability to think on your feet. Intuition is the blending of the thinking mind and instinct. When you consciously apply the thinking mind, your intuition has an easier time to come up with solutions on the fly.

2. Rehearse

Following from the previous point, you should also practice your speech beforehand. Even if you only run through it mentally, it will still help your mind link each part together when it is go time. Ideally, though, you should practice verbally out loud, as this engages more of your senses and will leave a deeper impression. If you can, find people to practice in front of as well, to try and simulate the real experience as closely as possible.  

3. Engage

You should aim to engage your audience during your speech. Otherwise, you may find that they lose interest! Especially the case if you are giving a lengthy presentation. It is more exciting if you can bring the audience together with your speech by encouraging them to ask questions, and even firing a couple of your own!

4. Body Language

To the well-trained eye, people will be able to spot from a mile away if you are nervous while you are speaking, simply by observing your body language. It is tricky, but with experience, you will be more able to control your posture on a conscious level, while you are speaking, so that you, at the very least appear confident! Try to work on standing tall and taking slow and deep breaths. Try to use the whole stage while speaking, rather than staying in one spot. It will add an extra dynamic layer to what you are saying!

5. Appearance

Speaking of which, you should be dressed in a way which makes you feel comfortable, barring any code. If it is a formal event, you may have to wear a suit. If not, however and you prefer a more casual appearance, work with that instead. You need to feel comfortable when presenting and your appearance should augment not detract it. 

6. Flow

You should have an alluring opening line to grab the attention of your audience instantly. Leading off with a story is far more effective than a fact. You need to win your audience over at the beginning, and people are drawn to stories more-so than facts. Throughout your speech, vary your vocal tone and body language so that you do not become predictable. Monotone tends to send people to sleep! Finish strong and leave something impacting or thought provoking for your audience to think about afterwards. Basically, make sure your speech flows smoothly throughout.

7. Environment

If possible scope out your environment before you have to give your speech. It will help you relax, and it also allows you to prepare for any room effects you may need to adjust for.

8. Feedback

Like any skill, constructive feedback from knowledgeable people will steer you in the right direction toward improvement. Also, pay attention to the feedback that your audience is giving you while you talk. If they look bored, then you need to switch tactics on the fly to wake them up! Make them stand up and shake themselves off for a few seconds in the middle of your presentation if it is particularly long.

9. Personality

People want to listen to what you have to say! So add your personal flair in your speech. A bit of humour can go a long way to capturing the hearts of your audience. It sounds cliché but do be yourself, as people will likely snuff out a fake from a million miles away.

10. Blunders

If you make a mistake during your speech, skip ahead to the next bit you do remember. You can try repeating the sentence in an attempt to recall what you may have forgotten, but from personal experience, I have found that this does not work! If someone asks you a question and you do not know the answer, do not try to fumble your way through. Be honest, and say you will get back to them as soon as you can.

You probably won’t deliver a pitch-perfect presentation, and most people understand that you are human at the end of the day, so you won’t be judged too severely in most cases.

My Experience

Education is where the vast majority of my public speaking experience stems from. Throughout my educational years, I have done various presentations, both group and individual.

At my college prom, I gave a surprise speech to my peers. The head boy was in my physics class of a mere six students, and he was lamenting about having to give a speech, even though he did not really want to.

I rose to the occasion. 

My friends knew about it, and so did the few people in my physics class, but apart from that, it was kept on the down-low.

On prom night, the head boy calls me up, and I notice that most people were surprised to see me take the stage. It was not in the program that I would be giving a speech after all! Below is what I recall saying.

Attention colleagues!

We have gathered here tonight to celebrate the end of our college education. We have faced many challenges throughout these past two years. Many obstacles stood in our way. But we vanquished our opponents.

And now we REIGN SUPREME!!!

I wish you all the very best in your future endeavours, whatever they may be.

Thank you.

The crowd burst into applause, and my name was chanted throughout the room as I left the stage and returned to my seat. I remember the principle following up my act and getting less applause, which was confirmed verbally by a few people who came over to me afterwards. I pretty much stole the thunder and the show!

I usually never had any problems giving speeches during my school years, but while at university, I recall distinctly one presentation which I bombed majorly. I forgot one of my lines and swore while trying to remember. I then tried repeating the sentence from the beginning to see if it would trigger my memory.

It did not.

I swore again, and eventually, I skipped ahead and concluded my part of the presentation. Yeah, I forgot to mention it was a group presentation, and because of my blunder, everyone scored poorly. I felt pretty crap about it, but after the lesson ended, a few of my classmates came over to me and offered words of support and encouragement. I think the class was surprised that I messed up, as I had done a few other presentations previously and I came across confidently.

When I received feedback from my lecturer, she had hit the nail on the head for the reason of my failure. It was because I had not fully grasped the mathematical concept of what I was trying to explain to the class, and therefore I fumbled. I took that lesson to heart going forward, to make sure I knew exactly what I was talking about with zero doubt before taking the stage.

While applying for jobs, some of them required a presentation to be given as part of the application process. There was a time in my later years, where I struggled with giving lengthy speeches. I was too concise, and I remember losing out on a job opportunity because of it. Nowadays, I have ironed out my weaknesses with public speaking, and I make a conscious effort to slow my voice down, so I do not say everything too quickly.

Conclusion

Take the stage and make your impact with these ten tips! I hope you smash your next presentation out of the park! Let me know how you get on in the comments below.

Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.