HOW TO BE EFFECTIVE IN PUBLIC SPEAKING?

HOW TO BE EFFECTIVE IN PUBLIC SPEAKING?

              Public Speaking is one of the most sought-after skills. You have a better chance of success when you have this skill. Whether you are a student or you are a professional, you have something to convey to the people. How best your speech is received depends upon how well you can communicate.

We usually take for granted the art of public speaking.  However, this ability is not natural; it does not come by birth.  It requires systematic training and practice to develop the skill of delivering a speech to a large audience.

To excel in the skill of public speaking, we should train ourselves keeping in mind the following four pillars of public speaking.  Just as each pillar supports the building, no one pillar is more or less important than the other.  All are equally essential.

FOUR PILLARS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

Pillar 1: PREPARATION

Any task we engage in requires planning and preparation.  It is better to spend time on preparation rather than wasting everyone’s time when you are on stage.

Preparation for the topic

Know your topic well.  Do not go into too many details.  The content that you put forth is as important as how you put it across.  Try to get the facts and do not bother much about opinions.  Evaluate the information and obtain an insight into the content you are going to present.

Preparation for the audience

Try to obtain information about who you are going to address, what they are interested in, how deep into the subject you can dwell upon to sustain their interest, what kind of objections or reservations they have, and how you can effectively clarify their doubts.

Preparation for the timeline

All public speaking has a timeline.  You are given a fixed amount of time, within which you have completed your task.  Knowing about how much time you are given helps you in deciding the content.  Sometimes, the time provided may be cut short.  Be prepared to adjust your speech to the timing.

Pillar 2: STRUCTURE

Keep it focused

Irrespective of how much time you are going to spend on your speech, the structure has to remain the same.  You can edit the content depending upon time restrictions but never go out of the topic.  The more you are focused on your subject, the greater the impact of your speech on the audience.  Introduce the topic first in one or two sentences, indicate how your speech is going to enrich the audience, get to the point, summarize, and conclude.

Keep it concise

                You can add a narrative, a story, an anecdote, or a joke within your speech provided that this corroborates what you are saying.  However, keep it short and sweet, and do not spend too much time or energy explaining this.

Keep it simple

                The structure of your speech should be as simple as possible.  Do not make it too complicated for your audience.  If they do not understand what you are saying, then they will lose interest.  So, do not add too much to the structure of your speech.

Pillar 3: DELIVERY

Speak clearly

                Do not use high-sounding and bombastic words that may not only confuse your audience but may also hinder your speech.  Keep the last person in the audience in mind so that your speech becomes coherent and audible.  Use simple sentences so that you are not struggling with relevant words to complete the sentence.

Take the support of your body

                For a beginner, the greatest hindrance is the hands.  The more self-conscious you are about your body, the greater it becomes a problem to take control of your body.  Understand that the audience is there to hear what you say and not what you do.  That way, the body will flow naturally along with your speech, and in public speaking, the body can say as much as your speech does.

Be sure of what you know

                Initially, the less you know about the topic the better will be your focus.  Trying to know too much will not only confuse you but also sidetrack your delivery.  Over time you can include more information in your delivery.  However, your confidence is reflected in how sure you are about the information you deliver.

Pillar 4: CLOSING

Bring out curiosity

                Your audience should feel that there is a lot more to what you have to say.  Arouse curiosity in your speech so that the audience has the urge to know more.

Clarify confusions

                Do not leave your audience confused.  You need to anticipate their objections and confusion and ensure that your conclusions have something important for the people to take home.

Guide future references

                You may not be able to highlight all information in one speech.  Guide the audience by indicating a few references so that those who are interested in the topic can peruse it later.

                In short, visualize a happy audience and work backward in your preparation, structure, delivery, and closing.  A public speech should thrill the audience and this can be achieved when you have a passion to deliver an efficient speech.

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