The seven golden rules of public speaking
This week I had to face up to the fear! Did you know a fear of public speaking is one of the most common phobias in the UK? I have not met anyone who relishes public speaking. However, there are tips and techniques we can use to help us deal with the situation better. Below are a few pointers.
- Plan and practise your talk before the event. We all know this, but how many of us actually do it? Preparation is key to any presentation we give, helping us to get comfortable and familiar with the talk, and getting a feeling of, ‘Yes, I really can do it’.
- Engage the audience from the outset. Open with ‘a hook’. You need to engage your audience so invite them in. ‘Good morning’ or ‘Thanks for coming’ are acceptable, but what about asking a question –
Who do you know who…….
Did you know that …
Has anyone ever …?
Once you have drawn them in and got their attention then we you introduce them to your topic
- Turn the spotlight on the audience. When giving a presentation one of the biggest fears is being judged or having the spot light on us. So try and move the spot light back to the audience, by asking a question or posing a thought. This gives you time to breathe collect your thoughts and reduce anxiety.
- Use natural visual communication. You must be natural, be yourself. People connect with people so use natural language , use natural gestures, act as if you were talking to a friend; that way you’ll form a connection with the audience and you will fly!”
- Try and make the audience feel comfortable. The reality is that the audience is on your side. No one wants anyone to fail in a presentation so you must aim to make it look as if you are presenting to friends. That way they will feel comfortable and this will help you.
- If you make a mistake or forget something, just move on. We all know that the person who claims never to have made a mistake is living in dream land. The reality is that if you make a mistake when giving a presentation, the only person who would know would be yourself. So don’t draw attention to mistakes. Move on quickly, try and make it humorous, and move on to the next point.
You are the centre of the presentation. The audience is there to see you, hear you and learn the message – whatever that message might be. So don’t hide behind a power-point, but be yourself. Try to put as much of you in there as possible. The audience will connect, rapport will take place and you will go out and smash it!
So do you have a fear of public speaking? Would you like to overcome that fear, be able to connect with your audience and be the best possible you?
If your answer is ‘Yes!’, why not get in touch with me and start that journey today?
To find out how to improve your public speaking checkout .Why not feel the fear and do it anyway.