73 percent of people suffer from speech anxiety. Public speaking is a skill most people lack. For some, it is a gift, while others build their skills to overcome their fears. However, even if those fears never leave you, when you understand how you can build up your confidence, you can successfully take to the podium and effectively impact your audience. Here we look at tips that will improve your confidence to help you overcome your fear of public speaking.
Choose a Topic You Know
Choosing a topic you know intimately will make you more comfortable sharing the information with others. Your knowledge and passion will shine through, and you will gain confidence knowing you are sharing valuable, accurate information. When you choose a topic you are interested in, you can present arguments more passionately, and share unique insights. You will be less worried about memorizing your speech and can speak more from the heart and mind.
Practice
Hone your speaking skills by practicing your speech. It can be in front of the mirror, to a small audience, or even creating videos of yourself. Take note of areas you make mistakes, such as pronouncing certain names or conditions. Learn these words phonetically and write them out like this on your script so you don’t run into issues when reading it aloud.
Have a Well Written Speech
Regardless of your speech topic, you have to inspire people and share new perspectives. Dull info can be spiced up with powerful words. Once you have everything down, look for opportunities for enhancement. You can also share your speech with someone who is a little more creative. They can provide intriguing wording to help bring your speech to life.
Use Visuals
Strong visuals always help. Create slides so people can follow along with your talking points, or can see what you are explaining using images, graphs, etc. You will feel less nervous when people look at the visuals instead of having all eyes on you. Visuals also provide context that makes it easier for people to understand your points.
Create a Powerful Opening Statement
Start strong to draw in your audience right away. In some crowds, an ice-breaking joke works, while for others, it might take an inspiring video with exciting music. You might even have an empowering song playing as you make your entrance. Make sure your opening makes sense for your topic and audience. Just remember you still require compelling speech content; otherwise, your presentation will fall short.
Watch Video of Other Public Speakers
Watch thought leader speeches and videos online for inspiration. You can study their approach and use it to help you create your own persona. What are they doing with their hands? What do they do to accent certain words or phrases of importance? How do they use emotion in their voices? You can use their example to help master your own public speaking technique.
With these tips, you can build up your confidence and become an inspiring public speaker.
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