How You Can Succeed as a Public Speaker?

Most of us dread the thought of speaking before others. Some people have even ranked their fear of public speaking above their fear of death! However you might feel about it yourself, there are good reasons why you should be interested in public speaking. Let’s look at some of them and consider how you can become a successful speaker. Public speaking is a skill that everyone needs. So says an advertisement for a course on public speaking. Yes, sooner or later, you may have to face an audience. For one thing, public speaking is promoted in many schools, churches, work places etc. when you eventually enter the work place, you may be called on to teach a class of coworkers, pitch a proposal to a client, or explain a financial report to an executive committee. Actually, speaking skills are useful in a wide range of jobs, including those in journalism, management, public relations, and sales. Though, if you choose to work as a laborer or an office clerk then being able to speak well on a job interview may mean the difference between getting hired or not. On the job itself, your ability to express yourself can work in your favor. Corrine worked for three years as a waitress after she completed her schooling. She says: “if you can speak well, you are looked on as being more mature and able to handle more responsibility. It may even mean a better job, higher pay, or at least more respect.” Learning good speaking skills can thus benefit you in a variety of ways. Even so, you may still feel anxious at the thought of getting up before an audience. Is there something you can do to overcome your nervousness? Yes, there is.

Overcoming your Fears

You don’t’ have to be brilliant or perfect to succeed as speaker. The essence of public speaking is this: give your audience something of value. In other words, concentrate on the message not yourself or your own anxieties. Don’t think of your speech as a performance. Treat it as a conversation. Yes, try to connect with your audience, not as a mass, but as individuals, just as you would in regular conversation. Show a real personal interest in your audience and speak to them the way you normally talk. The more conversational your approach, the more relaxed you will be. Another common reason for anxiety is fear of embarrassment or of being judged by your audience. Lennon laskowski, a professional speaker and trainer, reminds us that audiences tend to approach each presentation with a positive outlook. They want you to succeed and not to fail. So have a positive mind-set. If possible, try to greet some of your audience as they arrive. Try to see them, not as enemies, but as friends. Remember, too, that nervousness is not entirely a bad thing. Nervousness is good for you and your presentation. Why is it so? Because a measure of nervousness reflects modesty, which will help keep you from becoming overconfident. Manu athletes, musicians, and actors feel that a little nervous energy actually makes them perform better and the same can be true of public speakers. By applying these and other ideas, some people have already obtained a measure of experience and success as speakers at school, on the job, and in their congregations.