To be a successful speaker you need the right combination of speaking skills involving delivery and preparation. Becoming proficient in these skills takes practice and application. Having the right qualities and characteristics will help you immensely to become a truly effective public speaker.
1. Confidence - Confidence comes from believing in what you are saying and being passionate about your subject. Self-confidence is developed by knowing everything you can about your subject and thoroughly preparing and practicing.
When you walk out on the stage or out front of your meeting you must overcome your nerves and deliver your message. By mastering the "shakes" you are half way to being an effective public speaker.
Almost everyone who rises to speak suffers some degree of stage fright. Many distinguished speakers admit to recurring nervousness. They take several deep breaths to restore their composure and cure any palpitations and focus on the valuable message they are about to deliver.
2. Likeability - As a general rule your listeners want to like you. When they do like you it makes delivering your speech easier. Your likeability is helped by smiling and being positive and friendly. An upbeat tone to your voice will attract your listeners. Keep the other person's point of view in mind when developing your presentation. Take an active interest in what your audience have to say and show that you care about them.
3. Expertise - you need to know your subject thoroughly - read and learn all you can. An audience will quickly sense when you do not know your stuff. By being a recognized as a leader in your field and knowing your subject thoroughly you can be in demand even if you are not considered a first rate speaker.
4. Enthusiasm - you will need to be passionate about your subject. It helps when you really enjoy the topic you are discussing. You speech can be convincing and effective because of your enthusiasm about your subject.
5. Persistence - Persistence and practice will see you steadily improve and become an effective speaker. Take every opportunity to speak in front of an audience. More than any other human activity, public speaking is learned and improved by doing it.
Improving your speaking skills is critical to becoming an effective public speaker. Developing the right characteristics can make this possible. If you do not have all the characteristics and skills now, don't worry because there are many solutions for this e.g. books, e-books, college courses and speaking organisations such as Toastmasters etc. Take your first step today and open the door to effective public speaking.
Fear Public Speaking Statistics
The use of props to help you to illustrate your talks when speaking in public has long been commonplace and can be a highly effective way of getting across your point. Using slides to reinforce your message is probably the most common way of doing so, but the technology to put slide shows together has not always been there. So what did the best public speakers use before?
Well they regularly adopted the method of "Chalk and Talk". In other words they got hold of a flip-chart and a few colored pens and wrote or drew whatever they needed in order to emphasize their points and bring their speeches to life.
And even now, in the days of the "all-singing, all-dancing" computer-generated presentation, "Chalk and Talk" can be a most effective way of making your presentation.
Here are some of the reasons why:
- It helps to keep your audience focused on you. They are required to constantly switch their attention between you and the screen when slides are used. However if you are standing beside a flip-chart and writing upon it there is no problem for the audience to easily see both.
- In a one-to-one situation you will often grab a piece of paper and write or draw on it to illustrate something to the other person. For instance you might draw out the directions to somewhere on a freehand map or simply write down an address or phone number. So using a flipchart is just an extension of that and can give your talk a much more natural feel.
- It can build your audience's confidence in you in that as you write as you progress through your talk, it will appear that you are truly talking spontaneously and so must really know what you are talking about. That will ensure that those in attendance will be genuinely engaged. You, of course, will have prepared thoroughly, and what you put on the chart will in reality be well-rehearsed!
- It can help you to pace your talk and ensure that what you illustrate is always what you are talking about at that moment. It makes it easier for the audience to follow your talk and relate to the point you are putting across.
- You can more easily get your audience involved if you wish. For example you can ask them a question and write down their answers. You can then talk around their feedback, focusing on any aspects that you already know can be used to reinforce any point you want to make. This can be especially effective if you are at a business meeting or doing some form of training or coaching. If you make someone think that something that you wanted to put across anyway was in fact their idea, your esteem as a speaker will be greatly boosted.
- It is a low-tech method and so can boost your confidence as you don't have to worry about what can go wrong with computers and projectors you might otherwise use. Just make sure you have a good supply of spare pens in case one runs dry.
"Chalk and Talk" is a time-proven technique and one that you can easily practice to see how it will help your presentation. So why not give it a try and you will soon see just how well your audience reacts.
Both Edward Hope & Tony Hall are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Edward Hope has sinced written about articles on various topics from Public Speaking, Public Speaking and Guide Guitar. Put confidence into your public speaking and conversation with "The Art of Great Conversation." To claim your free preview visit. Edward Hope's top article generates over 2900 views. Bookmark Edward Hope to your Favourites.
Tony Hall has sinced written about articles on various topics from self improvement and motivation, Public Speaking and self improvement and motivation. This article was written by Tony Hall who runs his own business providing individuals with personal and business skills development. You can learn more about developing your public speaking skills by visiting the website at:. Tony Hall's top article generates over 14800 views. Bookmark Tony Hall to your Favourites.
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