Super Ways to Embrace Public Speaking

July 2, 2018 by Banchi

In every public speaking there is a certain responsibility in making a speech successful and inspirational. The highest merit ascribed to competent public speakers is that they know and practice certain ways to become effective at public speaking.

For an unobservant eye, it might seem like magic but consistent and relentless effort is always behind great public speakers.

Just like lots of work and dedication produce a great work of art, public speakers who want to be great at it practice certain things all the time to make the final product memorable and inspirational.

As more and more speeches are made, the speakers become more confident and courageous at the platform.

Finally, they are shaped into personalities who wear public speaking like their own and consider the platform as their home. The presence of an audience will even be a stimulus or an inspiration to them.

The followings are ways that are used to embrace public speaking:

1. Desire

One has to have a strong and persistent desire to deliver something to an audience. If there is no will to be good at this particular field, then the following steps will be meaningless and all trials will be fruitless. There is no exception here.

A burning desire to become a great public speaker must be embedded in the person. One cannot just do public speaking as a passing of time. The desire is the foundation that takes the person through the full journey in public speaking.

If the desire is strong enough, big enough and deep enough then nothing and no one will stop that person from achieving his desire.

      ` “None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. Preparation

                          “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” John F. Kennedy

2.1 Know thoroughly about the subject matter

2.1.1 Select a title in advance

A person does not make an appointment with his friend and ask for a random subject to discuss does he? Similarly, a speaker has to think of and come out with a title for a speech ahead of time.

2.1.2 Digest the subject matter

Dig out everything there is to know about the subject from every source available. Read a book about it. Browse through the internet. Ask questions about it. Talk about it with others. Write down every collected thing on a paper.

2.1.3 Personalize the subject matter

Once a speaker has put enough material on a paper, if he delivers the material directly to the audience it will be boring. Received information from a book, a journal or any other source must be reflected upon.

What does the speaker think about the subject? What does he feel about it? What are his agreements or disagreements on the topic? What does he recommend to his audience regarding the subject?

If a speaker delivers a speech without adding his reflections on the subject, no single audience will warm up to him. All can go out and read the book or the journal by themselves.

Why would they stay and listen to the speaker if he is just going to say ‘the book says this and that’?

2.1.4 Shape your material into order

• Think of a catching headline. The beginning is the most important part of the entire speech.
• Include a story that is related to the topic in the material. People do not forget stories. Stories are the best ways of delivering a message.
• Throughout the material, make sure the phrases and sentences used are clear for understanding to the audience.
• Select and arrange all the collected information.

2.1.5 Have a reserve knowledge

Dig out extra knowledge about the topic. Go extra mile for the accumulation of knowledge and facts on the subject. This boosts the level of confidence on the speaker to a maximum. The speaker might use this extra knowledge or not, but the advantage of having a reserve is priceless.

2.2 Practice!

It is time to test the water now. Put all your preparation and effort into doing what you have prepared. Every day practice making the speech alone, to your friends or colleagues. Practice while standing or walking. Imagine you are addressing a real audience.

Here is a link to my personal story of preparing a speech: Inspirational Personal Speech Preparation

3. Take action

Make the speech. The accepted way to learn to swim is to plunge into the water. So, do your speech in front of your audience.

Preparation by its nature makes a person self-confident. But even if the person does not feel this confidence, it is a psychological fact that action seems to follow feeling. So act confident in order to feel confident. Take a deep breath. Stand up straight and look your audience straight in the eye.

                            “You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.” Zig Ziglar

3.1 Dress professionally

Dress nicely and professionally for your big day. If you are not wearing appropriate attire for the platform, do not expect your audience to take you seriously. Even if you are delivering a topic with a diamond quality, your outward appearance will swallow your delivery.

Human beings instinctively assume if a person dresses poorly, what he delivers will be poor as well.

3.2 Deliver naturally

Human beings do natural things when they talk to one another unconsciously. Incorporate these things into your delivery method to make it attractive to your audience.

3.2.1 Put a stress on important words and subordinate the unimportant ones.

People must perceive easily which the important words are and which are not from the way you deliver or speak your words.

3.2.2 Change your pitch.

One way to get the attention of your audience is to change your pitch. If your pitch is the same throughout, your audience might think you are not that much interested in your topic and you are not into it.

3.2.3 Vary the rate of speaking.

Remember how you talk to your friend. It is as natural as it gets isn’t it? Depending on the phrases and context, speak slowly, feelingly, naturally or pleasingly.

3.2.4 Pause before and after important ideas.

You are the creator of your speech. You have to make a dramatic effect on your audience. This has two advantages. One is to capture your audience’s attention and the other is for you to take a deep breath in the middle of a speech.

4. Persistence

           “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do a speech one after another. Making one public speech is not enough. It is through making a speech again and again that one gets polished and become competent at it. It is said that repetition is a convincing argument.

After a certain period the speaker will find himself comfortable at speaking that he will wonder how it had happened and how he had become inspirational to others.