In public speaking, attitude and confidence are necessary. To leave a lasting impact on an audience, one must be confident in front of them; however, what is confidence? And what distinguishes being confident from being overconfident?
Frankly speaking, there is no need to fake it till you make it, or to overreact just to look confident because be sure, that sooner or later, your show is going to come to an end, and the mask you have been putting on will fall off eventually.
In public speaking, confidence is essential. Your level of confidence speaks louder about the person you are. Have you noticed that some skilled communicators and knowledgeable people tend to feel nervous and stressed when speaking in front of a large crowd?
When you believe in yourself, issues like performance anxiety and nervousness vanish entirely.
Not everybody enjoys speaking in front of an audience or delivering a presentation in front of a large group of people while maintaining eye contact with them.
The key to this confidence is to have a positive mindset. It is to believe in yourself before others believe in you.
The fear of public speaking mostly comes from two main reasons: a lack of self-confidence or a lack of knowledge on a particular topic.
You are not alone if you shy away from attending meetings or other public gatherings. Many public speaking techniques can assist you in overcoming all the challenges, as well as increasing your confidence level, whether it be presenting your work at a meeting or a conference.
The first step can be summed in 4 words, Plan ahead and be ready. You must be trained and prepared in advance if you are to speak in front of an audience during a meeting or conference.
In other words, learn everything relating to your core subject and the topics you plan to discuss. Use techniques such as practicing, recording, and reviewing your speech to spot any mistakes you may be making.
In order to evaluate your performance, you can practice in front of a friend or a member of your family or videotape yourself. The smoother you are when practicing your speech, the more effective it will be when delivering it in front of an audience.
Rehearsing your speech script out loud comes next. Did you know that you can adjust specific points that will help you produce a strong presentation? And this is only by reading your speech aloud.
By doing so, you will be able to discover if there are problems with your speaking, pronunciation, and writing. Reading regularly also broadens one’s vocabulary and builds confidence when speaking in front of an audience; however, keep in mind that your audience will feel happier if the words used are more understandable.
Read aloud for at least 20 minutes a day and listen to your voice if you work in a field that requires public speaking.
Thirdly, know your audience before you speak. A primary key to mastering your public speaking skills is identifying what category of people you are talking to.
Knowing your audience helps you figure out what content and messages people care about, decide whether to use formal or informal language and what you can do to draw your audience’s attention.
Knowing the audience’s age, gender, education level, and occupation will help you determine whether or not they are familiar with the ideas of the topic you are discussing; that way, both you, the speaker, and the audience will feel more at ease.
The fourth tip is regarding your body language. As you know, both your body language, as well as your words are communicated to the audience. Therefore, try to avoid making any unwanted motions, such as crossing your arms repeatedly, placing your hands in your pockets, and remaining stiff as a pole, since it can give off the impression that you are tense about what you are saying, which is not advised.
Here is a bonus tip, choose your clothing carefully. Wearing a t-shirt and trainers at a professional meeting can give the wrong impression, and people might not take you seriously, but once again, it all depends on the circumstance and the targeted audience.
Another technique is using an eagle posture, instead of a turtle posture, you can achieve an eagle posture simply by standing straight with shoulders back, chin up, and facing the audience as much as possible while keeping your body open.
Finally, study the speech’s topic. Even though you have no control over anything that may occur during your public speech, you may plan ahead and know exactly what you are talking about.
It’s crucial to think about the content and speech writing. Learn what to discuss in your speech through reading, speaking with others, and listening.
You may not be the smoothest speaker in the world, but the fact that you are no longer afraid of public speaking will bring you more opportunities in your life than anything else.
Consider gradually overcoming your fear day by day until you are no longer afraid of public speaking; with practice, it will all start looking like a story that you are sharing.