10 Tips to Improve your Speaking Skills

Have you ever been to a conference where you could hardly keep yourself from falling asleep, even if the topic was interesting to you?

 And then just about when you are ready to fall asleep or exit the room for more coffee, a speaker comes on stage and he/she lights up the room and boosts your energy!

They are engaging, interesting, funny and they leave you with a clear and inspiring message, an idea that you can take away. You forget that you're sleepy and you don’t need coffee anymore. You are filled up with energy!

 Probably this speaker did not become so engaging by accident. Every time I see a speaker who lights up the room, I notice a common theme in how they present.

And this is something they were not born with. This is something that they learned and practiced to perfection. Even the most engaging speakers in the world who were born with a gift, took some practice and guidance to perfect their skill.

Here are 10 Tips that will immediately improve your speaking skills (and I made all the mistakes mentioned below as a speaker before I got speaker training):

1. Use large engaging images on your slides and minimal text - the brain receives and retains the information better when you use images and switches off with too much text. Filling up your slides with a lot of text has a negative effect on your audience.

 2. Use engaging stories - the brain retains the information better when it is taught through stories.

 3. Watch your posture and body language - this will play a very important role in how the audience perceives you. How you stand, how you use your hands, how you move on stage.

4. Make eye contact with the audience - the most engaging speakers, know how to have an open focus with their eyes where they appear to be making eye contact with the whole audience and at the same time, they don’t stare at any person in particular.

5. Practice in advance - the more times you practice your talk in advance, the easier it gets. There is no substitute to practicing.

6. Watch the styling and the colors you wear on stage - when you are on stage, the attention falls in every detail. Colors convey messages and invoke feelings so must be chosen carefully. Its always good to keep it simple, stylish and chic, as you want the attention to be on what you are saying, not on the details and the ‘noise’ of what you are wearing. 

 7. Get to know the room in advance, check the setup, meet the sound engineers, test the microphone and connect your slides - this removes a lot of the stress and helps things move more smoothly, avoiding last-minute technical disasters. 

 8. Don’t read from a paper - This is implied but so many speakers do it and that’s what totally kills the engagement with the audience. Nobody wants to see someone standing on the podium looking down at a paper. Having short notes with bullet points for guidance is much better. 

9. Engage the right and left brain to help people both connect with you and trust you - in your presentation, use both logic (left part of the brain, numbers, data, credibility) and emotions (right part of the brain).

10. Take a speaking course - trying to figure it out on your own, is completely overwhelming and you never know what you are doing wrong or what you can improve until you get feedback. Taking a course with an expert and following proven formulas, can save you a lot of stress and make it all easier.

 If you are ready to become a more engaging speaker, I have prepared a powerful online masterclass, where I teach you step by step everything the most engaging speakers in the world do, to engage AND to sell from stage.

 The online class is taking place on November 20th, you can participate live at the comfort of your own home and you get to keep the recording.

 The spots are almost sold out and this class will not be repeated live. Secure your spot here:  https://pavlinapapalouka.com/speakingmasterclass/

Interested in further mentoring with me to grow your Personal Brand and become a trusted authority in your market? Check out my Personal Branding Academy and apply for a consultation to find out more about how I can help you reach your goals.