Becoming a Perfect Public Speaker
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Most roles have some form of public speaking, from talking in front of large crowds, or more commonly in a boardroom full of ten individuals.
Public speaking in front of other humans is a transferable skill that many employers like to see and by being engaging you have a higher chance of your message being remembered.
Following the list below will help with becoming a more confident speaker:
1. Practice
Practice by yourself, with a friend and maybe even do a practice run-through at the venue if it is a larger presentation.
Record yourself through a video to listen and watch for your tone of voice (am I engaging and speaking at a good volume?)
Speed of words (too fast or too slow?) and facial expressions (do my emotions look too exaggerated?).
Even simply practicing in front of a mirror will reveal what the audience will be seeing when the day comes to public speak.
2. Overcome the adrenaline rush
Nerves can be most prominent when you first enter to talk or say that beginning sentence. Overcome that gut feeling and carry on with your speech.
You may find this feeling disappears with both time and experience.
Focus in on an element of a room, such as staring straight and to the back will help take your attention away from your nerves.
3. Alter the message to your audience
Choice of words is everything. Depending on your target audience, the words picked will vary on who you are speaking to based on their demographics and opinions.
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If you know the majority of your audience is food scientists, you shouldn’t be telling them that AI will replace food scientists.
The message will also depend on what you are discussing- is it positive or negative news?
If you are delivering positive news, your tone, body and facial language will change due to the topic of interest.
4. Feedback
This step is taking place both during and after the presentation. It is happening during because you want to see if they are responding well to your message.
You can determine this by looking for reactions of their facial expressions, talking to others and through their questions.
Do they look like they are nodding off, or taking notes?
The feedback step continues after the presentation, by looking for improvements when moving forward about what went well and didn’t.
Use this checklist to remain calm before public speaking:
With the four steps and 5-point check list above, you are sure to be a calmer and engaging public speaker!
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