How To Become A Master Of Public Speaking

Standing in front of the public is a basic human fear that is related to the instinct for survival when faced by superior numbers. When it is you out in front of a crowd, the fear is a natural one that needs to be addressed in the right manner.

The good news is that many famous speakers and performers have felt stage fright and overcame it using simple, basic techniques that will result in masterful public speaking. To become an expert speaker, you will simply need to employ the right techniques for delivering the right message that earns the respect of your audience and hits them emotionally as well as intellectually. 

 [email protected]https://www.mitchcarson.com

Create a Hook

Just like a great song or a memorable movie, a speech needs a good hook to pull in the audience. You need something in your speech that hooks in the listener and gives them something to hang onto when you are speaking. In a speech, the hook is something that directly relates to what the listener wants to hear such as getting something for free or improving the way that something is accomplished. So, find the hook and get right to it in your speech. 

Practice Your Speech

They say that practice makes perfect and you can master all the skills needed to speak in front of an audience starting by practicing your speech. You should go over it word by word and practice it thoroughly until it becomes second nature. Winston Churchill is reported to have practiced one hour for every one minute of his speech. While you may not have the time to do that, you do need to practice as much as possible. 

Turn Your Audience into Your Friends

One old, but very effective trick is to pretend that your audience is a group of friends. Former presidents like Ronald Reagan used this technique to connect to his audience when speaking and you can as well in your speech. This means using normal, everyday words so that you can speak to your audience and not above them. By relating to them as you would your friends, your speech will have a much greater impact. 

Use Your Body

Your voice is only one part of your presentation. You will need to incorporate your body as well when it comes to delivering your speech. This means maintaining eye contact, placing your hand on someone’s shoulder if you get close enough, and using the right facial expressions to relate the emotion behind the speech. It is a technique that is most famously used by politicians, but it can work quite well for your speech if you are in front of an audience that you can get close to and even touch. After all, your goal is not just to relate to your audience, but to connect with them so that your words will resonate for days to come. By using your body in subtle ways which include certain hand gestures, facial expressions, and even touching someone if you can, your speech will grow in power. 

Use Silence as Part of Your Speech

An expert speaker knows how to use words, but also how to manipulate the silence to get their point across. Recently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paused for 45 seconds in his speech to the UN and looked over the audience. It was an incredibly powerful moment and a technique that has been used by many great speakers in the past. Before your speech, look over your audience in silence for a few seconds and lock into as many eyes as you can. This will add weight to the words that you will eventually speak. 

Start Moving

Whenever you can, move around on the stage instead of standing still. Moving around not only helps you release excess energy, but it also keeps the audience’s attention. However, you want to have a purpose to your movements, which will be subtle, but very effective. For example, when you move towards them it’s important to lower your voice, which creates a greater sense of intimacy. Plus, when you are ready to make an important point, stop moving which will add to the impact of your words. Use the center of the stage for the main theme of your speech while moving towards the edges is effective for telling related stories. 

Use Push and Pull 

A master public speaker will put tension into the story that they tell by structuring their speech to show what is and what could be if they decide to commit to your ideas. Great stories build tension by shifting from current conditions to what could be the future if they would embrace your ideas. You see this shift when watching movies or reading great stories of triumph, so include these ideas in your speech as well. 

Get Out There

Comedian Steve Harvey once remarked to a group attending a stand-up comedy workshop that they were wasting their time just sitting there listening to him. You are either funny or you are not and the only way to find out is by getting out there in front of an audience. The same is true for speakers who need to get out in front of an audience when they can to practice their craft. The master public speaking ability comes from being in front of an audience over and over again until it becomes routine. You should take advantage of any opportunity to get on stage even if you are not speaking. Being a member of a band, participating in an athletic contest, or any other venue where getting in front of people is the norm will help you mentally prepare for speaking in public.

Remember, the expert speaker did not spring up overnight, it is a process that does take time and you will not always come across as smooth or clean in your presentation. However, by practicing you can perfect your skills and become a great speaker in a relatively short time.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mitch Carson has been a pitchman on Home Shopping Network, CBS Radio host, and is the CEO of Impact Products Marketing in Los Angeles, CA. Reach him at [email protected] or https://www.mitchcarson.com