Are you one of those people who disguise public speaking? Whose chins become red just from the thought of having to stand before a crowd of people, whose hands get wet, and whose heart begins to beat at an unnatural rate?
No worries. No one can force you into public speaking. You will know when you are ready.
I am one of those people who love public speaking, despite of my limited experience. I have spoken to complete strangers without preparation. I have spoken to class mates about study topics. My biggest fear in regard with public speaking has been the fear of not having anything interesting to say, nothing worth of acknowledgement, nothing new, nothing exciting.
Mastering public speaking is like mastering any other skill. The more you practice, the better, and more confident, you get. I have learned that the most important factors in public speaking are a personal connection to the topic itself, and not being afraid of failure. The best public speakers speak from their hearts, from their experiences, and know how to connect with their audience. They are not afraid of embarrassment, and they know how to laugh at themselves. Allowing you the possibility of failure is as important in public speaking as in any other activity. Just do not take yourself too seriously. The audience does not know you; they have no idea about your experience from public speaking. As soon as you realize this, and connect as a spirit with your audience, you will notice that the fear your fear was irrelevant.
Tips for becoming a great public speaker:
1) Be self-confident – people love self-confidence, and you shining a light upon them.
2) Be thankful for the opportunity to speak in public – not everyone has the opportunity!
3) Practice in advance through watching inspirational videos on the Internet, and attend public speaking events if needed.
4) Connect with your audience, and be spiritually present.
5) Respect yourself.
6) Respect your audience.
7) Speak from your heart, not from a piece of paper. A great speech is not read from a piece of paper.
8) Speak from and about your experiences, not about numbers. Even if you are a Fortune500 CEO. Successful measures are led and achieved by people, not by numbers. People, and great leadership, are the key to success (and key to increases in profitability, returns on investment and so on).
9) Involve your audience. Ask them for feedback, questions, make them enjoy the experience.
10) Take yourself seriously (but not too seriously), and your audience as well. They may have traveled from far away just to hear you speak.
11) Be grateful. Grateful for the fact that you have the possibility to give a speech, grateful for having such a great audience.
12) Your audience will sense your emotions, so be inspirational.
13) Remember to thank your audience! Take all kinds of critics as a learning lesson. If something went wrong, embrace the failure and improve for your next public speaking event.
14) Benchmark – Learn from the best!
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
(Maya Angelou)
Watch this video to learn from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, who speaks straight from his heart:
Anne-Maria Yritys 