10 Tips for Public Speaking

Whether you are new to giving speeches or you have many presentations under your belt, there are always ways to improve your public speaking skills. Even the most experienced speakers can suffer from fear and anxiety over public speaking. In fact, public speaking is routinely described as one of the greatest and most common fears. Nonetheless, public speaking is a vital skill that can help propel your career. Therefore, consider the following public speaking tips to help reduce anxiety, increase your confidence, and improve your performance. 

1. Practice and Prepare

Nervousness is normal and most people will feel anxious right before speaking in front of a group. In addition, they may experience physical discomfort such as a pounding heart, trembling hands, and sweaty palms. All of these feelings can make it difficult to focus on the task at hand. The good news, however, is that the same adrenaline rush that is making your palms sweat also makes you more alert and ready to give a fantastic performance. The best way to overcome nerves is to practice and prepare ahead of time. Make sure you know exactly what you plan to say and you feel comfortable with your content. Once you know your material, rehearse your speech in front of family and friends as well as in front of a mirror. Do this several times until you feel confident. 

2. Breathe

When you get nervous, your heart starts beating faster and you may begin to sweat. You can control these responses by taking a few minutes to practice deep breathing exercises. Breathing can help relax your body and calm your nerves so you can enter the stage feeling confident rather than frenzied. 

3. Slow Down and Speak with Purpose

It’s easy to talk fast when we are nervous. However, your listeners will pick up on your nerves and they will have a hard time keeping up. That’s why it is important to be mindful of your pace and speak slowly and deliberately. Slowing down your pace gives you more time to think about what you are saying and it also makes it easier for the audience to follow along. You can even pause after a main point to gather your thoughts. Deliberate pauses not only help you stay on track, but they can also be impactful to listeners. 

4. Use Voice Inflection

Speaking in a monotone voice will immediately cause the audience to lose interest. It’s easy to drown out a speaker who sounds like the teacher from Charlie Brown. Instead, pay attention to the tone of your voice and vary your inflection. Speak louder to emphasize important points and speak with compassion when speaking about something more serious. If something is funny, let that show through the inflection of your voice. Varying the tone and pitch of your voice will engage the audience and make you sound more professional.

5. Make Eye Contact

Another common behavior of nervous speakers is to look down or away from the audience. When we feel uncomfortable, our instinct is to glance down and try to conceal our feelings. However, audience members will take notice and this will make you lose credibility. Instead, demonstrate confidence and assuredness by looking your audience directly in the eyes. By making eye contact, you establish rapport with the audience and engage them in your speech. 

6. Be Mindful of Your Body Language

Have you ever watched a speaker who was constantly fiddling with their hands and putting them in their pockets? What about a speaker who stood with their arms crossed? It’s important to be mindful of your body language when speaking in public. So much of communication is nonverbal, so you can say a lot with your body language. Avoid crossing your arms and putting your hands in your pockets, as both of these behaviors signal nerves and lack of confidence. Rather, speak with your arms open as if to welcome the audience. Use your hands to emphasize a point and even smile to make yourself more relatable. 

7. Move Around

People often stand in one place when they are nervous and it’s easy to hide behind a podium. Likewise, some people pace when they are nervous and walk back and forth across the room. Both of these behaviors can be distracting and disengaging. When you are speaking, it is important to move around and command the stage. It’s important to walk around to keep the audience interested, but be careful not to move too much. You want to demonstrate a power stance, not act as a distraction. 

8. Don’t Talk Too Long

Yes, your speech should be insightful, informative, and interesting but that doesn’t mean you should try to cram 2 hours worth of material into 45 minutes. Knowing what to include and what to leave out is crucial to your success as a speaker. Choose a main point that you want the audience to take away from your speech and focus on that. Add some supporting material but don’t overload the audience with too much information. If it feels off-topic, leave it out. You always want to be respectful of your audience and their time. If you have been asked to speak for 45 minutes, make sure you do not go over your allotted time. 

9. Engage the Audience

Reading from a script immediately breaks the personal connection with an audience. Never read from a script or recite a memorized speech. Instead, engage the audience with authentic communication. For instance, tell a fascinating story or add a personal anecdote to your speech. Inject a funny joke or share a startling statistic. You can also involve your audience by asking them questions, asking for a showing of hands, or taking a poll. The key is to engage your audience and make them feel like they are part of the conversation. 

10. Have a Strong Opening and Conclusion

Do you get excited when a speaker starts off by saying, “Today we are going to talk about…?†Chances are this is when you hit the snooze button. Instead, you need to capture the attention of your audience right away with a captivating story, a startling fact, a funny joke, or an intriguing statement. Conclude your speech the same way by ending with a concise summary, a meaningful quote, or a strong statement that the audience is sure to remember.