William Shakespeare said that “all the world is a stage”, that is, that we are all actors. And I can not agree more. We spend the day performing. At home with the family or at work. As Paul J. Meyer, one of the pioneers of the personal development industry, said “Human communication is key to your personal and professional success”. I wrote about it in my post “Improve your communication”.
Along these lines, today I want to write about how to improve your ability to speak in public. Advising and training managers I have discovered that it is one of the most important competencies and while it generates more doubts, even fears. The American writer and screenwriter Sidney Sheldon said, “death is the number two fear that people have, and public speaking is the first.”
Below I share with you 10 IDEAS THAT CAN HELP YOU GREATLY IMPROVE YOUR ABILITY TO SPEAK IN PUBLIC.
- START STRONG: It is key. You will generate a first impression quickly that will arouse interest and people wanting to follow you, or not. It is known as the “Primacy Effect”, that is, what you say at the beginning is decisive. The main objective is to capture attention. So be imaginative in getting it. Think of a powerful image, relevant quote, or surprising idea. You know, you risk it in the first seconds, and you must win their attention.
- GET PASSIONATE: Good speakers are passionate about the topics they talk about. Show your passion, speak with energy and conviction, and transmit this energy clearly and emphatically. It is almost impossible to engage your audience if you do not speak passionately.
- DON’T READ: Yeah, I know it’s obvious, but I keep seeing plenty of professionals still doing it. Have a summary idea, detail the key points, but explain it in your own way, without reading.
- LESS TEXT: Closely related to the previous one. I advise that the slides (if you use them) have very little text. When you’ve finished preparing your presentation, go through it to see how much text you can remove. Dare to use little text, your audience will thank you.
- HAVE FUN: Good presentations should be fun or at least entertaining. You can incorporate some jokes, and some touch of humor. Recognize some mistake of yours, some funny anecdote. It will facilitate the connection with your audience.
- TELL STORIES: Very important. Try to explain the ideas you want to share through stories. People tend to understand better, and they tend to like learning much more through stories, anecdotes, and experiences or similar, than through theoretical content.
- USE EXAMPLES: Very related to the previous idea. Look as far as possible to find examples (of people, companies…) that help explain the idea you want to convey.
- PREPARE AND PRACTICE: It goes without saying, but good presentations need to be thoroughly prepared. In addition, to speak well in public you must practice a lot. It is an eminently practical skill. So, look for opportunities and start practicing.
- BE DIFFERENT: Follow your own style. A very frequent mistake is wanting to imitate other people you like how they speak in public. It’s okay to take some ideas from other speakers but be true to yourself. Dare to be different and find your own style. Be authentic.
- FINISH STRONGER: The final part is important. Leaving a brilliant final impression is essential. As with a good dessert that can turn an average meal into a brilliant one, you should think carefully about your ending. Some powerful idea, some image, video, or quote, that is really memorable and that helps you close a great presentation. Give it time and work hard to achieve this powerful ending. It will totally influence how your presentation is perceived.
I finish with a final thought. Fred Miller, American philosopher, said, “The worst speech you will ever give, will be far better than the one you never give.”
