Do you think your skills are remaining unnoticed or not getting enough appreciation? Do you find it difficult to express your ideas on the team? Concerned about not getting the desired attention to your project proposals in the meetings? The solution to all these problems can be attained by polishing just one aspect of your individuality, and that is, the art of public speaking. Yes, public speaking is definitely an art of effectively transferring your thoughts into the audience with the desired impact, and in the process, market your talents.
Aspects of an impactful public speech
While addressing a public gathering and delivering your words, the success of your speech depends on the following elements:
Know the audience and your target:
Always keep in mind the type of crowd around you, for example, it may be comprised of corporate teams, religious gathering, students, elders, job aspirants etc. The objective of your speech should be clear, to which you need to stick throughout and also should pertain to that type of crowd.
Fluency and language:
Select the language which will be conceived by the majority of your audience and have a continuous flow of the speech without unnecessary mix up of multiple languages.
Clarity:
Give out clear points without confusing the listeners and wandering out of focus from the topic. Be firm but gentle in your speech and always appear open to conversations.
Timing: Space your words in such a way as to decipher the exact meaning of each phrase. Do not drag or repeat any single point which can create a sense of boredom.
Tone:
Modulating the tone of your voice plays a huge role in delivering the importance of your topic and concepts. The audience can easily relate to the emergency of actions urged by you with the tone change. Another positive aspect is that it helps in maintaining the curiosity and interest of the listeners around you.
Body language:
Look confident and speak confidently. Dress according to the occasion. Have an optimistic attitude and speak by making eye contact. Maintain a good posture throughout and be moderately expressive. Avoid violent motion of hands and facial expressions. After all, your words matter more in public speaking, not your expressions.
Duration:
Most of the public speaking events will have a maximum duration of speech specified or at least a program chart. Plan your pace, length of speech and topics to be covered accordingly. For other unofficial or conversational occasions, it is good to remember that a good listener is a good speaker. Your conversations should give room for opinions from your teammates. Too much explanation on a single subject will cause boredom and also deviates the listener’s attention from the exact point.
Structure:
Always give a suitable introduction before directly entering into the topic. Based on the situation you can also start with a self-introduction. Build the content in such a way as to give a proper flow to your speech. The audience should be able to relate to each point to the next and their implications and get inspired. Adding situational humor will help you in meeting the three main objectives of public speaking: delivering knowledge, encouragement, and entertainment. Remember, in any form of speaking, the first and the last sentences leave the most effective impression on the listener’s mind.
If you’re not comfortable with public speaking – and nobody starts out comfortable; you have to learn how to be comfortable – practice.
Do you really need that extra push to express yourself?
Realizing the necessity of public speaking and the lack of it in the upcoming generation, institutions providing training for the same are sprawling and growing their businesses. The field has become so overcrowded that it is difficult for us to decide which one holds true to their promise and who will give us the most sparkling tips of speaking. It all depends on how good you are currently. For some, their language may be good and fluent but nervousness might be giving them hiccups from becoming a good orator. For some others, they will need to build up from scratches including grammar, word selection, and sentence construction. So, identify your shortcomings for yourself first and decide if you are really a bad public speaker who needs guidance from others.
Be confident about yourself and your concepts and pass on the confidence to the audience through your words. You are then sure to garner the acceptance of the listeners with the art of public speaking becoming just a routine for you.
