Dos and Don’ts of Public Speaking

One of the most challenging acts you’ll ever do is to speak in front of a crowd. For instance, public speaking will almost reveal your personality which will be noticed by a number of people in front of you. In order to overcome such fear and pressure, and to have a successful speaking session, here are some tips in public speaking for your utmost consideration.

The success of your speech depends greatly on thorough rehearsal before the actual day. Rehearsing will help to minimize the nervousness and pressure that a speaker would experience. It is very noticeable if the speaker didn’t rehearse and prepare for his or her speech. An unprepared speaker often stutters and forgets his or her lines (sometimes the vital ones). Forgetting one’s speech content induces confusion among the audiences and eventually they will be uninterested in listening to you. Frequent forgetfulness is a sign that you don’t have any idea on the topic you are delivering. Thus, it is very important to rehearse before giving your speech.

It is not advisable to have changes on your speech just before the delivery of your speech (less than 24 hours). This is applicable to those speakers who rehearsed their speeches days or even weeks beforehand. If you plan to make any changes, do it earlier to prepare yourself both mentally and emotionally.

Also, prepare a decent outfit for yourself to wear on the day of your speech. The audience doesn’t want an awful-looking speaker or otherwise, they will not waste their time listening to you. Always remember to wear clothes that fit your environment and audience profile.

Remember to eat enough before your speech. You can then be able to think clearly and can be more effective. Also, a filled stomach restores your energy levels and increases your eagerness in delivering the speech. A hungry speaker often leads to a boring and dispassionate speech, and no one likes that.

If you plan to have visual aids like PowerPoint presentations or visual demonstrations, refrain from reading strictly from them. Remember you are not talking to your visual aids; you are talking to your audience. By becoming a ‘public reader’ would only indicate that you are not prepared in speech preparation. It is also annoying to listen to a speaker who doesn’t give ample eye contact to his or her audience.

One of the most important tips in public speaking is to prepare an index card which contains the topics that you are about to deliver written on it. These handy notes serve as useful reminders so that the content remains fresh in a speaker’s memory. However, do remember that these notes are not excuses for not preparing for one’s speech. These are helpful and practical tips in public speaking. Successful speakers have followed these simple techniques which have made them effective in public speaking.