As an entrepreneur, you are going to be tasked to do many things for your businesses. From raising money to increasing your online customers, your job as a new business owner never ends. One skill you will need to practice is public speaking and giving presentations. Because you will be attending many conferences, chances are you will be asked to speak on stage which means you must invest some time in becoming more comfortable with this.
Sadly, most people are not lucky enough to be greatly proficient at public speaking initially. Each person is well aware that they are physically there and cannot remember their words from that feeling of isolation and fear. However, we all can gain and enhance our prowess at speaking confidently.
With a prepared positive mindset we can all see the up-side of being effective at public speaking. There are personally tried and tested steps for any intrepid beginner to gain the skill to become an experienced and proficient speaker.
1. Make it Concise
It’s important to remember that people have short attention spans and do not have a lot of time to listen to everything you have to say. So keep it brief. Do not worry about being nervous as you are a first-time speaker. If you find yourself overly anxious, you might find yourself rambling or losing your place. Just remember to take a deep breath and stay calm.
2. Go Into More Detail
Following your first time, you can develop your speech by talking about a topic you have an interest in. Striving to convince your audience that this is interesting will also open you up to receiving greater attention from the audience. “Your enthusiasm for the subject will be passed on to others and will win the audience over, once again making up for your inexperience” suggests John Rogan of Motivational Speakers. The conclusion of your talk should explain to the audience why they should be interested in this subject, and ultimately, in you.
3. Practice is the Key
The acquisition of any new ability requires due amounts of practice. All great sportspeople were once rookies. It was through excessive amounts of practice that they progressed to the top. Similarly, to aim for the stars and become an excellent public speaker also requires the due amount of practice.
With some self-determination, you can find yourself a comforting environment, such as local social clubs or family and friends to practice and strengthen your newly acquired skills. If you truly want to excel at a faster pace, try hiring a coach from the Coaching Institute.
4. Encourage “Constructive Criticism”
To get to the top, there is a requirement for feedback to ensure that you are heading in the right direction. The best way for this to be achieved is “constructive criticism” to improve your performance. To be given the greatest effect, it must be given and received respectively. It is crucial that this feedback from someone who is not only more knowledgeable but also supportive. Alternatively you can deliver your speech to your friends and family and ask for their comments.
5. Give Yourself Ample Time to Prepare
Before you start putting down your speech on paper, ask this question-“why was I invited to speak in the first place?” It is essential that your speech clearly answers this fundamental question. Make sure you are knowledgeable and possess the ability to answer the question, either through due experience or sufficient research.
When you take the first steps in public speaking you may decide to write out your speech word for word on palm card to remind you of your content. If you do this, it is essential to note that you remember to edit the speech from literary style of English to the conversational style of English. If you can memorize your speech, it is much more preferred, but you must be confident that it will flow and does not sound accented. In my opinion, this is not the best approach available.
It would be optimal, especially for a beginner, to prepare a layout for use in practice situations similar to the actual presentation. Identical to live theatre, great importance is placed on you to rehearse and rehearse the lines. The bottom line is: the greater preparation that you undertake, clearly, the more confident you will be.
These 5 steps will help you to restore the confidence needed for public speaking, allowing you to surpass the normal human anxiety that immediately kicks in when delivering a speech in public. You have finally managed to master your confidence.