5 Ways to Make Public Speaking Easier

The fall season seems to be loaded with events where people are asked to go to the podium and say a few words or give an acceptance speech for an award. Public speaking is not always the easiest thing to master, but there are hundreds of tips and tricks to help you become an effective speaker. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. First, promise yourself that you will be amazing, that the talk you will give will be your best, and then get to work on preparing to make that a reality. Don’t wait until the last minute to prepare for it. Ask for help in creating your remarks if you feel at a loss for what to say.

2. Write down what you want your audience to take away from your presentation. If you could hear them sum up your speech in two sentences, what would they say? Chances are if you have done enough public speaking, you have delivered at least one talk that had no point at all … and it didn’t feel good.

3. Insert a quote or tell a relevant story (it makes everything more interesting).

4. Write out what you want to say. It’s best to speak without reading anything; but if you must read, do these three things:

• Have a friend read aloud to you what you have written so that you can hear what your talk sounds like. This will prompt you to come up with edits to make certain points clearer.
  
• Type your remarks using 19-point font, and type no more than two-thirds down the page. This way you will be keeping your chin up and not looking down to the bottom of the page while up at the podium. It also makes it appear that you aren’t totally reading from your remarks.
  
• Record your remarks into your phone (assuming you have the app). Play your remarks in the car, or use your ear buds to listen whenever you can as a quick and easy way to get what you want to say imprinted in your mind. Memorizing your presentation helps you feel more confident when you’re speaking. No one wants to be nervous about public speaking AND forget what he or she is trying to say…

5. When you are on stage speak naturally, speak slowly, and remember that people don’t really rememberwhat you say as much as they remember how you say it. Everyone in the audience wants you to do well. Look out into the crowd and know that they are rooting for you to do a great job. Breathe, smile, and take charge of the room. Remember to keep your remarks within the time frame you were given- people don’t mind if your comments are too brief, but they never forget if you go on for too long.

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