Public speaking is an enhanced skill that is learned over time. It is not an inborn talent for most of us. A few people have the confidence to stand up in front of a crowd and deliver a speech without stammering lines in a confident, unflappable voice, but for most of us this ability must be developed and honed. It is always advisable to start young to be able master the art of public speaking. In school, students are required to present in class. This is the initial step towards achieving your goal of becoming an effective speaker. To be able to communicate well with your audience, one must be able to follow certain guidelines set forth in the general rules for effective public speaking.
First: Make an eye contact with the audience. It has been said that the first thing you have to remember is to pretend that you are just talking to one person, but the obvious truth is you are facing a number of people, potentially a great many people. In this manner, your audience will feel that you are connecting with them in a personal way. Holding your gaze by looking directly at the eyes of your audience will exhibit the level of assurance that you need to convince them that you are knowledgeable on your topic.
Second: Speak clearly. A good speaker must be able to pronounce the words in a crystal clear manner and the voice must be well-modulated.
Third: Be persuasive and direct to the point. Your speech or talk must be brief, direct and concise in order for your audience to be able to grasp the message you want to send across. Using words that are straightforward and upfront will make an impression that you are not there to waste your (or their) time. The length of your speech is also central to being able to deliver a successful talk. You must remember that you cannot hold the audience’s concentration for a long time.
Fourth: Use hand gestures. Using your hands as a means to prove a point is also recommended. It is a way of entertaining you audience by stressing your words through hand movements.
Fifth: Be novel and informative. It is also important that the speech or talk is full of new insights and is sufficiently informative. Your audience will feel bored if they keep on listening to the same ideas over and over again. Even jokes which are passé can also defeat their purpose of making people laugh. So you better make sure that your speech is unique, one of a kind and well-thought of.
Sixth: Be confident. Bringing oneself in front a large audience is already commendable. In order to make your speech truly worth remembering, as the speaker, you must be able to be assertive and self-assured that you can convince your audience of your talking points. When you are not confident, you will lose the attention of your audience and you will end up ruining your prepared speech in a basic way.
Seventh: Be sincere. Use words which are truthful, honest and heartfelt. Using words that beat around the bush and trying to lure the crowd with shallow ideas is unacceptable. You have to keep in mind that you are just borrowing a few minutes of time of the audience so the content of the speech must be informative and well-researched.
Eighth: Exhibit a positive attitude. Lastly, to become an efficient public speaker, you must be able to carry a pleasant attitude throughout your speech. Keep your head up, maintain proper posture and have an optimistic approach. Combining these various elements will ensure a conquering speech and a lasting impact.
