Chances are, at some point in your professional or personal life, you will need to speak in public. You may be asked to give a presentation at work, or invited to talk about your organization at a conference, or required to train newly-hired employees. Good public speaking skills can help you advance your career and create opportunities.
They are also important in other areas of your life. You might be asked to give a toast at a friend’s wedding or inspire volunteers at a charity event. The ability to speak well in public can enhance your reputation and boost your self-confidence. Becoming a better public speaker is a learnable skill. Below are some tips to get you started.
Plan – First, make sure you plan your communication properly. Think about what you’ll say and how you’ll say it. Use tools, such as “the 7 C’s of Communication” to help you structure your speech. Just like the opening paragraph of a good novel, think about grabbing your audience’s attention using a relevant statistic or a fact that has meaning to your audience. Planning your speech also helps you think on your feet, which is important for impromptu Q & A sessions or last-minute changes.
Practice – You cannot become a confident speaker without it! Look for opportunities to speak in front of others. You could join Toastmasters and practice at their club meetings. You could volunteer to speak at a team meeting at work, make a presentation to another department, or educate potential donors at a fundraiser. Practice as often as possible alone, using whatever resources you’ll have during the event, then make any necessary improvements. If possible and appropriate, you can also practice in front of an audience of friends or family. Choose people who will give you honest and specific feedback.
Speaking well in public takes planning and practice but the time and effort you put in is well worth it. Stay tuned for more tips next week.
