Fear of speaking in public can be a major obstacle if you want to progress your career. Here are several public speaking tips and a recommendation if you are looking for a public speaking coach. Nervousness Is Normal. Practice and Prepare! All people feel some physiological reactions like pounding hearts and trembling hands. Do not associate these feelings with the sense that you will perform poorly or make a fool of yourself. Some nerves are good. The adrenaline rush that makes you sweat also makes you more alert and ready to give your best performance. The best way to overcome anxiety is to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more. Take the time to go over your notes several times. Once you have become comfortable with the material, practice—a lot. Videotape yourself, or get a friend to critique your performance.
Command the space: Be aware of your body language. The right physical communication can have a profound impact on how your message is received and interpreted. Here are some ways to improve your body language: Face your audience and stand with your feet hip distance apart; Make eye contact, but not for too long! You don’t want to appear creepy; Don’t remain rigid, hiding behind a lectern. Move around freely, but don’t pace. Own the available space on the stage; Avoid crossing your arms, clasping your hands behind or in front of your body or hands in pockets. Don’t fiddle with anything. Keep your hands free for expressive gesticulation. See extra details Overcome fear of speaking.
Make eye contact. This one is very important, and it doesn’t matter how big the audience is. Make eye contact with as many people as possible. It makes the audience members feel like you are speaking directly to them. And don’t just stick to people in the first couple rows. Look at the people in the back too. Know your material. If your goal is to become a thought leader or actually teach the audience something, only a truly authentic understanding of the material will get you there.
What people say ? As an author of a public speaking book and an avid reader of anything related to mastering the art of public speaking, I’ve been through my fair share of public speaking books that just rehash the same old concepts that have been around since man has been speaking. Not only will the information be vanilla but the delivery will be boring and unengaging. You’ll wonder how you’ll ever get through the book when you’re struggling to get through the first few pages. Being an eloquent speaker is not necessarily something you are born with. It’s actually something you can learn, cultivate and hone. As the author, Mike Acker so aptly puts: “Believe in yourself. Where you are is not where you have to be.” The Amazon book can be acquired here: Public speaking course ebook.
Have fun experimenting: This is the most important tips of all. Have fun with the crowd. Try new ways to give the best presentation to your audience. Maybe experiment with a new funny approach, or walk around the hall instead of being static on the stage. Have fun with experimenting on human behavior and you will see that public speaking is not that bad after all. Remember that there are no failures, only different results.
Mike’s training stretches from private Spanish speaking schools in Mexico, national college debate tournaments, master classes in cultural leadership, certifications in coaching, and his current MBA. Mike has been a professional speaker for 18 years and has spoken to groups of 10 to 10,000. Source: https://thepublicspeaking.school/.