Is going on the stage difficult for you? Do you feel nervous and leave a bad impression on your audience? Do you feel like puking and stammering your way through your class presentation?
Then don’t be afraid. It’s completely normal. Failure is hard on many people, and when you speak publically, you make yourself open to criticism, which is hard to handle. It’s frustrating when you know the answer but can’t get yourself up in front of an audience. Very few people in this world are born with this skill. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t learn it. Many famous speakers have admitted to being shy and have taken public speaking courses to show their confidence on stage.
Importance of public speaking
Public speaking is a skill that’s required in almost every profession. From winning a college election to securing a deal in a boardroom, public speaking will help you in every stage of life. A good speaker can become an asset to any institute. However, many people experience extreme fear and panic on stage. These people require professional help that they can get in public speaking classes to overcome the fear and own the stage. These are the 7 tips that might help you in your next speech:
Planning
Plan your speech before the big day. Planning requires a significant effort. Please make a list of the topics that you want to discuss and allot them time. Be careful of the pacing and write down all the ideas and punch lines. Make sure to have an engaging start and end. It will help your audience in keeping focus. Starting a speech with a story or a punch line might help you engage the masses more than a boring introduction.
Audience
Knowing your audience is necessary before delivering a speech. You have to understand your audience and plan your speech according to them. For example, a formal setting requires a professional feeling to your speech, whereas your class presentation requires you to be more laid-back and easygoing to engage the audience. Make sure you have tailored your speech according to the setting. Your approach to the audience will also need to differ accordingly.
Find your favorite public speaker
Look up videos on YouTube to find great speakers around the world. Watch their videos and learn their pacing and how they engage their audience.
It might be hard but find your top 5 favorite speakers. Try to understand the reason why you like them. What’s in their speech that makes them memorable to you? Is it their speech style that has charmed you, or is the ease with which they engage their audience that makes them best in your opinion? All these questions will help you find your style in public speaking, which is necessary to stand out. Many people take public speaking training to find their own style.
Practice
Practice is the key element to success. For a person to achieve confidence and overcome their fear, they need a lot of practice.
Practicing your breathing, pauses, and pronunciations is important to deliver an impactful speech. Try to speak clearly and ensure a steady pace while delivering it.
If you have planned to engage the audience, pause after punch lines and create a space that can encourage the audience to approach you. Practicing in front of the mirror will help you improve your body language. Many public speaking classes give you that space and help you provide effective methods while practicing.
Engage
Engaging your audience is necessary if you want to keep their interest. There are several ways to engage the audience:
- Eye contact – Many people, out of nervousness, avoid eye contact. But they forget that eye contact is crucial to engage while delivering a speech. For instance, when you talk to a person, you maintain eye contact to show them that they have your full attention. In the same way, an audience requires eye contact to engage with you fully.
- Humor – A great sense of humor is appreciated by many people. If you have the confidence to provide appropriate jokes according to the setting in which you are delivering the speech, then go for it. It’s the easiest way to grab their attention.
- Stories – If storytelling is your forte, then adding some related stories to your topic will surely excite your audience to know more, and you will gain their undivided attention.
- Pauses – Even pausing at the right time with effective language might help you gain the audience’s attention. Many public speaking courses, both online and offline, can help you understand these key points in-depth and provide you with additional information.
Body language
People who experience stage fright easily identify because of their nervous habits. Your body language can impact the way your audience sees you.
Good body language helps in creating a confident image. Nervous habits like fidgeting, looking down, avoiding eye contact, or crossing your arms can negatively impact you. It is hard to identify these nervous habits in yourself. So, you might need the help of public speaking training to identify and eliminate these habits.
Public Speaking classes
To gain any new skill, professional help is the ideal way to learn it. Public speaking classes provide professional help and give you step-by-step methods to achieve confidence. Their hands-on approach will make you understand the information faster. There are various public speaking courses to choose from.
Fear of the stage is a very common problem, so when you start taking classes, you meet your classmates who are going through the same problem. It might help you to connect with them and help you in overcoming your fears. Public speaking training given by these classes provides a person with a skill set that can help them advance their career.
Conclusion
These are the seven tips that might help you in learning a new skill and overcome your fear.
Orator Academy offers public speaking courses that will help you overcome your anxiety and build confidence. They provide you with a space to learn and grow with the help of experts.
