Every other fear fails in front of the most ghastly fear of speaking in front of an audience. And rightfully so, the tag of being the most reported and common phobia is handed over to the fear of public speaking. Even the most confident individual is grasped with the lingering anxiety of either being judged or mocked when presenting in front of a group of people.

While most esteemed positions in modern time demand professionals with a strong hold on their public speaking skills, the low self-esteem and the delusion of always being the “topic of discussion” has shattered the confidence and faith of many. Most people fail to realize that your personality is what you present it to be. While as an individual you might have strength and clarity of thoughts but if presented in an anxious and distorted form, they show the weakness of your character.

In this article, we have taken the responsibility of presenting some tips that can help you regain that lost confidence and become a determined, poised, and “confident” public speaker. But before getting into it, let us look at the reasons why public speaking is important.

The Importance of Public Speaking

There is no point in one’s life where you don't meet and interact with people. Apart from any personal interaction, one also needs to interact with people in order to achieve professional success. Most job roles today prioritize strong communication skills. This is because employers believe that those candidates who can present their ideas with clarity and arouse empathy in the audience are capable of leading the company on the path of success and growth.

Therefore one also needs to pay equal attention to public speaking skills along with other technical and practical skills. Listed below are 7 crucial tips to improve your public speaking skills to settle for a prosperous and fulfilling career.

1. Work on your Body Language

Most of us experience sweaty palms and a pounding heart while standing in front of an audience. While this may seem like a normal physical reaction, it is important to deal with this with a professional attitude.

To successfully deceive the audience into believing you are not nervous, maintain a proper posture and make occasional eye contact with the audience. Instead of putting your hands in your pockets, and fidgeting nervously, it is advisable to practice hand gestures to place your points.

Confident body language attracts the audience’s attention and leaves a lasting impression.

2. Know your Audience

The first ritual before preparing for any presentation is knowing one’s audience. This helps in structuring and tailoring a speech that will appeal to the listeners. The first thing to focus on is the content of the event and the body of the audience that is going to be present. For example, if the presentation is supposed to be for teenagers, but the speaker delivers a speech that is suitable for adults then any preparation and meaning behind the presentation loses its complete essence.

3. Practice

The best way to practice for a presentation is to practice in front of a mirror. Doing so gives you the chance to look at the places where you may be lacking. Once holes and imperfections are filled, you can also practice in front of your friends or family members. Getting their feedback and opinions can help you achieve perfection that will be appreciated by the audience at the time of the presentation.

4. Add a Story

Right from childhood, every human being gets attentive when things are explained in the format of a story. Public speaking courses place a very strong emphasis on adding stories to your speech to establish a connection with the audience. This is a very vital tool in public speaking used to create a strong bond with the audience. Move away from the boring “reading from a paper” style, instead, incorporate personal or “heard” stories to make your speech more lively and interactive.

5. Take Pauses

In school, most of us were just given a paper to memorize and present on stage. This, of course, was the only method to make a child confident to speak in front of an audience. But as adults, this method seems to be unripe, imperfect, and next to inapplicable. Just like an article that is divided into separate paragraphs is more interesting and appealing to read, similarly, a speaker who pauses in between his/her speech is much more appreciated and admired. This is because those occasional pauses hold the attention and gives the audience the time and space to grasp the content of the speech.

6. Apply Humor

People with a good sense of humour have the special skill of attracting and influencing the people around them. Most times, the topic of humor is the presenter himself/herself. This displays the speaker's strong nature in changing a difficult or burdening situation into something that can be handled with a strong and confident mindset. Such speakers are effective in motivating and persuading the audience with the help of their strong oratory and presentation skills.

7. Always Maintain a Positive Attitude

You have to understand that even the most professional speaker experiences nervousness and anxiety before stepping on the stage. However, there are only two ways to deal with this. One way is the positive approach, ie, using the adrenaline rush caused by nervousness to your advantage. While the other way is to spiral back into the negative thoughts that make one feel worthless and incompetent.

The latter of course is not going to prove beneficial in any way. Therefore, it is always advisable to carry a positive attitude while presenting in front of an audience.

The loudest applause is always for those who never abandon the stage in the fear of failure.

As established in the article, stage fright is a very common phenomenon. Joining public speaking courses can play a major role in overcoming the nervousness felt while interacting with a group of people. This not just helps one in their personal development, but also plays a huge part in augmenting one’s professional success.

Message from the Author

If you’re looking to enrol in a Public Speaking course in Dubai, get in touch with Learners Point Academy. To learn more, visit the website: https://learnerspoint.org/, give a call at +971 (04) 403 8000, or simply drop a message on WhatsApp.

Learners Point Academy is a KHDA and ISO 9001:2015 accredited training institute in Dubai.

7 Expert Tips to Improve your Public Speaking Skills