Five Tips to Becoming a Confident Speaker
Gulf Shores & Orange Beach
Are you one of the many professionals whose knees get weak at the thought of speaking at a meeting or conference?
Brent Gleeson, author of TakingPoint, said it best when he wrote “We all have the need to speak well in front of an audience at times during our lives. Whether you're speaking at your sister's wedding, addressing your team, teaching a course or speaking to a judge, we all want to do well. So why leave things to chance? Be prepared!”
Confidence is a large part of being successful in almost any situation, and it’s especially important when it comes to your professional life. One area where confidence really matters is public speaking. With a little bit of practice and utilizing these five tips, you can conquer your fears and deliver a powerful and engaging speech.
1. Acknowledge Your Nerves
Managing your anxiety by acknowledging your nerves won’t make the butterflies go away, but doing so can keep it from increasing. Tell yourself you’re nervous and that’s okay, then refocus on your planning and preparation.
2. Have a Positive Attitude
Being able to get your message across effectively starts with a positive attitude. The key is to know your goal and then tell yourself that you can do it. This will help boost your confidence and ensure that you stay positive as you get closer to giving your presentation.
3. Know What to Communicate
Knowing exactly what you want to communicate to your audience is another key component of successful public speaking. The best way to do this is by coming up with a list of two or three bullet points that you consider to be the key pillars of your speech. Build your speech around these points and then practice it aloud several times to ensure that you’re communicating them as effectively as possible.
4. Relax
Muscle tension can affect the way you appear and sound. Breathing deeply relaxes your voice and can improve your delivery. Before taking the stage, roll your head, wiggle your toes and fingers, and roll your shoulders back and down a few times to help you relax.
5. Connect With the Audience
Along with being calm, cool and collected, it’s important to connect with your audience. Be sure to make regular eye contact during your seminar, and keep their attention by asking them to engage.
Last, but not least, have fun! You’re going to rock your next presentation!
