by D. P. Noe

Created on: November 27, 2008   Last Updated: February 25, 2010

It is not uncommon for many individuals to choke up and tangle their words when they have to speak in front of a group of people. There can be only two people or more than a hundred, it still stirs up that uncomfortable feeling. There are ways to help you develop your confidence to speak in public.

Before you can become an confident and effective speaker you need to do a self assessment. It is wise to look back and examine previous situations when you had to speak in public. Did your audience feel disengaged or did they remain attentive and respond to your presentation? Get an opinion from a co worker or manager on how well you express yourself. Take their comments and compare their perceptions of you and compare it to your self assessment. This is a way to take a honest look at yourself to examine what your strengths are and what areas you need to work on.

Before you speak to a public audience, video tape yourself giving the presentation. You need to carefully assess if you have adequately communicated your key point. Watch to see whether you appear confident or whether your body language and tone of voice is saying something else. This is the time to be totally honest and work on the areas where you see improvement is needed. Do you show enthusiasm for your topic? Lack of enthusiasm is one of the quickest ways to lose your audience. Does your presentation appear rambling and unorganized? Take a piece of paper and compare the positives and the negatives. This will give you a picture of what needs to be worked on.

Even the most experienced and polished speakers will admit that they feel some anxiety before their presentation. Eliminating all of your anxiety may not be possible, but you can learn to manage it. Prepare yourself as many times as you need to help build your comfort. During the speech if you happen to make a mistake, admit you made a mistake. You can make a humerous remark or just say something to acknowledge it was not what you meant to say. Most audiences will forgive a mistake because they are looking for information and not perfection.

Before you walk out on the stage or podium, mentally visualize your presentation. In your mind imagine the room and the audience. Picture your walk to the front of the room and what your opening will be. Visualize yourself speaking and getting your key points across. Think about how proud you will feel when everyone applauds at the end of your speech. I have been told that if you are not even a

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>