by Deborah Allan

Created on: December 12, 2009   Last Updated: December 13, 2009

There are bound to be times when we have to speak in public, and although some of us don't have any issues with this, there are many people that do. There are some things we can do to improve our public speaking skills.

1) Prepare yourself. If you know that you have to speak in public, make sure that you are prepared. Know your material and write notes to have on hand. You do not want to have the entire speech on paper to read word for word, as this tends to be boring to the listeners, and it does not look professional.

Keeping notes on index cards or preparing key phrases will help you look and sound more professional, and gives the impression that you are an expert on the subject, even if you aren't.

2) Practice. If you practice your speech either by yourself or with someone you are comfortable with, it will not only make you more comfortable, but the person listening may be able to tell you if there is something you can do differently or something you can improve on.

Another tip is to use a videocamera to record yourself, and watch it back. This will also give you feedback on things you can not see yourself doing.

3) Dress the part. If you are giving a speech to a group of people in a casual setting, dress casual. If your speech is taking place in a board room, wear business atire. The last thing you want to do is show up not looking the part, because you may not be taken seriously. Also, if you dress similar to those you are speaking to, you will notice that not only do you fit in better with them, they will pay more attention to you.

4) Know your audience. Knowing who you are speaking to is key. Let's say you are talking to a group of teachers, about new teaching techniques. If you talk briefly on the old techniques, and longer on the new ones, then you are more apt to get their attention. The same applies no matter who or what you are talking about.

5) Break the ice. Start your speech with a little joke, not something offensive, maybe something pertaining to the topic of your speech. This breaks the tension and puts you and your audience at ease, because sometimes, the audience is just as nervous as the speaker. 

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