by Simon Wright

Created on: February 27, 2007   Last Updated: February 20, 2010

Speaking in front of an audience is not something that most of us look forward to. Indeed, it can sometimes be the stuff or reoccurring nightmares! It is, however, something that many of us have to do at some time in our lives, whether it's a work presentation, a best man's speech, or a sports club awards ceremony. Being able to step up and speak confidently and persuasively is a valuable skill and should give you a sense of pride and achievement.

Tips for speaking confidently in public:

Preparation:

Politicians and senior company executives are often held up as examples of people who are expert public speakers. However, what we don’t see is all the preparation that they (and their support teams) put in before delivering that rousing speech. Politicians even sometimes have script writers to ensure that they have powerful content to work with.

You might not always have the luxury of having a script writer or a support team but there is no excuse for not preparing in advance of your speech. Your preparation may include:

 - Rehearsing what you are going to say

 - Creating cue notes to remind you of the key elements that your intended speech includes and their order.

 - Checking the facilities beforehand. If you're using equipment (microphone, overhead projector, etc), check that these are working.

2. Delivery:

Being effective in public speaking is not just about what you say but also about how you say it. Indeed, your body language and tone of voice will often play a much bigger role in determining how well received a speech is than anything else.

To ensure that your delivery of the speech is impactful, here are some points to consider:

 - Know exactly how you are going to start and make a powerful early statement.

 - Embrace the experience and show confidence.

 - Be aware of your body language. Don't slouch, or cross your arms.

 - Speak clearly. Avoid mumbling, turning your back to your audience, or obscuring your mouth with a hand.

 - Talk to your audience, not at them. If possible, try to involve them in the speech so that it doesn’t come across that you are just reading from a pre-prepared script.

 - Speak naturally and don't try to be funny (unless this comes naturally to you).

 - Don't rush. The temptation, when nervous, is to rush through your speech and this can lessen its impact. Force yourself to proceed at an even measured pace.

 - Vary your tone and lend your words passion. If you speak monotonously, then you can’t expect to enthuse your audience with the message that you are presenting. Think about how you speak when discussing something that is very dear to your heart.

 - Make a powerful closing statement, summarizing your message. Invite questions from your audience, if appropriate.

Summary:

The trick to confident public speaking is to make sure you’ve done adequate preparation in advance, and then to speak clearly, supporting your message with confident body language and tone of voice. The more you know about the subject matter and the more you’ve rehearsed, the easier it should be to stand up and give a powerful speech. And, of course, the more often that you put yourself forward to speak in public, the better you will become, even if the stomach butterflies never quite go away!

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