As you know, public speaking skills are quite important in both your career and personal life. It does not matter whether you regularly engage in public speaking, developing skills in the area increases your confidence and helps reduce anxiety situations. Do you know that even those with social anxiety disorder can be great speakers, with treatment for anxiety and skill development? The following are some skills you need to improve upon to become a great public speaker.
Stage Presence
To become a good public speaker, you must be confident, enthusiastic, friendly, and energetic. You can gain confidence by choosing the topic you love and researching it well. Also, you can convey friendliness by smiling at your audience. Energy and enthusiasm will naturally flow when you are well-prepared and enjoy the topic. If you think that the stage presence is lacking, you should view clips of popular speakers you admire. You can also listen to TED speaker coach and take notes. Try to imitate their style. You have probably heard the idea of faking something until you make it.
Voice Control
Remember that your voice is an important tool you can use as a public speaker. One of the techniques to use to improve the quality of your voice is diaphragmatic breathing. In this case, you should breathe from the diaphragm rather than the chest. It is what will make your voice sound fabulous and enables you to hold your notes longer. When you do so, you reduce feelings of breathlessness that are caused by speech anxiety. The type of breathing allows you to control various aspects of your voice that include tone, pitch, and volume.
Body Language
It is a good idea to consider body language and how it conveys. You should practice standing with an upright posture. Always place your hands clasped or at your sides unless you want to make a gesture to emphasize a point. Also, you need to become aware of the facial expressions. Ensure they match the message you want to deliver.
Delivery
As far as public speaking is concerned, remember that delivery is everything. It does not matter whether you have an excellent body language or great voice; your message is likely to get lost if the audience cannot follow whatever you say. The following are some tips to help you develop excellent delivery skills. Ensure you speak slowly and do it deliberately. Moreover, you should pause between ideas to offer your audience an opportunity to digest whatever you are saying.