Preparing Yourself When You Speak In Public
Public speaking does not have to be difficult. Here are some
tips to help you prepare for public speaking.
You don't need to be perfect in succeeding in speaking in
public.
You do not need to be too witty and brilliant to be successful
when you speak in public. Public speaking is not all about that.
It may look like it is, but in actuality, it is not. You can be
the average guy you are.
What is important in speaking in public is that you give your
listeners something that is worth their time. If people leave
after your speech with something that is of value, they would
think of you as a successful speaker. They would consider your
speech as something that was worth their time.
Deliver your main points
You may want to put in as many facts and information as you can.
But only emphasize three or four main points. You could even
talk about one main point if you want.
You should remember that what your listeners want from you is
that you give them two or three key main points that they can
understand and would make a lot of difference to them. If you
are able to structure the talks that you have, lots of
complexity will be removed.
Inject some humor but still practice humility
While there are many other public speaking styles, humility and
humor are some of the devices that you could use to make your
speech livelier and entertaining to your listeners.
Just make sure that you are comfortable being humorous and that
the humor is appropriate for the occasion. If you do not feel
comfortable giving jokes, then you might as well not use jokes
which might fall flat on your nose. Or if you are speaking
before a crowd of Americans of Asian descent, do not tell jokes
about Chinese food or Oriental customs.
Humility in public speaking means standing before the others and
sharing with them your own mistakes, your human frailties, and
weaknesses. If you show to other people that you are not afraid
or ashamed admitting such things, you create a relaxed and
intimate environment that will permit them to open up to you too.
Being humble in public also makes you more believable, more
credible, and more respected, with your listeners relating to
you easier. You are no longer the remote expert who is ahead of
them, but is one of them.