Public Speaking: 10 Tips to Improve Public Speaking Skills

When I ask my audiences their number one challenge with public speaking, they overwhelmingly say, "to overcome the fear of public speaking." It's okay to have "butterflies." The key is how to get them organized, focused and flying in formation. Here are 10 tips for delivering a more powerful, persuasive presentation. Practice these techniques consistently to improve public speaking skills.

1. 95% of your success is determined before the presentation. Your audience will know if you didn't rehearse. Rehearsing, or "rehearing" yourself minimizes 75% of your nervousness. Rehearse standing up, or better yet, ask someone to videotape you. The camera will be your most objective ally. The more comfortable you become with your material via rehearsing, the more comfortable you will be with your body language.

2. Either memorize or "know cold" your opener and close. Two minutes each for an opener and a close is enough. The most important thing your audience will remember is your closing. Second most important thing they'll remember is your opener. Start with something attention grabbing, like a quote or statistic, which relates to your topic. Never start with, "Good Morning." It is obvious and boring.

Public Speaking: 10 Tips to Improve Public Speaking Skills

3. Public Speaking: 24 hours before your presentation:

A. Have a quiet dinner with a quiet friend. (This may or may not be your spouse!) You won't be as concerned about your public speaking skills if you can put your nervous system on glide.

B. The evening before, put your presentation on audiocassette as background noise one hour before retiring. Listen to your opener and close before bedtime as a review.

C. No massive changes 24 hours before. Nothing increases the fear of public speaking more than rewritting your material at the last minute. Impromptu speeches notwithstanding.

D. Visualize your presentation going smoothly and successfully. All Olympic athletes use this technique, and it works with public speaking as well.

E. Review your notes and visual aids the evening before. Your notes should only be "fast food for the eyes" in bullet form, and are NEVER read to the audience.

F. Eat a good high protein breakfast the morning of your presentation. Even if you're not speaking until that evening, feed your mind and body the proper fuel.

4. Before your presentation, check yourself in a full-length mirror. A dear friend of mine forgot to do this. During her keynote speech in front of hundreds, someone quietly pointed out that her skirt was tucked into her pantyhose!

5. Public speaking and purpose: When organizing your talk, define your purpose. Why are you there? Why are they there? Is this a sales presentation? A community watch group? If you present technical information, is this an information/knowledge transfer or a decision briefing? When presenting technical information make certain not to overload your audience with too much detail, or too much on each slide. Tailor your message. Define your objective.

6. Know your audience before designing your opener and close. It is imperative that you "speak the language" of your audience. What are their ages? Percentage of males/females? Are they highly technical or non-technical? Do they want to be there or is this mandatory? What are their expectations? If you are a scientist or engineer, speak to the "lowest common denominator." Technical presenters have a propensity to use a lot of technical jargon. Does the person in charge of funding understand the language?

7. Avoid using too many slides. Visual aids are wonderful tools as long as they're used to enhance the information. A common mistake is using the visual aids as the presentation. Look at the audience frequently to establish rapport and a connection. In almost every presentation, you are there to "sell" them not simply "tell" them. Do not look at your visual aids other than a quick glance, and never read them. Never turn your back on the audience to read slides. They will not look at your slides. Their minds will start to wander. Remember, you are your own best visual aid.

8. Good public speaking skills mean being prepared. As the saying goes, prior planning prevents predictably poor performance. Planning and preparation will reduce nervousness 75%. Again, your audience will know if you didn't rehearse. Consider hiring a public speaking coach. The dollars invested may well be worth their weight in gold.

9. The Q & A period and how to handle a hostile audience. The second most frequent comment I hear in my public speaking seminars is "What if they ask a question and I don't know the answer?" Or, "What if someone in the audience is a know-it-all and doesn't like me?" Avoid being argumentative. If you don't know the answer, ask if someone in the audience has the answer. Or, simply let them know when you will get back to them. Make certain you do. When you lie you die. It destroys your credibility.

10. Variety and venue. Variety serves as a "wake up call" to your audience. Examples of adding variety: humor, relevant stories, quotes, voice inflection, paired and group activities, pauses, audience participation in the question and answer period, and slides or other multimedia. As for your venue, are your visual aids appropriate to your size of audience? Will everyone be able to see them?

Lastly, make sure to confirm the time, date, and place with the appropriate contact person. If possible, arrange to see the room ahead of time so you can practice visualizing in the exact location of your presentation. At the minimum, arrive at least one hour ahead of time. To improve public speaking skills, and overcome nervousness, nothing works like being prepared.

Copyright 2006 Colleen Kettenhofen

Public Speaking: 10 Tips to Improve Public Speaking Skills
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Colleen Kettenhofen is a motivational speaker, workplace expert, & co-author of "The Masters of Success," as featured on the Today Show, along with Ken Blanchard and Jack Canfield. http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com Topics: leadership, management, difficult people, success, public speaking. To order the book, or for free articles and newsletter visit http://www.ColleenSpeaks.com You are free to reprint or repost this information provided Colleen Kettenhofen's name and website is provided with the article.

How to Create an Effective Public Speaking Outline

Creating an effective speaking outline is the core essential to ensuring that you succeed in your presentation. Preparation is a key element of success. The more time you spend organizing your thoughts, your goals, your motivations, and the facts that you will present to an audience, the better you will be at delivering these key items of interest. Here, you will be presented with a sample of a basic public speaking outline. If you put this to work for you, you are quite likely to walk out a success once the presentation has concluded and the curtains have closed.

I. Introduction

A. The first component of the introduction should get the attention of the individuals in the audience. You have to consider creative strategies to successfully scoop the audience right up in your hand and gain control of them. The interest of the audience is absolutely valuable to optimize the effectiveness of the public speech as a whole.

How to Create an Effective Public Speaking Outline

1. You may choose to use an interaction strategy with the audience.

2. You may elect to start off with a personal account that is enlightening and exciting to the listener.

3. You may choose to do something that keeps the audience tuned in for your next move.

B. Now, it is time to establish credibility. People want to know who you are and why you are the one that is issuing the speech. It is important that you handle this task at this point of the presentation.

C. Now, your speech outline should walk right into an introduction on the information that you will be revealing throughout the course of the public speech.

II. Main Event

A. When you come to the main event in your presentation, it is important to ensure that you have approximately three main points that you would like to convey to your audience.

B. While presenting facts and figures, it is important to provide various types of illustrations, important numbers that are related to your topic, as well as many different types of testimony to your audience.

C. It is important to ensure that you have an interaction event when concluding the presentation. While conducting this interaction, reinforce as much as you possibly can to the audience in order to ensure that their minds have been refreshed.

III. Conclusion

A. When creating a public speaking outline, it is essential that you take the time to restate important facts as you conclude the presentation.

B. Now, it is important to create a "call to action" - this will inform your audience of what they need to do next.

C. Now, it is time to conclude the presentation with any last minute emphasis and a basic "thank you" to the audience that has been a part of your presentation.

Creating an effective public speaking outline can mean the difference between delivering a memorable speech that will stay fresh in the minds of your audience, or creating a presentation that loses the interest of the audience before the presentation is concluded. If you want to be a highly motivated, successful individual who is revered when it comes to presentations, be sure to whip that paper and pen out and create a public speaking outline that will assist you in delivering your message.

How to Create an Effective Public Speaking Outline
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Want to learn how to become a successful public speaker? Visit http://www.SpeakerSuccessOnline.com for information and resources on Public Speaker Training.

Why You Need to Build Credibility in Public Speaking

Let's say that you are interested in pursuing a career in public speaking. Or maybe you have a presentation due in your public speaking class. Possibly you are a member of Toastmasters and you are scheduled to speak at your next meeting. Why should people listen to you? Why should others trust what you have to say? What makes you credible?

Establishing credibility is one of the most important qualifications for ensuring your success as a speaker. Zig Ziglar, internationally-renowned public speaker, salesperson, and writer, commands thousands of dollars to speak for 40-minutes. People flock to his presentations to hear his words of advice. What makes him so successful?

One of the reasons for his huge success is that he has established credibility. People believe what he has to say because they want to believe what he has to say. In public speaking, credibility is dependent on your audience's perception of you as being qualified to speak on a particular subject. Just as in other types of business, your audience or your clientele must believe that you are knowledgeable in your field.

Why You Need to Build Credibility in Public Speaking

For Zig Ziglar to discuss the issues, causes, or high incidence of obesity in the US today is not going to be as credible as if you were to hear this information from the Surgeon General.

Likewise, were the Surgeon General to talk about the best kept secrets for increasing your business sales, I am confident you would not find the presentation to be one of the blockbusters on the public speaking circuit. Both individuals have established credibility, but credibility in their own fields.

If you are planning to give a presentation on a subject about which you have limited knowledge, you must research your topic. You need to know more than those in your audience; otherwise, there is no reason for them to listen to you. You would be better served listening to them!

Not only must you establish credibility; but, as a novice speaker, you need to do so in your opening statement. What is fascinating about this fact is that you needn't necessarily have firsthand knowledge of or experience in your topic. You can easily establish credibility by quoting others, by means of interviews, by reading about your topic, and by gathering information, statistics, dates, and facts from legitimate sources. And don't forget to use anecdotes as well.

Generally, the information you find in a library or in collegiate books is valid; but it is very important to understand that not everything you read on the internet is true. There is an entire generation of young people who were raised on the internet. Don't trust everything you read on the web: you need to know whether the statements you are quoting or the sources from which you are gathering your information are reputable. And that can occur by knowing your sources.

If you want your audience to trust in you and in what you have to say, build your credibility, an important qualification in establishing your success in public speaking.

Why You Need to Build Credibility in Public Speaking
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The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. To see how voice training can improve your life, both professionally and personally, Click Here. Visit The Voice Lady's blog and watch a brief video as she describes Dynamic Public Speaking.

Fear of Public Speaking - 10 Tips For Success

A great public speaking statistic was once made on national TV by Jerry Seinfeld, from the TV show Seinfeld, who found a poll that said that the number one fear for Americans was public speaking. Death was at number five. With this he joked that "...at a funeral, people are five times more likely to want to be in the casket than giving the eulogy."

Now forgiving the statistical error Jerry made, public speaking is actually ranked at the top fear of many people, Americans included. From my own personal history, as well as some of the many tips I was able to find online, here are 10 tips for eliminating public speaking fears.

1. Practice right before you go to bed. My best tip to myself by far. Trying to memorize and practice what I have to say right before I go to bed really helps. On a scientific level, your brain works at night and whatever you process last (right before bedtime) sub-consciously becomes more familiar to you the next day! This tip has helped me tremendously, especially for presentations.

Fear of Public Speaking - 10 Tips For Success

2. Be prepared. I envy people who can go up and stir the crowd up without any practice beforehand. But until I get there, knowing the material and speaking with authority on that particular subjects projects confidence, which in turn makes you less nervous while your up on center stage.

3. Use bullet points and do not memorize word for word. If you try to memorize your entire speech or presentation, that will make you more nervous! Instead focusing on memorizing bullet points has helped me since I can be a little more spontaneous, but at the same time, give me direction whenever I feel lost. Trying to memorize what you have to say word for word just makes you think more about what you have to say, which puts more pressure on yourself.

4. As I saw on a shampoo commercial where a guy tells his nervous professor to just imagine him naked to take away his fear of speaking, realize this: whoever your audience is, they want you to succeed. Even if you are very nervous, if you just stand tall you will look 90% confident. The fast heart beat, butterflies, and sweaty palms can't be seen by the audience. In fact, they want to hear a good presentation, and most times, they will like you no matter what.

5. Smile. Smiling makes you happier and makes you more confident. Smile and try to gaze for familiar faces. This allows you to make a positive connection with your audience and takes your mind of of the "I can't do this" thoughts.

6. Be enthusiastic. Even if its a boring business meeting or a boring school presentation, saying your part with fake enthusiasm will rub off...to yourself! Its like smiling except it you can do it for the entire duration.

7. Eat a lot of yogurt and nuts. Some natural chemical inside yogurts and nuts helps to calm you down. I find this works better than a glass of water, and just the fact of me eating it makes me psychologically more confident in myself.

8. Breathe. But don't just breathe, breathe until your lungs are full. Make sure to get enough oxygen inside of you just in case you run into the good old shortness of breath. Rapid breathing is one of my main problems when I am in a public speaking setting, so I always make sure to take a couple big breaths right before I start talking.

9. Project a success image into your head right before you begin talking. I usually like to project myself confidently presenting to my audience, and when the time comes for me to begin, I will follow my projections to a T.

10. As the famous A.I. once said, "Practice? Practice? You want to talk about Practice?" Yes, practice by yourself talking into an imaginary audience, practice to your roommates, your parents, siblings, friends, or even your dog. Practice puts the motion inside your brain, and when the actual time for your speech comes, your brain will already know what to say.

Of course, the best way to overcome your fear of public speaking is through public speaking classes. It is pretty much practice, just in a real setting. There are also many different self-help programs that aim to give you confidence and help you develop techniques to overcome anxiety and panic.

Fear of Public Speaking - 10 Tips For Success
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I have spent all of high school and college in fear of getting up and talking in front of my peers. Its such a simple task, but one that made me extremely nervous and sweaty. There is hope for people like me, and I found how to overcome my public speaking fears. Visit http://www.squidoo.com/fightpanicattacks to read about how I was able to overcome my fears and anxieties.

Persuasion in Public Speaking - Cognitive Dissonance - Passionate Power Presentations - Number 9

Cognitive dissonance is a powerful argument structure to use in persuading an audience. Cognitive dissonance occurs when you are presented with information that is inconsistent with your attitudes, values or beliefs. This causes an uncomfortable emotional feeling as you consider or hold two contradictory ideas. Cognitive dissonance theory states that people are motivated to reduce dissonance by changing or rationalizing their attitudes, beliefs or behaviors when presented with a facts or a situation that violates their current attitudes, beliefs or behaviors.

Dissonance in Argument Structure

Creating dissonance in a speech can be an effective way to persuade your audience to change their attitudes, beliefs and/or behaviors.

Persuasion in Public Speaking - Cognitive Dissonance - Passionate Power Presentations - Number 9

Illustrate Audience Pain -> Then Introduce Safety or Relief

To use cognitive dissonance in an argument, first introduce a problem or need that you know is probably in violation or opposition to an attitude, belief or value held by the audience. This creates cognitive dissonance in the minds of your audience. You do this to create discomfort within the person to get their attention and to get them motivated to change the uncomfortable internal situation.

You then introduce additional information, a solution or alternative to the dissonant information that restores cognitive balance or equilibrium for the audience. By doing this, you create a logical and emotional road for the audience to travel down towards the solution you introduce.

An example of constructive use of dissonance would be to introduce the audience to the concept of personal failure. Show them, through a vivid story, the reality that if they continue with their current limiting thoughts and behaviors and their justifications for personal inaction, that they could reach the end of their life having actualized but a fraction of their dreams and potential.

This should create dissonance in your audience. Most people hope to realize their dreams and to actualize to their greatest potential in life. If you share a vivid story viscerally highlighting the reality that most people never realize anywhere near their full potential, you will create dissonance in those audience members that have high expectations of themselves and their lives.

Now, you can introduce tools that teach the audence, personal empowerment, time management or any other activity that will allow them to take greater control over their lives and their results. By doing this, you will close the gap between the pain of dissonance they feel and their dream of where they would like to be.

You have used dissonance to serve the audience. If you merely "tell" the audience: 'I have these tools that you can use" they are less likely to feel the motivation to act on their own behalf than they will be if you say "see, hear and feel this story of failure. This could be, and probably will be you, statistically speaking. Doesn't this hurt? Well I have tools that will allow you to avoid this pain AND gain the immense pleasure of personal success."

You have won. More importantly, the audience has been served and they win.

Copyright Christopher Babson - All Rights Reserved

http://www.BreakoutPresentations.com

Persuasion in Public Speaking - Cognitive Dissonance - Passionate Power Presentations - Number 9
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Chris inspires, motivates and teaches valuable tools for 1) results maximization through personal & organizational empowerment and 2) dynamic business presentations & public speaking. He does this through motivational speeches and coaching clinics. His background includes an MBA from a Top-20 school, 12 years as a Fortune-100 corporate banker, 6 years as an entrepreneur and 7 years as a professional actor in NYC, LA & Paris. His mission and skill-set are the same: to inspire & empower you and/or your organization to your greatest excellence, in communication, presentation or sales.

http://www.BreakoutPresentations.com