Public Speaking can be a really scary thing. I personally do not enjoy it one bit. But there are ways you can overcome that fear. Here are some tips to help you be the best public speaker you can be.
1. Gather your Facts – It is never good to go into a presentation not knowing what your talking about. Hopefully if your giving a presentation in the first place, you know a little something about the subject your presenting. If you do not, do your research. Find facts about the presentation and look deeper into those facts. Gather your own thoughts on the information so that you can expand on the topic with your own opinion.
2. Dress the Part – It is always nice to dress professionally during a presentation. People will listen to you more if they think you are coming off professional. This even means your look. You do not want to go into a presentation wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. If your audience things you don’t care, they wont care.
3. Have some Visuals – Visuals can always help add that little extra something to a presentation. It keeps your audience’s attention and gives them visuals to view alongside your presentation. Powerpoint slides are great visuals to use!
4. Speak Clearly – Speak loud and clearly when presenting. Make sure everyone in the room can hear you, even those in the very back of the classroom. Also, do not rush your sentences. Make sure every sentence seems important and you take your time on each.
5. Eye Contact – Maintain eye contact throughout the entire presentation.
6. Ask questions – Ask questions to your audience members. Get them involved in the presentation to not only keep their attention, but to give you a breather!
7. Organize – Make sure your presentation is organized and has a great flow to it. Keep subjects consistent and within the same topic.
8. Make an outline – sometimes its good to do an outline of your presentation. It keeps you on track and helps you remember the important stuff.
9. Practice – Practice makes perfect! Do not forget to practice your presentation a few times before presenting it. It will give be confidence during the presentation and you will not feel that terrible feeling of “procrastination”.
10. Have fun – Do not forget to have fun! Even if you hate public speaking, make the best out of it! It is your time to shine and speak your mind! The attention is on you, and have fun with it!
Thanks for posting the Top 10 list. I know if someone wanted to torture me all they would have to do is stick me in front of an audience and make me talk. I dislike public speaking with just about every fiber of my being. Luckily, they’ve come up with lists like these to make it a little more bearable. It seems like all the things listed are very basic things, and yet it’s so hard to get up there and talk..why is that?! You list is really helpful for knowing what to do! I think your last point is one of the most important. If you aren’t having fun, you’re not enjoying it which means your audience isn’t either. I know it’s easier said than done but it’s best to try and relax. I’ll definitely remember your tips for the next time I have to get up and speak!
I really enjoyed reading your top ten tips for public speaking. A few of the ones that stood out to me was number 5. I think that it is vital that you maintain eye contact with your audience. It is really easy to get so caught up in what you are speaking on that you do not connect with your audience by eye contact, but I believe that it is one of the most influential ways to connect with a person. I also agree that you should make an outline. Do not write your speech out, it is easiest to keep eye contact with your audience when you don’t feel like you have to follow the script of an outline. Thanks for the tips!
Great Post Juliet! I think that your list of presentation tips is really helpful. I, like you, can’t stand public speaking. It can be terrifying and completely stressful, but with the help from your tips, some of that can be avoided. One tip that I really liked was your tip on gathering information. It may seem like such an easy and simple task but there have been so many presentations that I have witnessed and they aren’t prepared at all. They haven’t gathered enough information to preform their presentation or they just aren’t confident enough in the information they have gathered! Thanks for you tips!
Thanks for the great post! I especially liked number ten on the list. I think to many times people let their fear take over and they forget to have fun. We all like to listen to speakers who seem to be having fun and so we need to remember that when giving our own speeches. However, that fun attitude needs to also be balanced with a professional one.