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The Secret To Public Speaking

 

Have you ever wondered if there was a secret to public speaking? Did you wonder if there was something that effective public speakers all seem to know, but you don’t? Do you think that this secret is some multi-page technique that takes hours to explain and years to practice and perfect? Did you ever think that people with good public speaking skills were born and not made?  

If you answered ‘yes’ to one or more of these questions, then let me assure you that there is only ONE thing that separates good public speakers from bad ones. It is not a complicated formula or technique that can only be explained by people with university degrees. Actually the secret to public speaking is so obvious you will be kicking yourself because it is so easy.  

Are you ready to discover the secret of all good public speakers? 

The secret is:  All Good Public Speakers Act Confidently 

Think about it. When you observe a poor public speaker, I can almost guarantee that they are not acting confidently – they are doing the opposite, they look nervous!  However, good public speakers always look calm and in control and “they make it look so easy!” In short they are acting confidently.

Note that I am using the word “act”. I can assure you that most public speakers feel some degree of nerves before they present a speech – the more important the speech, the more nerves they will have. However, most of them agree that the more speeches they do, the more relaxed they become before doing a speech and because they are “acting” confidently, they feel confident and can start to relax and enjoy themselves.

On a personal level, even though I have spoken on numerous occasions, I am always petrified before I do a speech. I have cold sweats, my stomach churns, I cannot eat beforehand and my body is shaking all over! However, the moment that I walk on stage and present my opening paragraph, the nerves begin to disappear and I start to enjoy myself.  Sure, I still get nervous during a speech, especially after I realise that I have made an error, but once I get back into the groove, the nerves are under control.

When I tell people that I am petrified before doing a speech, the usual reply is that I don’t show it. That is because I have learned to handle my nerves and to present with confidence.

 

So the multi-million dollar question is, how can you act confidently?  Before answering that question, let’s ask the opposite, how do people act nervously when doing public speaking? A few things that most nervous public speakers do are:

• Fidget
• Mumble
• Read their notes
• Make no eye contact with the audience
• Rush their speech
• Stutter
• Repeat themselves
• Not interested in their topic
• Umm and Arrgh excessively

So if these are what nervous public speakers do, then it is obvious that if you want to be a confident public speaker, you have to do the opposite! So here are a few things that most confident public speakers do.

• Interact with their audience
• Speak clearly and audibly
• Laugh
• Only use their notes occasionally
• Use only appropriate body language
• Are able to improvise with ease
• Cover up their mistakes
• Deal with distractions
• Are enthusiastic about their topic

I know from experience that it is not easy to act confidently when you feel like you want to throw up, when your hands are shaking madly and you are sweating excessively, but it is essential that you take control of your emotions and/or hide them. If you take all of these nervous reactions onto the stage, you are guaranteed to mess up your speech. If the audience thinks you are nervous, and you are acting nervously, then your audience is just going to tune out and ignore you. 

Here are a couple of practical ways that help you to act confidently.

• Do a thorough preparation
• Practice, Practice, Practice
• Relax
• Try not to think about your speech beforehand.
• Take a few deep breaths
• Believe that you can do it!
• Don’t think negatively before or during your speech, think positively.
• And most importantly, if you feel sick, don’t eat!

 

Like anything, you are not going to perfect this ‘confidence’ technique the first time.  However, like everything in life, if you practice again and again, you will improve and learn to present your speech with confidence. On a positive note, remember when you do learn to “act confidently”, you are on your way to becoming a good public speaker.

My Name Is Christopher Carlin And I Want To

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