Mastering Public Speaking

Public speaking can be quite terrifying and the very best way to overcome that fear is through practice. You can’t just expect to be able to deliver a flawless talk without preparation and practice. Your public speaking confidence will grow when you take the time to plan and rehearse your message and delivery.

Think about the message you want to get across. What do you want your audience to take away? Is there a specific skill you are teaching or do you wish to provoke thought?

Develop your content with your goal in mind and then practice delivering the information. You need to do this out loud. Speaking the words out loud is completely different to reading them in your head. Sometimes a phrase that looks good on paper ends up being a real tongue twister, or perhaps just doesn’t sound authentic in your voice. Edit your content so that it feels natural, while being relevant to your purpose.

Practice delivering your content on camera, making eye contact with yourself and getting comfortable sharing your message.

Once things feel pretty good, replay your video and lovingly evaluate your performance. First look for what went well and note aspects of your delivery that you like. Perhaps you have a great smile, your voice isn’t shaky and you remembered everything you wanted to say. Next, perform a critique to notice areas for improvement, nervous mannerisms such as fiddling with your hair or clothing, perhaps you say umm a lot, or maybe you speak so fast it’s hard to keep up. Evaluate yourself as you would your best friend, making sure you are being honest, kind and helpful.

Take your feedback and incorporate it into your next rehearsal and continue the process. Each time you will become more confident in your delivery.