Lacking Public Speaking Skills? Free Your Mind And The Rest Will Follow!

 If there is anything which can feature in the list of top ‘5 most dreaded’ things in life, public speaking would surely feature as one of the items, for most of us. We fear it like fire and think that it is the meanest thing to do to ask anyone to display his or her public speaking skills. The good news is that fear of public speaking haunts many of the seasoned speakers as well. Yet did you know that your public speaking skills also talk a lot about you? Your level of self-confidence and the overall aura of personal conviction that you carry can inspire many others around you. It could well be a yardstick to measure your success both in the private and most definitely in the professional sphere on your life. 

There are two ‘control’ parameters which are intricately involved in developing the requisite talent for public speaking. One component is controlling your inner feelings and emotions which sometimes come in the way to speak effectively in public and the second component is your control and competence in the subject you are going to speak on. Since the first step to develop public speaking skills is to develop self-confidence, you begin with a thorough analysis of your self, your fears and phobia and the rationale of continuing with them. They say, once you know the problem, you have found ways to solve it as well. Practice can perfect nearly any action that we take in life. So practicing public speaking actually begins in private! Try speaking in front of a mirror, in front of a video camera and then in front of some of the people whose opinions you trust. Get their frank feedback and watch your flaws – where you fumble, where you sign and where you fidget with your hands. These are signs and symptoms that you have to improve if you wish to become an effective public speaker. 

The second component of effective public speaking is a thorough knowledge of the subject as well as the audience you are going to address. Knowing people’s mind, their background, the issues being currently confronted would naturally allow you to modify your speech, your tone and the content of your speech. Remember, people are listening to you because they think you can either put forward a solution or at lest direct them to the right path to solution. Merely describing the current situation or harping on the past will not make you a speaker worth remembering. 

There are many people who use humor to break the ice and bring about a congenial environment within the audience. Keeping eye contact, a gentle deportment and exuding an aura of warmth, simplicity and genuineness are innate qualities of a good public speaker. The simpler you keep your message, without jargons, acronyms and incomprehensible concepts, the more chances you have of taking the audience with you. Intersperse your speech with interesting anecdotes, quotes and real-life experiences to sound more earthly and realistic. 

With a little bit of critical analysis of self, practice and if necessary professional training, you too can develop significant public speaking skills. Did you see the street magician, who keeps mesmerizing audiences round the year? He simply has one other skill other than his tricks – he is a very good public speaker!