Public Speaking a Daunting Task?
Public speaking can be a daunting task for many people. They are instinctually afraid of standing up in front of their peers to speak. Here are ten tips to help you overcome those fears.
First, know what your objectives and key points are. Remember, you have a valuable opportunity to speak to this group of people, and you have a point to get across.
- Time is valuable, and the people in your audience do not want their time to be wasted so do not do so.
- Get to the point as quickly as you can.
Next, know your audience. If you can, talk to a few people from the audience before you begin speaking. This will help you to know what the needs are for this particular group. You will get a feel for the values and level of understanding of the people to whom you are talking.
Sketch out in your mind what you are going to talk about.
- How are you going to get your audience involved in the discussion?
- How are you going to move from point to point?
- Is there one particular thing you want your audience to take from your talk? These considerations will help you stay on track once you begin.
When preparing your speech, make sure you use good sources. Create a database on your computer that allows you to input the author, date, source, topic, and a summary of your research.
This will allow you easy access to the information when you begin preparing your speech. Make sure you let your audience know some of your sources, but in a non-threatening way. This gives your information credibility.
Write down what you want to say, and make each point less than one hundred words. By writing it down you will ensure that you do not throw in needless information. Remember that the first few words of your point are going to be the most important in your speech.
