5 Sure Fire Steps To Speaking Successfully in Public
November 6, 2006 by Adam
Filed under Business, Personal Development
Recently public speaking has become extremely important. With the setup of my Young Enterprise company through my school, I’ve had to pitch to a number of people and on the way I’ve learned a few tricks on the trade that I thought I’d share. So many people start flipping out when it comes to public speaking, but to be honest being confident is so important to your success. For example if investors are looking to put money into your company and you come across as shy and nervous, they’ll definitely be having 2nd thoughts.
On the contrary, I listened to a talk by a senior pupil about his company. He epitomized successful speaking so much so that his team managed to get into finals in the specific region. I hope that we can replicate some of his successes but in doing this, I (as part of the Financial Sector of the company) have already pitched to advisors and bank managers where I have setup an account.
Here are my steps though to successful speaking to strangers:
-
1. Stand up tall and broaden your shoulders. Posture as well as being important for the health, can bring across an air of uncertainty or brimming determination. I find that standing up as tall as possible and widening your shoulders and sort of puffing out your chest, can help you to have a better esteem about yourself and thus can aid the way you portray your products or business.
2. Speak clearly and forcefully. No-one likes people who mumble. They may not pronounce some important figures very well in the financial part of the plan, or they may stutter and seem unenthusiastic about their service. On the other hand, by opening your mouth and speaking in a nice voice but with power, will help persuade investors to by shares in your company, or may persuade buyers to purchase your product.
3. Be prepared. Preparation is vital if you’re to successfully make your way through a meeting. I prepare notes before every date to make sure I know what I’m about to say, and how the structure of my performance will be laid out. Without post-it notes, or simply a piece of paper, you may ramble on; missing vital points and showing a lack of direction.
4. Add some humour. The most boring aspect of lectures in Universities or classes at school is the lack of humour and the air of seriousness. By adding a punchline into your speech or talk and by livening up the atmosphere, you’ll be more likely to build a relationship indirectly with the audience, and you’ll promote a better response to what you’re saying. Common jokes about the girlfriend/wife, your football team or about another person can help your cause to no end.
5. Finish in style. Whilst finishing blog posts can be easy in some respects, finishing a speech can be extremely important to your personal success. You may like to summarize what you’ve said, or throw in another scorcher of a joke, but personally I prefer the talks where the public speaker gives you something to think about or ponder upon at the end. These people show intelligence and confidence, and these are sure fire ways to getting the best out of your speech.
