Public speaking can be terrifying. But, it doesn’t have to be. Here are some tips to help you conquer America’s biggest fear.
I’m not afraid of public speaking.
Wait, what?
Yes, I said that, and I really do mean it.
I frequently speak to people about my school and college classes. I was invited to speak at Schenectady Manufacturing Week’s press conference last year.
In March 2017, I came in First Place in a Free Enterprise Speak off.
This last week, I came in second for my pitch in a local app competition called SaratogaGo!
I have no reservations about getting up in front of a crowd and presenting something. I actually think it’s pretty fun.
Am I crazy? Maybe a little. But I haven’t always been like this. I used to be terrified of public speaking. I don’t know a lot of people who aren’t terrified.
When you imagine getting up and speaking in front of a group, how does it make you feel? How many times have you tried to get out of being the presenter of your group project, because you don’t want all those people looking at you?
If public speaking scares you, you’re definitely not alone. And if it doesn’t scare you, you probably at least don’t like it.
But people do it all the time! It’s an inevitable part of life, especially if you want to be successful.
Teachers, coaches, executives, administrators, business professionals, politicians; they do it almost, if not every day. How do they make it look so easy?
In one word, the key is this: practice.
But practicing is scary, too. So, here’s a list of tips to make each time you speak in front of others a little less scary. And maybe one day, you’ll actually like public speaking, too!
Confidence is key
This is arguably the most important element of public speaking. A person who is confident enough could say anything, and convince an audience that it is true. If you prepare and know your material, there is no reason why you shouldn’t be confident.
Pro tip: the audience is rooting for you. No one likes watching a poor public speaker. It’s as uncomfortable for the audience as it is for the speaker. If you do well, the audience will be happier, and more relaxed. They don’t want you to do badly, either. They are on your side!
After all, worrying is paying a debt you may never have to. Give yourself every reason to be confident when you present.
Practice, Out Loud
Until I competed at the Free Enterprise Speak Off, I never truly understood the power of speaking out loud.
What I found when practicing my speech out lout is that each time I did it, it sounded more and more like I was saying it, and less like I was reading it.
The speech I was practicing was only 2 pages long (4 mins max) but I wasn’t allowed to look at paper or read off notes. To get the most points for presentation, you needed to have it memorized. When I first started out, my speech was very monotone, very robotic. We’ve all listened to, or maybe even given, speeches that sound like an automated machine is giving it. Not fun. The more you say it out loud, the less you will sound like this. You’ll find the phrasing, the breaks, and the natural pauses in the work that will help making delivering it a lot smoother.
You will also be able to pick out issues with your writing that you wouldn’t be able to notice by just reading it in your head.
Reading out loud helps you pick out things like:
- Grammatical errors
- Strange word choice
- Redundancy
- Awkward sentence structure
- Poor organizational flow
write about something you know about
If you are writing a research paper for school, or maybe giving a speech for a debate team, and you have the opportunity, pick a topic that you are passionate about. When you have strong feelings about the topic you are examining, the words just flow out of you. If you don’t think you would be interested in any academic topic, start with your hobbies and work from there.
If you like coffee, you could research the impact of the coffee industry on developing nations, and the labor it takes to produce it.
Maybe you really love camping! You could examine the effects that campgrounds have on the natural environment, or study the progress of deforestation in the US or another area.
No matter what you’re interested in, there is a way you can twist it to find a (somewhat) entertaining topic to prepare.
PRO TIP: wear dark clothes so no one can see sweat (and deodorant)
All of the outfits I wear are based around this factor. If you get physical symptoms if nervousness, or you are worried about sweating in front of others, then wear clothes that can help you avoid this!
My go-tos are black, white, or any pattern in black or white, like stripes. Wearing an outfit that you wot worry about sweating through adds another layer of comfort to you mr speaking experience. It’s an easy way to reduce another thing you might be worried about people noticing, besides your great paper.
slow down and breathe
This is one of the biggest mistakes that people commit while speaking. They speak way too fast.
It’s so easy to get caught up in this. You’re nervous, and you just want to be done, so you rush through. This takes away from the value of your speech. People won’t be able to properly process what you’re saying, and they’ll become confused.
Even if you want to just be done, speaking slower than you think you should will help you. It will help you make fewer mistakes, and appear calmer.
Give yourself visual clues
One of the worst things when you’re reading a speech is when you look up for eye contact (don’t forget to do that), and when you look back down, you’ve lost your place.
Some solutions for this:
- Double space your paper
- Separate thoughts by paragraph
- Change the color of every other paragraph
- Bold important ideas
Do what works best for you! No one is going to see your script except you.
If you have to hand it in, print two copies, and give your teacher the properly formatted one.
Lastly,
Believe in yourself!
You can do this! You are awesome and capable of anything you set your mind to.
Hope these tips help make your next speech a breeze!
xoxo