10 Best Tips on how to become a Public Speaker
I today’s post, I will be sharing the very best tips to turn you into a remarkable speaker. But, before I delve into the nitty grits of how to become a public speaker, and a great one at that, I would like to take you to first understand what is public speaking, how you can become a speaker, and where you should start.
WHAT IS PUBLIC SPEAKING?
Public speaking is the process of speaking to a number of people to influence them, entertain them, and without failing to imbibe them with useful information. It is usually done in a well-structured manner and usually focuses on a particular subject that intrigues the particular audience listening.
Has your school or organization ever organized a seminar? If yes, then the large crowd of students or staff is the audience, while the person that addresses the large crowd is known as the public speaker.
There are countless advantages of speaking in public, which includes proliferated critical thinking and improved communication skills. Many love the idea of speaking in public, but a large percentage of them are still not keen to do it because of the feeling that it takes a lot to speak effectively. However, it all starts at a small stage – addressing fellow classmates about a particular subject is an adorable way by which some started.
HOW TO BECOME A PUBLIC SPEAKER?
A considerable amount of people have become successful by going through this path. If you have always loved people in this field and desire to be one of them, then this content will encourage you and give you hints on how to go about it. It is reasonable to know that the journey may not be a very smooth one, and you may encounter several challenges, but it will yield a good result in the fullness of time.
Some of the requisites to be successful in this field include hard work, patience, and cognizance of a topic. It is quite fascinating and inspiring to watch famous speakers motivate multitudes of individuals by going on stage and holding a microphone, but many are oblivious of the investment and commitment that has been made before these speakers became successful. Below are effective ways to become a public speaker.
START WITH YOUR COMMUNITY: This is how I started.
Imagine if you have never spoken in public and you are to speak in front of 10,000 people in your first trial. It is bound to happen that you will fail to speak effectively, and thereby goof sheepishly.
You can start with speaking at small events with a small audience in your community. Apart from that being a medium to start and build your public speaking career, it is also a shrewd approach to gain experience. The experience gained from speaking at events in your community will compound to make you a better public speaker for bigger events in the future.
VOLUNTEER AT INDUSTRY CONFERENCES:
To be on the radar of the individuals that make the major decisions at big industry events, you should be ready to volunteer your time at these big events.
Being a volunteer will give you the opportunity to get a free conference badge. The badge will make you accessible to every attendee, which will include the speakers at the event. Additionally, this may also give you the opportunity to speak at the event. This is a profoundly effective way to get your name in the ears and mouths of many people attending the conference.
Many events have had upcoming speakers begin with being a tracker leader, before growing to panels or solo sessions.
CONTACT EVENT ORGANIZERS:
You cannot become a public speaker by sitting at home all day to read about tips to speak effectively. You need a medium to be known for what you do and the only way you can get this medium is to communicate with event organizers.
Take it as a habit to send emails to organizers of event conferences. It is an easy process that requires no agent or virtual assistant for it to be carried out. The first step to take is the identification of a host of events that will be coming up in the future. After identification, you are to get the emails of the organizers of these events and send them a concise and enthralling email about your interest to speak at the events respectively.
The name of the organizers responsible for choosing speakers at an event and their individual emails are mostly posted on the event website. It is of paramount importance to categorically state your name, experience, interested topic, and reasons why you are the best public speaker for the event.
MAKE SPEAKING SAMPLES AND TESTIMONIALS:
When it comes to your public speaking career, it is perspicacious to have samples of your speech, as well as several testimonials. A lot of event organizers may doubt your ability to speak effectively, and will thereby need solid proof before choosing you as a public speaker of their event.
You can hire a freelance videographer that would record you whenever you are on stage speaking. In events where the organizers already have videographers, you may request for a video excerpt of your speech. It is quite reasonable if you have the capital to invest in creating a website precisely for your public speaking career. This website will be quite useful to showcase your works and you can also send the website link to event organizers – it will also give the organizers a good impression of you.
10 BEST TIPS TO HELP YOU BECOME A GREAT PUBLIC SPEAKER
It is a known fact that public speaking can cause nervousness, body fidgeting, and restlessness, especially for people that don’t do it often. However, it is not difficult to improve yourself, as it majorly requires practice and preparedness. Below are crucial tips on how you can become a better public speaker within a short time span.
1. IT IS NORMAL TO BE NERVOUS:
Nervousness and shyness are feelings, and are never part of the traits anyone possesses. If you get the opportunity to converse with the greatest extrovert, you will be shocked to know he also feels nervous sometimes. Now that you know nervousness is normal, it is time for you to know that it shouldn’t stop you from delivering.
Now that you know nervousness is normal, it is time for you to know that it shouldn’t stop you from delivering.
2. LET YOUR AUDIENCE COME FIRST:
No matter how outstanding your speech and delivery are, you will fail to speak effectively if you do not put your audience first. It is important to know that public speaking is not about the speaker, but about the audience.
You need to give yourself to your audience if you want to grow to become a prestigious public speaker.
3. ALWAYS BE PREPARED:
Planning ahead is the reason why you listen to some motivational speakers and wish they wouldn’t stop speaking.
Preparedness is an effective way to deliver a great message with a great demeanor and charisma. Preparedness will make you know who your audience is, what intrigues them, and make it possible for you to tailor your speech to make it more attention arresting to them.
4. DRASTICALLY IMPROVE YOUR STORYTELLING SKILLS:
By taking the time to improve your storytelling skills, which is pretty much the best skill any public speaker can have, you will allow yourself to be able to explain in simple terms, and in a storylike manner concepts, and ideas that could otherwise bore your audience.
By being able to tell great stories, you will more easily inspire, influence and inform your audience with that amazing idea which brought you to the stage. Remember that we are social creatures, and we have been listening and telling stories to each other since the very inception of our existence. That alone should tell you how critical it is to be able to tell stories.
5. DO NOT SCRIPT UNLESS YOU HAVE TO:
The best way to speak effectively, especially in public, is to have full cognizance of your speech. For this reason, it is advisable to rather outline your speech. Outlining and understanding what you have to say will make your delivery better and more fascinating.
Writing what you have to say word-for-word will most likely harm your speech spontaneity, and possibly bore your audience. Additionally, understanding what you have to say and delivering without a script shows confidence and competency.
There are exceptions to this tip, such as for politicians, CEOs, and other extremely busy people who have someone else write the speech for them, or for those who will be quoting other authors/speakers. If you want to find out how to craft a memorable speech, please check this other post.
6. PRACTICE:
When it comes to public speaking, even the legends and most prestigious public speakers still perceive it as a ritual to practice always. Practicing your speech before the very day when you will deliver in front of an audience is an effective way to give a remarkable speech.
Practicing will make you more comfortable and confident when you finally decide to deliver your messages. Going an extra mile to practice in front of someone that would review your speech is also quite reasonable and effective.
I help people get ready for their presentations by reviewing their materials, script, watching their presentation and pointing out where they should improve, if you want more details please check our contact page and send us a message.
7. LISTEN:
A speaker who will always speak effectively is a speaker who will always listen to his audience while delivering his messages.
You need to understand the rule of engagement when delivering your speech, whether you are delivering to a small number of people or a very large crowd. You need to have the means to read your audience always; you have to listen to what they are saying, in order to know what to say next.
You also need to be able to watch for visual cues, especially for large audience. A good public speaker knows when his audience is already getting bored and knows the best solution to administer forthwith.
I shared great tips on how to ensure your audience is engaged and enjoying your speech in this FREE, 2500+ word long eBook. Click on this link, so you can get it delivered to your mailbox.
8. EYE CONTACT:
A lot of people are ignorant of the power of making eye contacts. Many feel it has no effect on your speech, but I tell you today that it does have.
Making eye contact when delivering your speech shows engagement and care. I am pretty sure you do not want to appear like a statue that has been programmed to talk through in-built speakers – you definitely know your audience won’t find this attractive or engaging.
9. FOCUS ON THE RULE OF 3s:
One of the best ways to craft your speech in a way that will make it memorable is to make sure you use three lines, or adjectives to express your idea, and the human brain has been designed to best remembers ideas that come in 3s.
By using the rule of threes, you can express yourself allowing your speech to have a beginning, middle and ending part. Additionally, you can emphasize your idea, this post from Andrew of Sixminutes elaborates on the topic please check it out.
10. BE REAL:
Public speaking puts you in a position for others to study and judge you. That being said, you know if you are fake, and if that is the case then you are only coming out to tell a bunch of individuals that you are fake.
Do not act confident, be confident. Do not act like you are prepared, be prepared. Always ensure that throughout your speech, you behave yourself and stay completely natural.
IN CLOSING
Public speaking is much of an art as drawing and writing; all are millenary skills that our ancestors have been developing in order to inform, educate, and influence others.
If you look at it from another angle, you have been speaking in public your whole life in those daily conversations you had with family and friends, and you were always practicing it. Speaking to a large crowd is simply a step higher.
The tips given to you above have the means to build you from a shy introvert to a highly reputable public speaker that is wanted all across the globe. It all starts by making the decision to go through the path and taking your first step.
Evidently, you can’t become the best speaker at your first trial; In fact, you can perform woefully at your first trial, but this is normal for many neophytes in the field, and you can still develop to become the best through the tips above and constant practice.
Thank you for reading this far, I genuinely hope you have found this article insightful, and would love to read your comments below.
REFERENCES & FURTHER READING:
Tips for Giving Clear Talks: A Guide on Public Speaking (ivypanda.com)
https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-public-speaking-and-why-do-i-need-it.html
https://www.inc.com/carlos-gil/do-these-5-things-if-you-want-to-become-a-public-speaker.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/9-ways-anyone-can-be-better-public-speaker-ncna779896
The rule of 3s best article I found. http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/rule-of-three-speeches-public-speaking/
