Public Speaking (Speaking with confidence) Part-II

Now, since you know basics of public speaking with our section Public Speaking (Speaking with confidence) Part-I, this is the time to master them 

with advanced ways.

·  Research a topic – Good speakers stick to what they know. Great speakers research what they need to convey their message.

·  Focus – Help your audience grasp your message by focusing on your message. Stories, humour, or other “sidebars” should connect to the core idea. Anything that doesn’t needs to be edited out.

·  Organize ideas logically – A well-organized presentation can be absorbed with minimal mental strain. Bridging is key.

·  Employ quotations, facts, and statistics – Don’t include these for the sake of including them, but do use them appropriately to complement your ideas.

·  Master metaphors & idioms – Metaphors enhance the understandability of the message in a way that direct language often can not.

·  Tell a story – Everyone loves a story. Points wrapped up in a story are more memorable, too!

·  Start strong and close stronger – The body of your presentation should be strong too, but your audience will remember your first and last words (if, indeed, they remember anything at all).

·  Incorporate humour – Knowing when to use humour is essential. So is developing the comedic timing to deliver it with greatest effect.

·  Vary vocal pace, tone, and volume – A monotone voice is like fingernails on the chalkboard.

Remember that not all public speaking will be scheduled. You can make good impromptu speeches by having ideas and mini-speeches pre-prepared. It also helps to have a good, thorough understanding of what's going on in your organization and industry.

·  Punctuate words with gestures – Gestures should complement your words in harmony. Tell them how big the fish was, and show them with your arms. Look at this video to understand properly. She is the iron lady "Kiran Bedi", the legend. This video may shake you very hard to drop your weakness and give you fresh air of confidence.

·  Utilize 3-dimensional space – Chaining yourself to the lectern limits the energy and passion you can exhibit. Lose the notes, and lose the chain.

·  Complement words with visual aids – Visual aids should aid the message; they should not be the message.

·  Analyze your audience – Deliver the message they want (or need) to hear.

·  Connect with the audience – Eye contact is only the first step. Aim to have the audience conclude “This speaker is just like me!” The sooner, the better.

                                     Do not fear to face people. They are just like me & you. 

·  Interact with the audience – Ask questions (and care about the answers). Solicit volunteers. Make your presentation a dialogue. Also, pay attention to how you're speaking. If you're nervous, you might talk quickly. This increases the chances that you'll trip over your words, or say something you don't mean. Force yourself to slow down by breathing deeply. Don't be afraid to gather your thoughts; pauses are an important part of conversation, and they make you sound confident, natural, and authentic.

·  Listen critically and analyze other speakers – Study the strengths and weakness of other speakers.

·  Act and speak ethically – Since public speaking fears are so common, realize the tremendous power of influence that you hold. Use this power responsibly. When we have to speak in front of others, we can envision terrible things happening. We imagine forgetting every point we want to make, passing out from our nervousness, or doing so horribly that we'll lose our job. But those things almost never come to pass! We build them up in our minds and end up more nervous than we need to be. Have a look at this video for getting the insight of the above mentioned point.

·  Obey time constraints – Maybe you have 2 minutes. Maybe you have 45. Either way, customize your presentation to fit the time allowed, and respect your audience by not going over time.

·  Be coherent when speaking off the cuff – Impromptu speaking (before, after, or during a presentation) leaves a lasting impression too. Doing it well tells the audience that you are personable, and that you are an expert who knows their stuff beyond the slides and prepared speech.

·  Seek and utilize feedback – Understand that no presentation or presenter (yes, even you!) is perfect. Aim for continuous improvement, and understand that the best way to improve is to solicit candid feedback from as many people as you can.

·  Conduct a Q&A session – Not every speaking opportunity affords a Q&A session, but understand how to lead one productively. Use the Q&A to solidify the impression that you are an expert, not (just) a speaker.

·  Lead a discussion – Again, not every speaking opportunity affords time for a discussion, but know how to engage the audience productively.

·  Handle unexpected issues smoothly – Maybe the lights will go out. Maybe the projector is dead. Have a plan to handle every situation.

· Master the art of telling stories. Own the stories you tell by using your real personal experience to bring life to the material you are delivering. These stories make you a real human, and animation can add color to them.

·  Use technology to sustain your momentum as a speaker but not vice versa. Your power point slides, if you are using one for your presentation, should contain visual graphics and not long sentences. Speak to your crowd and not your presentation. Look at this video and try to focus on the way the speaker has presented his ideas.

·  Focus on bringing the positive thoughts to your words and not on how you are doing as a speaker. Enjoying your speech helps you deliver a compelling message.

Now have a look at the masters in public speaking. These videos are a real boon to suit the people from every walk of life.  I personally suggest you to go through most of them as per your taste or according to your choice of favourite speaker.