How To Master The Art Of Public Speaking

A promising public speaker often encounters risk before he or she learns how to get it right, as in almost anything we do in life that we strive to be good at. After all, you encountered risk when you learned to walk, and ride a bike. If you are going to master the art of public speaking, you are going to be required to apply some effort in the initial stages, and run the risk associated with learning anything. Following are some key ways in which you can become more proficient public speaker.

• Be determined in your pursuit to be an outstanding public speaker. Show excellence through your experiences, study, and how you tailor your material to match your audience.

• Be patient in your goal to succeed. Persistence is a must, if you are going to overcome the obstacles on the way to excellence. There is no such thing as overnight success in public speaking. Attend training about effective speaking; or ask someone who has mastered the art of public speaking.

• Develop an oozing passion for your topic. Your audience will not care to listen to you if you demonstrate anything less than passion about your public speaking topic. Jot down the topics that you love. Then, choose two or three that you can expound into top-notch, crowd-pulling presentations.

• Be sincere and sensitive towards your audience. Share some of your unfavorable experiences involving your topic, if applicable. This way your audience perceives you as a real person and they can relate to you and your subject.

• Relate to your audience promptly, and grab their attention. Avoid offensive remarks or jokes. State a funny story that is applicable to your subject if applicable; cite a quotation or an anecdote to keep their attention. Remember that you only have half a minute to connect with your audience. Use it wisely.

• Prepare adequately. Research your topic completely and then some. Do not throw away old materials that you have used, because you mat need them for new presentations. Organize your material logically and use supporting metaphors or analogies to solidify the message you wish to convey.

• Reinforce your key points with stories that people relate to. Learning to be a proficient storyteller is part of the process of learning to be an excellent public speaker.

• Communicate in ways that will help people learn. In a recent study, 80% of people learn by visual stimulation and only 20% actually learn by listening to the lecture. So do not underestimate the use of visual props and visual aids. Find other ways or tools that can help you achieve 100% of your audience's attention.

• Practice. Memorizing your speech is not enough by any means. Try to practice in front of a mirror or better still, use the vast and cheap tecnology available to anyone these days and video yourself. Ask your friends to review your speech in person, or on video, and take note of their feedback.

• Possess a genuine appreciation in what you do. Remember that not all people have the chance and the courage to speak in front of a large crowd. It is a privilege that is coupled with your responsibility to entertain, educate and persuade your audience. Public speaking is an art that requires a tremendous amount of skill.

Apply the above effective public speaking habits to your development and you'll see immediate improvements in your ability to speak in public.

Discover how you, too, can become a confident and powerful public speaker, faster and more easily than you ever thought possible.