Whether you are a public speaker or not, public speaking skills are essential in life.
These skills help increase your confidence as well as reduce anxiety in situations where you are called upon to speak in public.
Taking the time to work on public speaking skills helps a great deal in becoming a confident speaker.
This also applies to people who suffer from social anxiety disorder.
On that note, below are some skills to work on in order to improve your public speaking.
Stage presence
When you look at an experienced public speaker giving their motivational speech, you will notice they are confident, welcoming, enthusiastic and full of energy.
All these qualities do not come easy. For example, a confident speaker will appear so because they have done extensive research on a topic and they are well conversant with it.
To appear friendly all you have to do is smile at your audiences genuinely.
There is nothing as repulsive as a fake smile. Once you are confident and appear friendly, you will naturally be enthusiastic and energetic about what you have to say.
If your stage presence is a miss, just act confident and eventually, with time, you will be more confident.
Also, watch clips of your favorite public speakers and try acting like them.
Voice control
Voice control is important for public speakers as it improves the quality of your voice.
Instead of breathing from your chest, practice breathing from your diaphragm.
Diaphragmatic breathing makes the voice sound fabulous and allows speakers to hold their notes for longer before they are out of breath.
Voice control is another way to reduce speech anxiety that may cause a feeling of breathlessness.
It also improves the quality of your tone, controls the pitch and volume of your voice.
Body language
Our body language tells a lot without speaking a word. It will often portray or feelings and attitude.
A public speaker should make sure their body language conveys a positive vibe.
For starters, you should practice standing in an upright posture with your hands at your hands or clasped in front; unless you need to make a gesture.
Also, your facial expressions should match the kind of message you want to put across.
Delivery
As a public speaker, the way you put your message across is what matters.
This is what will determine whether your audience learned something from you or not.
Your audience should be able to follow what message you are trying to convey.
To ensure good delivery, a public speaker should speak slowly and have proper word pronunciation.
Pausing between ideas so that whatever you are putting across can sink in is also a good idea.
Last but not least, vary the intonation of your voice to keep your listeners interested.
Relate with your audience
A good public speaker will ensure they are in tune with their audience.
Engaging with the audience before and after the speech is the best way to ensure they open up to you more.
While public speaking, make eye contact with your audience and watch for any signs of communication from your audience.
It is a good sign to see the audience nodding and smiling.
If you notice some fidgeting or confused looks, it is a clear sign that you need to adjust what you are saying to make the audience connect better with you.
