This article shares with you the ten top ways that you can use today to improve your public speaking.

Top Tip #1: Plan your speech.

Planning plays an important role in all of your communications. In public speaking especially, you should follow the formal research and preparation which an outline requires. This process and its result will keep you organized and flowing in your presentation. This first tip is actually a bundle of tips.

Here’s how to get started and do the outline:

First, ask yourself: Who is my audience?

Assuming this will be your professional group, your colleagues will require a different style and approach than another group. A group of potential customers, for example, will probably need more information about what services your company provides and how you can help them fulfill their needs. On the other hand, your colleagues will want to know your particular expertise and how you go about satisfying customer needs.

Direct all of the ideas and examples toward the audience’s interests and needs.

Second, ask yourself: How do I narrow the topic?

For a presentation to your professional group, you will often be invited to speak in a general area which the coordinators feel is needed for the theme of the conference. Be sure to get the brochure and look at the advertisements so that you know what the theme is! Look at the other topics included in the brochure. How does your area fit in? Your topic should, if at all possible, be related to a “hot topic” in your field. You will know what those are from your professional

publications and  journals. If you don’t get them, go on-line and do your research.

Think of an interesting twist on a subject of high interest in the field. Everyone says, “Don’t reinvent the wheel,” but what if the right approach to a problem in your field is, “Reinvent your own wheel,” or, as Bruce Springsteen says, “Sometimes you just have to write your own narrative!” You may wind up with a highly creative wheel that spins faster than all the others.

Third, do the outline:

All presentations have big ideas and little ones, categories and details, main ideas and examples. Pick the style you like and go with that. The top communicators in all of history tell stories. Once you have the big ideas and categories outlined, tell stories for the examples and details—it is a great educator’s tool. Look back at what we have studied so far for a good example. The big idea: Plan your speech. The details of how to plan your speech: a)

know your audience b) narrow your topic c) do the outline of big ideas (the I, II, III’s) and the examples (A,B.C under each).

Here’s another good example. In my series of e-books about learning the principles of success by studying the biographies of successful people, I am currently planning the fourth book in the series. The working title is Success Stories IV: Second Winds and Success on the Rebound. The big idea is in the title and the stories will be the examples. I have begun to make the outline of

stories I will tell which exemplify the principles explained in the first book in the series and which show second starts and careers.

There are so many stories out there that give us tremendous hope for the future and for what we can do even late in life to improve the world we live in that the hardest part is selecting the best examples I can find for the principles to be learned. I have four selected so far. The most thrilling I have found (because I didn’t recall ever knowing the latter part of this story) is the story of Alexander Graham Bell. We all know him as the inventor of the telephone and how that invention changed our lives forever. But did you know that his true calling was to teach the deaf how to speak? Did you know that Helen Keller’s parents were referred to him by a medical specialist when they were looking for a teacher for Helen? Bell took the wealth earned by his hard scientific work and put it to good use to improve the lives of the deaf. And he recommended Anne Sullivan to Helen Keller’s parents, giving birth to “The Miracle Worker.” The invisible hands of providence were working there for sure.

A story about a real life person like that is so gripping that it teaches us a lot about possibilities and dreams and changing lives. It tells a lot about how you can get a second wind in life, a second chance to do the things that are really important to you and that you know in your heart and soul you are called to do.

Whatever your field is, you will have case studies and role models in your patients, customers, vendors, employees, colleagues, students, and assistants. Think about their stories and tell them in appropriate places in your outlined presentation.

Other benefits of using an outline are that you won’t be tempted to read it because it will just highlight the main ideas and also your speech will have a logical, well-organized flow.  Everyone has heard a speech where the speaker seems to be jumping back and forth,  skipping main transitions, and just generally not doing a very organized pesentation of the material. It’s no fun for the audience to try to keep up and figure out where the speaker should be. Always plan your material so that the organization provides a framework for the ideas. Your speaking will be greatly enhanced and more readily received. And your audience will love you for it!

Top Tip # 2: Select your words carefully.

In this day and age, we are plagued by the imprecise use of language. I think it has to do with all the cyber world speed junkies all around us! Do your homework and you will soon discover that you are able to communicate your ideas far more effectively and easily than you may have thought. Remember that words have both a dictionary definition as well as a connotation—the feeling or implication of a word is key to its proper use. Don’t use the word “cry” when you really mean “howl;” don’t use “request” when you mean “plead;” don’t use “happy” when you really mean “ecstatic.” Pay attention to the words you use and where you use them. You can make your speech far more accurate and effective by selecting the correct words. Besides that, you can make your public speaking far more compelling by using active verbs and nouns and descriptions which really tell a story in a more fascinating way.

Say what you mean, and mean what you say!

Top Tip # 3: Avoid slang and jargon.

Avoiding slang and jargon is very important in making yourself clear to your listeners. Slang is almost useless outside the forums where the teenagers hang out. Unless you work at the mall selling t-shirts, drop the slang out of your speech habits. Slang has the hallmarks of imprecise speech. One kid will say it and then they will all pick up on it. If you are a parent, you will know that slang is basically coded speech. In other words, the kids don’t necessarily want you to know what they mean. If you feel it helps you in communicating with your

teenagers, by all means, that may be a context in which you may want to use their language. But be careful that slang does not infiltrate your every day speech at work.

Jargon is that particular set of words which has special meaning for a professional or business group. Lawyers are particular bad about using jargon—as a lawyer, I hear it every day. Many states have even passed “Plain Language” laws to require lawyers to speak and write clearly and plainly about what they mean. So much of the jargon that lawyers use relates to old formalities. I have noted that certain clients will want to impress us with their ability to sprinkle their communications with us with “whereas” and “hereinbefore”! I avoid that type of stilted speech as much as possible.

There may be legal documents which require the use of “terms of art” which have special legal meanings, but for everyday speech and communications, I have found that they can be avoided entirely! If you really understand a word and its usage, you can speak it plainly. Other professions also have problems with jargon. Think about the explosion of e-terms we have to live with today. It’s not a book, it’s an “ebook;” it’s not just commerce, it’s “e-commerce;” not just marketing, it’s “emarketing.” These words are everywhere now, and you probably get them every day in your e-mail box. They are so common these days that many of us are just dropping the hyphen and using the “e” as a full suffix! That saves time typing on the keyboard.  Send me an email. Write an ebook. You will see them both ways for a while, but then the hyphen will disappear. What you should do is try to cut down on the jargon as much as possible. For clarity’s sake, you should try to avoid jargon in your speech with people outside your field.

Top Tip # 4: Avoid verbal stalling mechanisms.

Ask someone who loves you whether you are using annoying stalling mechanisms when you speak. Go ahead. You need to know the truth. Maybe it’s only sometimes, like when you don’t jot down notes before making that phone call. But if you focus on this tip for a day, I promise you that you will discover the times and places and circumstances in which you are likely to falter in your speech.

“Ah…,” “Ummm…,” “Hm…” We’ve all heard them and we’ve all used them. These are verbal tics which we need to avoid as much as possible. If you have planned your speech, you will be able to overcome this obstacle. If you feel an “Um” coming on, that is the time to glance down out your cleverly devised outline and move on to the next idea or example. I always hold a pen up there at the podium. It is easy and effective to check off each point as you go.

At times it is appropriate to insert a dramatic pause, or take a sip of the discreetly placed glass of water, or have handy a verbal cue to yourself— “Does anyone have any questions before I go on to the next point?” or make a short announcement to the audience: “Remember if you have questions please write them down on the question card distributed with your materials (or outline) and

someone will come around to pick them up.” This type of transition works every time.

Top Tip # 5: Practice your speech. Out loud.

Trial lawyers, orators and teachers will all tell you that practice, practice, practice is the best method to achieve success with the spoken word. Listen, the spoken word has been every bit as powerful as the written word in the history of the world from the very beginning. God said, “Let there be light,” and it was so. For people, practice is key. From the beginning of this country, the spoken word has held great power:

John Adams said, “Let me have a country—a free country!” and it was so. Well, after convincing the other colonies that independence was right and just and necessary, and after a major war in which a ragtag army took down a king and the most powerful empire in the world at that time, then it was so. Now, John Adams knew well the power of practice in public speaking and the human need of it. He would write out his closing arguments and arguments to Congress, and let his wife Abigail read them and give her criticisms, many of which he took to heart. After those planning stages, he would practice and practice the speech out loud.

Henry Clay, who later became the great orator and politician of Kentucky, would practice speeches in the barn and in the woods as a young farm boy. They called Clay the “American Demosthenes.” Demosthenes was the great Greek orator of ancient times, who stuttered as a child. He overcame his stuttering by practicing speeches out loud in private every day. The spoken words of these speakers have changed their countries and the world forever in these instances.  We may be surprised at the many opportunities we ourselves have to change the world around us and help other people, if we practice our speech to make it more effective.

What causes do you care about in the world? You can make a difference with your speech. You can inspire colleagues, salesmen, volunteers and workers. You can get people to do the best job they can, or to make more sales, or to give the best services available in your field, or to donate money and goods to a worthy cause. You can help where no one else has. Whenever you have those opportunities, use them well. Remember the importance of your presentation. And practice beforehand.

Top Tip # 6: Relate to your audience.

This tip is really something that brings together many of the other principles in improving your public speaking. As you plan the speech, the needs of the audience play an important role in what you say. You want to gauge the level of your audience’s understanding, interests, education, and attitude at the beginning of planning your speech.

But this relating to your audience is the hard part–when you stand up to speak to an audience. Walk to the podium. Take a deep breath. Look at the people. Maintain your eye contact. Smile. Perhaps you have had an introduction of some sort. The first words out of your mouth should be to your host and to your audience. “Thank you for that kind introduction. And thanks to all of you for coming here today. I am very pleased to be here to speak to you about…(your topic).” Take another deep breath, and then start into your outline. By the time you get into your speech or presentation, the material takes over. If you have prepared the material well, your speech will go well.

Remember, too, that in almost every case, your audience is routing for you. They came to hear you speak. They came to get information, facts, tips, whatever your experience and expertise can help them with. They are rarely thinking directly about you. They are thinking about the next client or

customer or contract. They are wondering if you will deliver to them something helpful to them in their field or business. That is where you can relate to them best. Deliver what they came to get.

During your speech, respond to your audience. When you look at their faces, do they look confused or do they occasionally nod their heads and appear to be right with you? Even if you have a strict time limit, it may be appropriate to say, “I’ll come back to that at the end,” or “Remember if you have questions…,” or “Let me explain that a little more.” You cannot say everything you need to about a subject because in most cases, the subject is too broad, so that some follow up communication may be necessary.

Top Tip # 7: Relax and be yourself.

People get nervous about public speaking because most of us do not do it every day. Unless you have had the experience of being a teacher or a trial lawyer, or a judge, public speaking is probably not part of your daily or even weekly or monthly routine. That makes it hard for most people to speak in their normal way or use their normal gestures. You can get past this type of nervousness by remembering you were invited to speak and most of the

people in the room came to hear you speak. You! Not some fancy professor at an ivy league school, or some Academy Award-winning actor, or some celebrity. When you think about it, you can only be you, and that is the best thing you can be! Don’t put on last minute airs that don’t suit you.

Top Tip # 8: Remember: They are watching you!

I know you are asking yourself, “Well, how can I relax and be myself if I have to remember they are watching me?!” Good point, but you want to be your best public self while you are up there in the front of the room. When you are called upon to give a professional presentation to your colleagues or a marketing proposal to potential customers or referral sources, your best public self should be ready to perform.

Here are the details, some “do’s” and “don’ts”:

Stand tall with good posture.

Say a prayer.

Don’t scratch your nose unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Try not to fidget or shuffle papers.

If your knees shake, try squeezing your toes in your shoes.

Find a friendly, receptive face in the audience.

Try not to fuss with your hair (brush it back beforehand)

Stay focused on your topic.

Respond to cues from the audience.

Top Tip # 9: Use Humor Wisely.

Humor is good, but not everyone can pull it off. If you are good with telling a joke or have a quick wit, and humor fits in with your style and the topic of your speech, by all means, entertain. There are only extremely rare occasions when wit is completely not appropriate, and those should be obvious to you. However, there are also topics and types of humor that must be avoided always: nothing mean-spirited or that mocks or that causes discomfort or embarrassment

should ever be considered humor. Ask for someone’s opinion before putting humorous comments or stories in your public speaking. (As a substitute, find inspiring quotations to include.)

Top Tip # 10: Have Confidence.

Public speaking is really all about confidence—in yourself, in your purpose, and in your preparation. Very often, confidence grows with practice and with preparation. But even great orators and speakers who have been giving speeches for many years admit to feeling nervous before a speech.

You should have confidence in this fact: When you love the work that you do or the cause that you support or the mission that you have been called to do, that is your confidence. That is your true foundation. You should always remember that those invisible hands of fate have placed you in a particular room, on a particular day, with a particular audience for a particular reason.

Picture your success in your mind and you will have confidence. See yourself confidently presenting your speech. Hear the applause. Think positively about the outcome. Your dream of successful public speaking, with the proper preparation, will come true.

One of the main things to remember in order to figure out a way on how to overcome fear of public speaking is that it does not have to be stressful. Understand what the cause of the stress is and where it is coming from. You would also have to remember the key principles. This will give you the confidence that you need when speaking in public.

So many aspects in life are stressful as they already are. Public speaking does not have to be stressful. If you can’t help but feel stressed with just the idea of speaking in public, then deal with the stress in the same way that you would deal with any of the stress in your life.

So many people have already learned the tips when it comes to speaking in front of people and they managed not to be stressed at all. Voices tremble and knees would shake – these are the most common signs of fear of public speaking.

If these are already happening to you, and you want to overcome your fear, the first thing you should do is to stop these from happening. It’s your body, clearly you can control it.

It does not make you abnormal if you are afraid to speak in public. A way for you on how to overcome fear of public speaking is to have the right plan of action, right understanding, and right guiding principles. It is not hard, in fact, you can do this overnight. You just have to set your approach on the right path when it comes to speaking in public.

Another thing one must remember as a way on how to overcome fear of public speaking is that he does not have to be brilliant nor perfect in order to succeed. The people who are afraid to speak in public watch the people who could and think that they should be as entertaining, smart, witty, polished, and calm as them.

That shouldn’t be the case. First of all, they should stop bringing themselves down. The main key is to just believe in themselves and to just do it.

One of the primary reasons people enter this occupation is because they wish to earn some life-threatening cash. With aspires to stardom and hopes of owning the Mercedes and the million dollar home, they set off in hunt for getting highly paid gigs only to get knocked down by rejection after rejection. After doing some investigate they discover that virtually all of their starting events will be free speaking events. What?

If “free” is a horrendous four letter word in your livelihood vocabulary, you will need to pick up the importance and value that “free” can really provide. There are wonderful advantages that come with speaking without charge including having the capacity to promote your back of the room products where you can genuinely profit. You’ll be gaining new experiences and building your clientele list.

1. “Free” still gets your name about. The more individuals who hear you speak, the more people you will have to acquire your product and refer you to other people are seeking professional speakers. As an example, speaking at no cost for an organization like a Rotary Club or Elks Club can result in paying jobs because most of the members who owned by this organization have businesses of their own or are in positions in their careers where they’re the decision makers to “hire” speakers.

2. You can nevertheless have the opportunity to sell your products at these free speaking engagements. Statistics show that back of the room products account for over 50% of professional speaking profits. Promote your enterprise and promote your products in the same location! At at minimum, you will be able to refer them to your web site for more info or additionally, to purchase products and books. The more people that hear you, the more opportunities you’ll have.

3. Free speaking opportunities are still opportunities where you are able to establish a video tape of yourself. Many speaker bureaus and meeting planners won’t hire you without seeing a video tape of your presentation. On top of that, many organizations such as the Rotary Club or Elks Club have people who can assist you create your video. Can you trade services?

4. Free speaking engagements are a fantastic place to network. Hopefully by now you realize that you have to get your name out there. As a way to get your name around, you’ll ought to be around. You can nevertheless mingle with your guests as well as network with meeting planners for the function.

5. A totally free speaking happening is still a fantastic reason to send out a press release. If you are looking for a cause to send out press releases about yourself or your livelihood, use free speaking engagements. Submit them to local newspapers and various online sites that have a “to-do in your field” section. This is barely another method to get the word out about your enterprise.

Speaking free of charge has its advantages. What you will have to learn next is how to leverage these free occurrences into referrals and product sales. As you do this, more people will realize you and your company will be well on its way to success!

With all the articles written on nervousness in public speaking, I thought I would approach this topic from a different perspective. Everyone gets nervous in public speaking (or should). There is a reason why it is man’s greatest fear. The question I would like to ask you is what is the one thing that concerns you the most when you are scheduled to speak?

Your answer cannot be dying while public speaking because that has never happened and I don’t think you will be the 1st one to get that title. Yes, every once in a while a performer dies on stage but that is due to old age or heart conditions and is not related to nervousness.

No matter how you answered that question, it all boils down to one thing: you don’t want to make a fool of yourself. Now, the next question is what could happen that you think would make you look foolish?

• Forgetting your material.
• Saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.
• Your mind going blank.

You may have another answer to add to that list, but those three are probably the most common responses. What is fascinating about the reasons we get nervous is that if you know your material inside and out, the chances of any of them happening are much less likely than if you do not know and have not rehearsed your content well in advance.

Yes, you may forget your material. That, in itself, is not a reason to stop you from public speaking though. If you forget or if your mind goes blank, simply stop, take a breath, admit that you lost your place, and then quickly find a spot to resume. Audiences are most forgiving. (If this is happening frequently in your presentation, however, then you don’t know your material and you have no reason to be speaking to an audience.)

Have you never heard a professional speaker, TV news broadcaster, or radio announcer make a mistake? If you can honestly say No, then you were just not aware of the occurrence because it does happen and it happens more often than you think. If you were aware of a mistake, on the other hand, did it lessen your opinion of the speaker or the announcer? Of course not. There is no such thing as perfection in public speaking or in any other live venue for that matter.

Instead of focusing on your fear of public speaking, why not concentrate on knowing your material by practicing it out loud not once, not twice, but many, many times. Then you can approach the lectern confident that you will do the best job that you can do.

It is amazing what will happen to your fear if you concentrate on the positive and not the negative. In doing so, you will never look foolish even if you do make a mistake.

A workshop is a life-changing opportunity for everyone. Some attendees may learn nothing but may meet someone important to their future. Some attendees may feel they’ve learned nothing but, years later, that workshop information aids them. No matter what we do to help the learning, it is up to attendees whether they take up the opportunity or not.

So, let’s make it as amazing as possible but not get too upset if some attendees don’t see the value that everyone else did – be a little gentle with yourself. Let’s see what we can do to make it an amazing event, anyway!

1. Preparation

Be there early, set up, make sure you have more than you need for attendees (paper, pens, crayons, seats, desks, food and drink) and make sure all the equipment you need works – overhead projector, data-show, whiteboard pens and duster (eraser), microphone, music, wall posters, your advertising material for your next workshops, your business cards, assessment forms.

2. Welcome

Introduce yourself to every attendee as they come in (or have someone in your team do this) as they’re coming into your space, your “home”. As guests, they’re unsure, fearful even. Start relaxing them before the workshop starts and they’ll participate earlier on. This makes it easier for you… and them!

Start with an ice-breaker (see my article called Running Workshops – Great Ice-Breakers) so they can feel more comfortable with you, the other attendees and the venue.

3. Learning styles

They say that we all learn via one of seven ways. You will have a learning style and if it’s, say, talking, you’ll prefer standing and talking. Those who do not learn best that way (six sevenths of your group) will find it difficult to keep focused if that’s all you do. Try to have as many different styles catered for by having:

1. Auditory – facilitator talks.
2. Visual – whiteboard, powerpoint or some visual presentation.
3. Music – soft, background music playing at the start and during breaks.
4. Kinesthetic – action activities.
5. Group – small-group discussions.
6. Meditative – time for quiet, solo consideration.
7. Verbal – opportunity for them to address the group.

It may be hard to incorporate all these learning styles but the more you have interspersed throughout, the more they will get from your presentation.

4. Ending

Have a way for people to acknowledge each other – maybe they each write their name on a piece of paper and it gets passed around for everyone else to write a positive comment (anonymous or otherwise) on.

5. Assessments

Don’t forget to have assessments forms completed – how else will you know how to improve next time? See my article Running Workshops – How to Get the Right Feedback and What to Do With it.

Public Speaking at Any Time

Why do you need to practice impromptu speaking? So you can speak quickly and professionally without prior rehearsal. In short, practice will position you to be able to extemporize. How many times have you wished that you could easily voice your opinions on the spur-of-the-moment without feeling like we you were choking on your words and couldn’t seem to get anything out your mouth that was coherent?

Impromptu speaking skills improve oral expression of thought, creativity in voicing your opinion, and enhance your confidence in public speaking situations. The benefits are numerous; being able to think quickly on your feet and verbalize in an articulate manner greatly improves leadership and communication skills.

The more often you allow yourself to be exposed to unexpected questions, the more readily you can relax in social situations, the interviewing process, and just defending your position on whatever topic is presented to you. When you realize you have the ability to deal with the unexpected, the surprise question won’t leave you quaking in your boots.

As you develop the process to put yourself through a regimen of learning for impromptu speaking, make it fun and use the tips below to make it effective:

o Set aside a time every week to practice with a friend or several friends. You can do it by yourself with questions on cards that you randomly draw, but it will be more interesting when you get together with a buddy to learn.
o Be creative – think out of the box.
o Choose topics that range from humorous to serious themes.
o Arrange the topics to center around one subject until you become more confident, than start to mix them up on various topics.
o Use positive words when you create topics – even if it is a controversial issue.
o If you use a closed ended question (answer is yes or no), make certain that the response is backed up with reasons to support the point of view. It is much more effective to use “news reporters questions that begins with how, when, what, where, or why.

Investing time in practicing impromptu speaking is a plus for everyone. You develop skills that will serve you well in every area of your life, and help make the people around you more comfortable in their conversations with you. Go ahead, take a chance! By the way, could you tell us about the first time you went out on a date?

First of all, recognize your audience. Thus, you should know your role as the speaker. Is your role to entertain the audience, teach a training, or other? By acknowledging your role, you can know what you should talk and what you should not talk easily.

Secondly, list the main points of your public speaking. This step will strengthen your idea and thought, help you deliver your message appropriately, and avoid you from speechless.

Thirdly, afford not to look nervous. It is because the audiences can see your anxiety. Even, the popular and experienced presenters might be nervous when they start to open their speech. In this case, the way they calm down is different one another. The aspect that makes a difference is their experience, so they can find the best way to handle the problem.

One of the ways that is often done to handle anxiety problem is by regulating breath. Another way is by talking to other people. Do not worry too much and do not be afraid of misspeaking or doing the stupid things. Just relax because most people will excuse you. So, try to consider the audiences as your close friends that will accept you what looked like.

Fourthly, make a relationship with audiences. It is known that it is important for audiences to keep on being interested in your speech. Thus, you can put the sense of humor into your speech and use statistic as minimal as possible if you have to use it.

Visual presentation also can help the audiences to focus more. Also, pay attention to your intonation and body movement. Avoid the repeated movement in a long time and flat intonation that can stimulate people to be sleepy.

Fifthly, be yourself. Indeed, using hand movement and gesture might be done occasionally to avoid the boredom. But, do not do that too much. Give priority in your speech point and move your body naturally, so the audiences will be comfortable looking at you.