- Take note of your gestures, movements, and facial expressions.
Your gestures, movements, and facial expressions can give your audience an idea about a lot of things about you. By watching them, your audience would know whether you are confident in your speech or not, as well as how well you know your topic. Thus, make sure to take note of them, so that you can have your audience see you as a professional speaker, who is an expert on his topic.
- Remember the add-ons to speeches.
Three add-ons you want to take note of would include handouts, humor, and audio-visual aids. Handouts can help your audience in taking note of the topics that you are about to talk about. On the other hand, humor can make them enjoy your presentation. Lastly, the audio-visual aids would ensure that they are able to understand your topic fully.
- Use gestures to complement your words.
When there are words that you want to emphasize more, you should make use of gestures for it. For example, if you are talking about a big cat, then show it to them with the use of your arms. Doing it this way would not just help your audience understand you better, but it can also catch their attention.
- Conducting a Q and A portion of the presentation.
Not every presentation may not provide you a chance to have a question and answer portion. However, if you are given a chance to have one, then you should take advantage of it. The Q and A portion of the speech would not just help you convey your message more effectively, but it can also make the impression that you are not just a speaker, but also an expert.
- Expect the unexpected.
When you are expecting the unexpected, it does not necessarily mean that you are thinking negatively. It simply means to be prepared for it. Thus, you should be prepared on what to do, just in case the lights would go out, or the projector is not working, so that you would be able to take action for it immediately.
- Aim for continuous improvement.
You should always remember that no presentation or speaker is perfect. Thus, you should always aim to make improvements. One way to achieve that is to seek feedback. The feedback does not have to come from experts in the field. You can also solicit it from people, especially those who are part of your audience.
- Study other speakers.
Checking out other speakers by joining conferences and seminars is a good way to improve your public speaking skills. When you listen to them, try to study their strengths and weaknesses, and compare their styles with one another. By doing that, it can help you improve on your strengths more, and overcome your weaknesses.
- Don’t forget to share your personal experiences.
Sharing your personal experiences in your speech is a good idea to captivate your audience. Just make sure that you are going to tell them an experience of yours, which is related to your topic. When you tell them a real story, which involves you in it, then they would listen to everything that you say, and see you as a real person.
- Overcoming stage fright.
You would know that you have stage fright when you start to sweat excessively, have dried up lips and mouth, and trembling knees. When you experience it just before you are to deliver your speech, it does not necessarily mean that you need to back out. There are lots of things that you can do to overcome it; and, one of which is to think that most of the people you are going to speak to do not have a good background on your topic.
- Don’t eat a few minutes before your speech.
If you want to have good energy when you speak to your audience, then you should not eat just a few minutes before you begin. In fact, it is best to eat 3 hours before your speech, so that your body is almost done processing the food you have eaten. This means that it is already utilizing it, in order to perk up your body for your presentation.
- Sleep well.
The night before your public speaking event, you should make sure to get at least 8 hours of sleep. This way, you would have the energy that you need, in order to prepare and deliver your piece. Without enough rest, aside from not having enough energy to deliver a good speech, you may even have the tendency to forget certain parts or details of your presentation.
- Drink adequate amounts of water.
Hours before your presentation, you should drink lots of water, and taper it down, as you go nearer to the time when you are called by the facilitator to be in front. This is to make sure that your mouth and throat won’t get dried out. Aside from that, you want to taper it down, so that you won’t feel like going to the comfort room while delivering your presentation.
- Eat the right kinds of foods.
You need to become more familiar of the foods that can upset your stomach, if you want to be in top condition for your presentation. This way, you would be able to avoid them days before the event, and, especially on the day of the event. Upsetting your stomach on your speech day is not a good idea, since you can get distracted by your urge to go to the comfort room.
- Work out.
Working out weeks before your presentation can actually provide you with benefits for it. When you work out, you will be able to have lots of energy when public speaking day arrives. Aside from that, it can also boost your confidence, especially since you know that you look and feel fit.
- Do not expect achieving excellence on your first try.
If it is your first time to do public speaking, chances are, you may be able to do good at it, but it may not be your best yet. This is because public speaking is actually a skill, which you need to learn and master in time. Thus, you need to do all the necessary preparation for your first try, be relaxed in delivering your piece, and know that you can make improvements on it the next time.
- Have public speaking style that suits your personality.
There are lots of different public speaking styles that you can use on stage. However, you should use a style that suits your personality, in order to be effective on it. Some of the styles would include laid back and casual, humorous and fast paced, and a lot more. There is no need to follow a particular style to the letter. Just be yourself, and you will soon be able to come up with your own style.
- Establish your presence right at the beginning of your speech.
In order to grab the attention of your audience, you need to establish your stage presence right at the beginning of your presentation. This can be done by starting strong, and showing them that you are confident. Aside from that, you can also tell them a joke or two, as long as you don’t stray far from your topic.
- Repeat the question.
If you are having a question and answer portion, then always remember to repeat the question. Repeating or paraphrasing the question can help to ensure that you understand it perfectly. Aside from that, it can also ensure that other members of the audience would know what the question is all about.
- Wear clothes in accordance to the venue.
Keep in mind that there are venues that can be cold, while others may be a bit warm. Therefore, it is best that you know the kind of temperature you could experience from the venue you are having your presentation. This way, you can wear something that would be appropriate for it, so that you would feel more comfortable.
- Smile throughout your speech.
Smile is something that is contagious; and, you can use it while delivering your speech, so that you can encourage a more positive atmosphere. Aside from that, when you smile while you are making your presentation, you would also feel at ease. Moreover, people would also be encouraged to listen to you, when they see you smiling.