Preparing Yourself When You Speak In Public
Public speaking does not have to be difficult. Here are some tips to help you prepare for public speaking. You don’t need to be perfect in succeeding in speaking in public. You do not need to be too witty and brilliant to be successful when you speak in public. Public speaking is not all about that. It may look like it is, but in actuality, it is not. You can be the average guy you are. What is important in speaking in public is that you give your listeners something that is worth their time. If people leave after your speech with something that is of value, they would think of you as a successful speaker. They would consider your speech as something that was worth their time. Deliver your main points You may want to put in as many facts and information as you can. But only emphasize three or four main points. You could even talk about one main point if you want. You should remember that what your listeners want from you is that you give them two or three key main points that they can understand and would make a lot of difference to them. If you are able to structure the talks that you have, lots of complexity will be removed. Inject some humor but still practice humility While there are many other public speaking styles, humility and humor are some of the devices that you could use to make your speech livelier and entertaining to your listeners. Just make sure that you are comfortable being humorous and that the humor is appropriate for the occasion. If you do not feel comfortable giving jokes, then you might as well not use jokes which might fall flat on your nose. Or if you are speaking before a crowd of Americans of Asian descent, do not tell jokes about Chinese food or Oriental customs. Humility in public speaking means standing before the others and sharing with them your own mistakes, your human frailties, and weaknesses. If you show to other people that you are not afraid or ashamed admitting such things, you create a relaxed and intimate environment that will permit them to open up to you too. Being humble in public also makes you more believable, more credible, and more respected, with your listeners relating to you easier. You are no longer the remote expert who is ahead of them, but is one of them.
Premature Articulation
Ask anyone about what makes a good leader and they are sure to put the ability to communicate high on the list of necessary skills. Yet all to often communication is simply seen as the ability to speak. Listening – actively is an incredibly powerful tool at times rather neglected. I started working with Tony who said, “I feel really frustrated. I often suggest ideas at meetings but others get the credit! I am really keen to get promotion and want to impress” Tony was keen to do well. He wanted his superiors to recognize his potential and felt it was important to come up with the goods. At meetings Tony always tried to get in first. He was quick to speak, often cutting across others and interrupting. By doing so there were a number of consequences quite different to his original intention. Tony’s Bosses lost their train of thought; they found the interruptions irritating. Tony concentrated far more on what he was going to say rather than internalizing what was being said by others. His contributions were not focused on the matter at hand, or were shallow because he had not taken the time to analyze what had been said. Thoughts were articulated before they were completely formulated. Others picked up on the idea, thought them through logically and re-articulated them as their own, gaining lots of brownie points with the bosses. The problem was premature articulation, a very common problem. The solution is easy to identify but requires practice on a regular basis if the new behavior is to become second nature. Together we considered how to manage the problem. I asked Tony to make a conscious decision to act differently at the next meeting. To remain quiet, listening carefully and to contribute only when their opinion was asked for. Planned strategies for listening, ordering thoughts and recording ideas were put in place. It was agreed that ideas were to be offered after enough thought had taken place to ensure they were logical ordered and listened to. The result was amazing, Tony felt more in control and was ready with positive, well thought out contributions which were accredited to him. Tony found the situation in meetings was less stressful and frantic as the pressure to perform was lessened. Listening attentively, taking time to get his thoughts together before offering a contribution has taken a bit of effort but well worth while. Feedback from Tony’s boss has been extremely positive.
