For a lot of people public speaking
or anything that has to do with expressing a thought or opinion to a group of
people is a big no-no for them. But truth is people who have strong
communication skills and 'charisma' are naturally thought to be leaders even if
they are incompetent. Therefore being an above average speaker is key to
getting ahead. These are four ways i believe can help you conquer your fear of
public speaking.
- Keep your presentation as
simple as possible. By simple i mean keep only the relevant
facts on your slide. Try and memorize the simple facts of the
topic and the whole presentation
- You know how a picture is worth
a thousand words, well graphs and statistics is a story written with
numbers. A simple bar chart can save you a long explanation and that extra
2000 words you would have used to explain a certain point. No matter how
lively you are, at a certain point you begin to sound boring (its called
diminishing returns). Even if you're not mathematically inclined. you can
start with pictograms and simple bar charts and graphs. A great example is
demonstrated by Bill Gates here
- Adding rare information to your
presentation makes it enjoyable for example did you know Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is
the longest English word according to Wikipedia? Incorporating these
little "did you know" facts into any presentation can breath
some new life into a topic that can otherwise be boring or repetitive.
- When you are asked a question during question time. Listen carefully to the question. Do not listen to
the question and think of the response you are going to give
simultaneously. In most cases the answer to someones question is embedded
in the question itself therefore if you listen carefully the answer will
be clear to you. It might not even be a question but someone seeking
clarification or opinion but because you did not listen, you start beating
about the bush. An audience notice when you are not paying attention
to the questions therefore be attentive as possible. After carefully
listening to the question and you still need some time, ask the individual
to repeat the question. This will permit you to listen to the question
again and respond appropriately. After asking for a repetition and you are
not sure go with your guts and say what comes to mind but stress the fact
that you're not sure therefore you will cross check and get back to him or her
if they can leave a contact.
- Don't hide your quirks. When we
are preparing to speak in public and make a presentation, a lot of us try
to be as rigid as possible. But then we have little quirks that makes us
stand out for example the way we lift our eyebrows when excited, how we
gesticulate, your smile and your general demeanor. Don't try to suppress
these quirks and weirdness. Rather take advantage of them because you
might not know who will find it attractive.
- Miscellaneous: By miscellaneous
i mean all other things you have to do before the
presentation/speaking these are
- Be adequately prepared. That is
get your notes, power point, flash cards ready whiles you practice at least 3
times with a friend or in front of a mirror. This is how you nail the
first point above
- Sleep well the night before
your big moment. On the day exercise, eat and dress well
- When introduced to your
audience take deep breaths and don't be in a rush to speak right after the
applause. You can smile, make a thoughtful comment about how on time the
program started and other general remarks which will allow you to stall a
bit and organize your thoughts. Tip: You can say "thank you"
"thank you" many times like President Obama of the U.S does after
an applause when he's about to make a speech.
- Maintain eye contact no matter how
weird this may seem. A lot of people seem uncomfortable with eye contact
therefore end up looking on top of the heads of audience. Fix your gaze on
the audience but no one in particular and put your points across.
There you go, these are
ways you can reduce and maybe eradicate your anxiety for public speaking and
making presentation. Hope this helps you.
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