Charity Digital – Topics – Five great tips for public speaking

Presenting in front of a group of people can be daunting, especially if you’re new to public speaking. It’s natural to feel nervous, but with the right preparation and Practice, you may find you enjoy getting up on the stage (or sitting in front of a web cam if you’re presenting online).

 

Strong spoken communication skills are important in the workplace. They will help you to speak up in meetings, present to your team, or stand up at a conference. This will increase your confidence at work.

 

Betterup says there four factors that can help you to effectively present to people. These are:

• Controlling your voice
• Using the right body language 
• Delivering your presentation well
• Connecting with your audience

Here are some tips to help you improve your presentation skills:

 

 

Focus your public speaking on helping your audience

 

The most important thing is knowing your audience and what they want from a presentation. For example, you may be speaking to a group of people who work in communications and want some advice on communicating about a crisis.

 

Or you may have a group of fundraisers who want to hear about your charity’s successful fundraising campaign and tips for running their own.

 

Before you start preparing your presentation, research your audience, their interests and needs. Speakerhub suggests creating an audience persona of your target audience, so you understand more about them.

 

This will help you to tailor your message to what people want to hear and make sure your presentation stays on track.

 

 

Practice your public speaking

 

The best way to prepare for your presentation is to practice it. Then keep practicing it some more. Practice in front of your colleagues, friends, or family and get their feedback (see below).

 

This will help you to build your confidence. You will also become familiar with the content, so you don’t need to read it word for word from a sheet.

 

Practice out loud by yourself. Do it in front of the mirror.

 

You could also record your presentation and listen back to an audio recording. It can feel a bit awkward listening to your own voice, but it will help you to spot any parts of the presentation you need to practice more.

 

If you can bear doing it, you could film yourself to see how you look when you present. For example, you may be waving your arms around too much. You can then work on making changes to your presentation style.

 

 

Get feedback for your public speaking

 

When you practice in front of your colleagues, ask them to give you some feedback. You can learn a lot by asking people what they think.

 

Ask them if they understand the purpose of the presentation? Are you speaking at a good pace? Are you enthusiastic about what you’re speaking about?

 

Ted Masterclass says to think carefully about who to get feedback from as it can make you feel vulnerable. It also suggests making sure you prepare yourself for receiving feedback.

 

Once you’ve done your presentation, find out what the audience thinks. Event organisers often ask delegates for feedback and share it with presenters. Take the feedback as constructive help for your next presentation.

 

 

Let your personality shine through in your public speaking

 

Think back to some of the best presentations you’ve watched. What stood out for you? The chances are it was probably the speaker’s passion for the subject.

 

Make sure your enthusiasm for what you’re talking about comes out in your presentation. One way to do this is through humour. Speakerhub says this can make your audience laugh and get them on your side.

 

If humour isn’t appropriate, try storytelling. So, using stories and personal anecdotes that interest people.

 

You should also change the tone and pitch of how you speak to make your presentation sound more exciting. If you don’t vary it, you may sound monotonous.

 

Controlling your speed will also help the audience to focus on what you’re saying. Speak slowly and clearly. This will help you to relax and be yourself.

 

As well as letting your personality come through in what you say, you can also use nonverbal cues. Career guide Indeed suggests looking around at your audience and making eye contact to put people at ease and build rapport.

 

Indeed also advises using nonverbal cues that show you are confident, such as standing and walking upright with your shoulders back and your head held high. Also, smiling and pausing before you start your presentation will get the audience to focus.

 

 

Breathe during your public speaking

 

It sounds obvious but remember to breathe properly. This will help you to relax and your pace will improve, which will make you appear more confident.

 

Indeed suggests doing two exercises to relax and improve your breathing:

• Stand or sit up straight. Breathe in through your nose for three seconds and then breathe out through your nose for four to six seconds
• Hum as you exhale to warm up your throat