15 tricks to learn to speak in public

Throughout life we ​​will encounter situations in which we have to make presentations or presentations before a group of people; especially in the academic and professional field. However, many lack the skills necessary to be good speakers. Fortunately, this can be solved, since we can all learn to speak in public.

Regarding this, There are a series of tricks that we can follow to perform well at exhibitions. or the speeches we give in front of a large audience. These, in turn, are a very effective tool to channel the anxiety of the moment. Below we present some of them.

15 strategies to learn to speak in public

If anxiety triggers when speaking in public, it will become an imp that plays against us (and with our own weapons, because it knows us very well). But if we have moderate levels, this emotion will make us better prepare the speech we have to give.

That said, let’s see how to channel it and make our presentations a success.

1. Prepare the presentation

One of the keys to feeling confident in the presentation is proper preparation. To do this, it is necessary that we set aside a space and establish a period to prepare and practice it.

To do this, in the days before, Take care of learning the topic well, knowing its central ideas and imagining the possible questions of the audience around it.

In addition, rehearse your speech out loud, in front of the mirror and in front of people you trust. This way, you will know which aspects you need to improve before the presentation.

For your part, if you have the possibility of go to the performance venue and rehearse there, don’t hesitate to do it. This will help you become familiar with the space and check that the support material runs smoothly.

2. Know your audience

The second tip for learning to speak in public is to know the characteristics of your audience. Are they your co-workers? New customers? your bosses or coordinators? Based on this, try to put yourself in their shoes and try to figure out what information will be most relevant and interesting according to the case.

3. Be clear about the objective

This advice It is closely related to the previous one and must be considered together. That is, for the information to arrive clearly, it is not only enough to know the characteristics of the audience, but also to be clear about the objective of the presentation: attract customers? instruct or educate on a topic? Report some information of interest?…

This way, You will know how to structure your speech and what tools to choose to transmit the information. For example, if we must report the level of productivity of our department to the company’s bosses, it would be best to accompany the data with graphs; This way the data will be more digestible.

3. Avoid reading all the time

Reading the pictures, or any other supporting material, gives the impression that you do not master the topic, which It will make you lose professionalism and credibility. To do this, it is vital that you apply advice number one and, in addition, develop adequate support material.

The latter can range from an outline on paper to an audiovisual presentation with which to guide your speech.

5. Maintain eye contact

It is extremely important that you distribute your gaze among the attendeeswithout fixing it on a single person or a specific point in the room, at least during moments of pause. This will give the impression of self-confidence and keep the audience interested.

We know that this step can generate a little anxiety, to control it avoid jumping to conclusions about how you are doing evaluating the attendees by their facesbecause it will make you more nervous.

7. Pay attention to your verbal communication

To keep your audience’s attention too It is important that the volume, speed and pitch be kept at medium levels, varying subtly depending on the relevance of the information you are emitting. To regulate it properly, speech practice is essential.

8. Use humor

We must avoid audience boredom at all costs. For it, humor on certain occasions can be a resource in your favor.

For example, a good time to joke might be if You go blank or you make a mistake when giving information. In these cases, try to turn it around with a little humor and try to recover the thread of the speech.

9. Keep your audience interested

To do this, you can use some of the following tricks:

Ask controversial questions that spark discussion. Offer audiovisual content. Make comparisons.Use examples.Quote well-known phrases, etc.

The ideal is offer information in a different and attractive waybut without abusing these resources.

10. Accept that nerves are part of the process

It is normal for our body to activate in these situations, Well, anxiety, at moderate levels, serves the purpose of preparing us for challenges. In this sense, it is not bad for us to feel a slight increase in heart rate, sweat in our hands, a slight tremor or general excitement.

In other words, it’s okay to feel a little nervous. On the contrary, our body is preparing to face the challenge of giving a presentation to a group of people. Therefore, We should not be alarmed, nor flee from this feeling.

11. Learn breathing and relaxation techniques

Some people feel more nervous than others when speaking in public. If you are someone who feels that anxiety dominates you in these scenarios, it is vital to learn techniques that allow you to channel and alleviate it.

Among them are breathing techniques (such as diaphragmatic), and relaxation techniques (such as progressive Jacobson), whose function is to relieve the physiological activation of said emotion.

12. Be natural

Another tip for learning to speak in public is to always opt for spontaneity, simplicity, ease and clarity. Therefore, avoid adorning your vocabulary with incomprehensible expressions or rambling on matters that are not to the point.

This way, the information will be much more digestible and enjoyable for your audience.

13. Make good use of silence

In presentations, silences are also necessary, since They give the audience the opportunity to process the information and reflect.

In this sense, A good time to apply it is after saying an important phrase, a powerful explanation, or asking a question.

For its part, Silence allows you to draw attention and create expectation in the public. In this case, you can use it before answering a question, before continuing with an important part of the speech or before revealing any information.

14. Awaken the sympathy of your audience

To make it, It is vital to know the characteristics of the audience and put yourself in their shoes. With this, you will be able to identify what aspects to bring up to gain their sympathy.

For its part, A key that usually works for this purpose is to be honest.. To do this, you can tell an interesting or funny anecdote that is related to the theme of your presentation. Likewise, you can give a compliment that makes you seem more likeable.

15. Believe in yourself

Self-confidence is a key aspect for the good performance of this task. Therefore, you must be able to trust in your abilities and knowledge, and be sure that your presentation will be a success. If you don’t believe it, you’ll end up sabotaging your own work.

A good way to strengthen self-confidence is by working on self-esteem.

To conclude, at we have the course “From stage fright, to the pleasure of speaking in public: Modern Oratory” taught by Ángel Lafuente, expert communicator and lover of the spoken word with which you can learn to speak in public using techniques simple and effective ways to overcome your limitations and eliminate stage fright.

Images courtesy of Charles Forerunner, Craig Garner and Breather.

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