3 steps to enhance your confidence during public speaking

 

Confidence

3 steps to enhance your confidence during public speaking

 

1. Prepare strong

If you have studied well, you will not be afraid to face the exam. If you have practiced your song on the piano for a month, you won’t be afraid to play it in front of your audience.

Behind every successful speech, there is preparedness.

ü Do your homework: Read about your topic and learn as much as you can, good knowledge automatically builds up confidence.

ü Organise your information: Once you have read about your topic, write it down.

·  Title. Make it catchy to get your audience's attention.

· Introduction. This just needs to be a few sentences explaining what your speech is about.

· A list of main ideas. For shorter speeches, three points may be enough.

· Conclusion. This is a few sentences that explain what your speech is about.

when you’re on stage you will not have time to think, so write down your points when your mind is clear and work on it, check the grammar, see how can you better articulate it, see how can you improve vocabulary and prepare the best script you can.

ü Practice from your script: Once you are done writing, read it once, twice and in front of an audience. This creates a mental picture of how you need to start and what you need to say next, so even if you get nervous on stage, you will know what to say and you will not stop. As you practice pay attention to factors such as:

· How fast you talk. Inexperience speakers often speak too quickly, making it difficult for their listeners to understand. Practice speaking slowly (but not too slowly) and clearly.

· Your breathing. Some speakers hold their breath if they get nervous. If you struggle with this problem, plan breathing breaks that seem natural. Experiment with this during your practice sessions.

· Eliminate unneeded fillers. Get rid of unnecessary words such as um, uh, like, and similar phrases. While it's common to add these phrases into your speech as you talk, they make you look nervous and less confident. 

· Your posture. Your posture is another factor that can affect whether you're perceived as being confident. Stand up straight, in a way that feels relaxed and natural for you.

· Body language. It's okay to move a little as you speak. Make hand gestures if that's natural for you--just don't overdo it. However, be careful not to pace unnaturally or make too many uncontrolled gestures.

Pro tip: “People write like they talk and talk like they write.” Make sure you do the right thing.

 

 

2. The right attitude

Problems such as stage fear, nervousness disappear when you have confidence in yourself. There must be something in you and that is the reason why your superiors have asked you to address a large audience. Self confidence comes only when you know the agenda well and the purpose of the presentation is clear. Why do you think the people would believe you if you yourself are not sure of your content? Remember, convincing people is definitely not a cake walk. But yes, the situation becomes easier when you are confident enough to not only convince others but also make them listen to you with rapt attention and also act accordingly. An individual who accepts challenges with a smile is the one who climbs the success ladder within the shortest possible time frame. Do not make an issue of every small thing. One needs to stay positive. It not only reduces stress but also helps you deliver your hundred percent. The job of a public speaker is to ensure that his/her audience has understood what was discussed at the session. Positive attitude helps you concentrate and also stay calm. Keep a smile on your face. Positive attitude plays an essential role in helping you connect with your audience. Even if someone asks you a silly question, why do you have to be rude with him? Never find faults in others. You need to understand that if an individual has invested his time or probably money in attending your session, he /she has full rights to clear all doubts and go back home happy and satisfied. People with a negative attitude generally find it difficult to adjust with fellow workers. Learn to accept your mistakes. Do not feel bad if someone points out your mistake. Instead make sure you do not repeat them in future. Positive attitude helps you deal with criticism and face critics.

 

3. Get used to it

Do you remember your first experience driving a car? There is so much going on in your mind, you need to have an eye on the traffic, one on the mirrors, one hand on wheel other shifting gears, two legs managing three pedals and then there is music, people talking to you constantly, pedestrians, road signs, other vehicles outside, and a constant fear that one mistake and you might hit someone. But after years of driving on roads are you not able to just glide through now? Don’t your legs hit the clutch and hand shift gears in perfect synchrony now? Well, its because you have gotten used to it.

Musicians might relate it to learning a new song at first but as you practice it every day, you start playing even the most difficult pieces with ease.

 

Similarly, there is so much going on in your head when you’re speaking in front of an audience. Your brain runs through constant questions:

What to say next?

Did I make a mistake?

Why am I sweating?

Did I smile enough?

Is my outfit good?

Well, you may find 101 tips on how to handle each of those questions, but the base point is to get used to it.

Throw yourself into opportunities, make mistakes, give it all you’ve got and make the stage your friend. The more the time you spend on stage, it becomes more familiar and you become more confidant.

 

These 3 steps and many more, climb each of your fears and conquer them. Good luck for your next speech.