Did you know that fear of public speaking can cut your chances for promotion by 15%
Based on research, what you actually say to the audience is not as important as how you say it. Studies suggest that effective presentations are 38% your voice, 55% non-verbal communication, and only 7% your content although there is a lot of debate on this rule’s applicability.
Research suggests that if a speaker keeps talking without letting the audience to get involved, then audience engagement drops significanty.
Public speaking can be either a rewarding or a terrifying experience that allows individuals to showcase their knowledge at a public forum. Public speaking provides an opportunity to allow an individual to help augment the lives of anyone in the audience by sharing valuable experiences or information that can have a life-changing impact on the audience.
The National Institute of Mental Health has reported that public speaking anxiety, also known as glossophobia, affects about 73% of the general population yet only 8% of these people seek help even when they know it significantly impacts their career.
Many individuals suffer extreme shyness anxiety or nervousness when faced with public speaking situations. These situations can vary from large audiences of thousands of participants to rooms with a few people present. No matter what the situation, you need to make sure that you have the proper level of public speaking self-confidence to get started.
When it comes to speaking in public, possessing confidence is a an absolute must. Read my blog on 9 tips to boost your confidence.
Confident people have an instilled belief that they can handle any difficult situation regardless of who is watching or listening. Remember these individuals are pretty knowledgeable in their subject matter and have a fair idea of how they are going to present the information so that the audience can extract the best information and understand it better.
Additionally, these individuals are capable of answering the toughest questions on their particular subject and can explain the related topics on several different levels.
If you find difficulty in doing this, start preparing for the daunting public speaking opportunity quickly.
Here are some tips on boosting your confidence during public speaking based on my experience and research.
- Ensure your knowledge of the topic is high and seek out to learn as much as you can. This knowledge will help you a lot in both planning your speech and delivering the speech to an audience of individuals who may or may not be familiar with it.
- Furthermore, in-depth knowledge of your subject will assist you enormously when dispensing with question-and-answer sessions that most likely will follow any public speaking opportunity.
- If you find your self-confidence low or nonexistent, the best way to boost it up is to practice and to get critical feedback from those who are good at public speaking.
- Start by researching the audience. If you are speaking to people with a deep understanding of the topic, you may use a relatively in-depth approach but remember to start with basics for an audience unfamiliar with the subject.
- Try to find more about the average age and educational background of your audience to produce a speech that will resonate and connect with the audience
- Once you jot down what you will speak, try making notes and prompts to use when giving your speech in public. Knowing that your speech is well researched will boost your confidence as well as having the essential notes and prompts that you can rely on during the speech
- A lot of people I meet try to memorize the content. My advice is that when preparing for your speech, do not memorize the content. This may seem like a good idea but can lead to terrible results.
- Also, have any visual materials carefully arranged in the order of presentation so that you will remember to include all items seamlessly in your presentation.
Did you know that if you look at someone’s forehead, they are most likely to think you are making eye contact?
If you feel nervous before you present any speech to an audience, you may likely forget the content of your speech and be forced to pull it together from memory. Additionally, if you leave out a specific idea or topic from your speech, your audience may not clearly understand the topic or point of your presentation. There is a very fine balance that you need to maintain.
One of the most effective methods to get ready for your speech is to create notes that allow cues or special points you should make in your speech. You should have a basic idea of what you intend to say and make sure the content covers these areas.
Public speaking should not be a source of crisis. Ensuring your self-confidence is high in your capabilities will make huge difference in the quality of your presentation.
You can always use a personality assessment to understand the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’ to start an effective journey of development.
