A lot of people hate speaking in front of an audience be it 1 person or a group of individuals.
My 2019 Story:
I was lined up to speak at 2 major events in capital Kampala and both were mass gatherings of about 350+ people. But the me I knew, and the huge glossophobia (fear to speak in public) I had from all my prior attempts, I couldn’t see myself make it yet I had to represent my organization. This time round, there was no room for delegation.
My Glossophobia:
Like any organized person, I would prepare in advance my slide notes and make several run through ahead of time. But the moment I get up onto that microphone, the nerves set in, my eyes would stop seeing the slide notes clearly, and my mind would run wild wondering if am still in command of my audience, whether am communicating or not, or I have lost them a while ago.
In order for me to avoid the same experience, I had to do something to get me ready and to get rid of my nerves (glossophobia). I signed up for a public speaking power packed training cohort with Dr. Denis Ankunda where I learnt several tips on how to deliver an epic speech, leaving your audience charmed. Here are some tips.
Be prepared:
A successful public presentation happens hours before you even start the talking.
Make notes on each point you want to make in the slides. Dong this ahead of time, helps ensure that all the materials you need are available and also allows time for plenty of practice. If you’re going to use handouts, also make sure these are ready in advance.
Command the space:
Start by asking a question or two to your audience without seeking for answers, this captures the minds of your audience and focuses them onto your topic. Be aware of your body language. Face your audience and stand with your hip distance apart. Make eye contact, but not for too long lest you appear creepy. Don’t remain rigid, move about in a relaxed mode, do not pace. Own the available space on the stage unless, of course, you have been given a podium and there’s no space beyond the podium. Avoid crossing your arms, clasping your hands behind or in front or having your hands in your pockets. Keep your hands free for expressive gestures.
Tone of Voice
The tone of your voice and how you talk will have a significant impact on the way your talk is received. To speak clearly and confidently you must become like a classically trained actor e.g. Shake Spear, Barak Obama etc. Use the 5 ‘P’s to improve the clarity of your speech:
Projection – Make sure the back of the room can hear, but don’t deafen those at the front. Try varying the pace to keep things interesting. Have breaths in between your speech, keeps you relaxed and give you time to align your flow. Pitch – Vary your pitch i.e. have highs and lows, have a rhythm, monotonous voices are boring and difficult to listen to, but don’t be over the top. Also, try not to use an upward inflexion at the end of all sentences, it makes you sound like you’re unsure about the things you are saying. Pronunciation – Don’t mumble. Ensure that all of the syllables are clear. Practice hard to say words and phrases. Pause – Pausing helps the audience to absorb the information they just heard and gives you time to prepare for the next section. It also allows a moment for you to collect your thoughts. Avoid Filler words: It is better to be silent, take a breath, than use filler words like ‘um’, ‘ah’ and ‘you know’.
Know your audience:
Take time to know your audience, ask questions to the person that invited you, find out a thing or two that resonates with them. If it’s a one on one, take time to find 1 or two things about their personal life. This breaks the ice, creates comfort and a direct connection with your audience, they feel they can relate with you.
Furthermore, try to understand why the audience is listening. Ask: “what will I gain from listening to this talk?” as if you were in the audience yourself. Be clear about your goal and what the audience should obtain by attending. Additionally, establish your credibility. Tell your audience why they should listen to you.
Throw away your notes and do not read the slide word for word:
Although you should have written notes on all of the points you want to make for each slide during preparation, don’t stay glued to your notes and do not read the slide. Reason why a run through was important during your preparation. Also helps you remain in command of the room. Only refer to the notes and slides if you must. Frequent reference to the notes makes you appear less of an expert on the topic i.e. reduces your credibility, secondly, they become something to hind behind to help contain your nerves. If you keep looking down on your notes or reading through your slide, then you’re not engaging your audience and if your audience is not engaged that means they are not listening properly. If you’re reading from your notes then your tone of voice is likely to be flat and you will have minimal stage presence, coming off boring at times.
Try to enjoy yourself (or at least look like it!):
If you look bored, then the audience will think you are bored. And if you’re bored by the topic, then why should anyone listening be interested? When you come out, have a smile on your face, make it seem like you’re happy and thankful to be there. If you feel confident enough to do so, add a little humor (as long as it’s appropriate). This will help you and your audience relax, and break the ice if the room is feeling a little tense or unfriendly.
And finally, just as you started strong by engaging your audience and taking control of the room, end strong, find a nice power packed quote or a joke that you can end with leaving your audience thrilled and exited for a wonderful speech delivered.
Throw your thoughts here or any other tips on how to deliver a breath taking public speech that will leave your audience astonished and applauding for minutes.
Thank you
Eleanor 