Effective Public Speaking

The fear of public speaking is a learned fear. Typically it has its roots in a previous experience in which the outcome was less than desired. Since this fear is a learned response you can easily unlearn this irrational fear. Based upon my public speaking experience, I have put together a list of 10 tips for public speaking success.

Tips for Public Speaking

1. Do Not Take Yourself Too Seriously - Unless public speaking is your profession, you should not take yourself too seriously. It is understandable that you want to do a good job, but honestly, what will happen if you do not. The future direction of your life is not dependent upon how well you perform, so relax and enjoy this opportunity.

2. Change Your Attitude - Instead of dreading your impending public speech, embrace it. Please understand that in a majority of the time, your audience is not against you. They are there to learn something of value from you. The audience is secretly rooting for you hoping to see to succeed. Embrace this and realize that you do not appear as nervous as you may feel.

3. Prepare, prepare, prepare - Did I mention that you should prepare? You need to know your topic forward and backwards. You need to know what you plan on talking about, how long it will take for you to complete your speech and what to do if you should get off topic.

If your speech is scheduled to last an hour, practice your speech out loud until you can complete it to within a few minutes of your allotted time.

If you are serious about overcoming fear of public speaking, check out http://effectivepublicspeaking.info.

4. Visualize Your Success - As you practice, take a few minutes and visualize your success. Imagine the warm, receptive faces of an audience that received your message well. Imagine being given a standing ovation, or at least a warm round of applause. Do not underestimate the importance of positive thinking!

5. Make Great Notes - How you construct your notes can be the difference between a great performance and an outstanding one. As you no doubt have practiced sufficiently by now, construct your notes to reflect this confidence.

Design your notes as an overall outline instead of detailed wording. Additionally, make sure that you jot down non-verbal communication objectives as well. If you are planning on pausing at a certain point in the speech, jot that down. It will help you remember to pause as indicated.

6. Practice - Did I mention you should practice your presentation? Now that you have practiced your speech at least 20 times by yourself, practice in front of a few friends, or family. Ask them to listen, but not to suggest any changes. Your speech belongs to you and it is up to you to decide what to talk about!

Effective public speaking gets easier with practice. Read on to learn additional skills to overcome your fear of public speaking.

People have a fear of public speaking for one primary reason; they are afraid of embarrassing themselves. Gaining confidence starts from within. Here are a few more tips on public speaking that will help you overcome these fears.

7. Dress the Part - When you are making a speech or presentation, it is impossible to overdress (unless you are presenting to surfers while splashing around in the ocean). You are the center of attention and you should feel great about yourself. A well-tailored suit can really make you feel strong and confident. It may just provide the psychological boast that you need to succeed.

8. Feel the Zen - When a person emits positive energy you can feel it. Get juiced up about your speech. Try and pass along some of this positive energy to your crowd. Look at Tony Robbins! During each and every one of his speeches the audience is jazzed up. When you are excited about a topic you can easily pass this excitement along.

9. Scout the Location - Do not wait until the day of your speech to see the location. If possible, go a few days early and scout the location well. Determine where the podium is in relation to where the audience sits. Will you have a projector or an easel for your visual aids? Think about your entire speech while you are there, taking into consideration any special requirements you may have.

10. Relax and Get a Good Night's Rest - The night before your speech, you need to slow down and relax. You have done all that you can to properly prepare for this speech. All is left is for you to do is successfully complete your speech.

The fear of public speaking is a real fear for thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people. This learned fear can be unlearned with a little effort. If you are serious about wanting to get rid of your public speaking phobia forever, visit http://effectivepublicspeaking.info.