Conquering Glossaphobia - Top Tips for Public Speaking

At some point in your life, you may have been in a situation where you had thoughts and ideas that you wanted to share, but you could not find the words to express them;

OR a situation where you wanted to ask for something but you did not know how to ask; 

OR a situation where you were interviewed and you could not construct an effective answer for a question;

OR a situation where you wanted to express an opinion and persuade a person but you did not know what method to use in order to gain your desired outcome.

In all of these scenarios, you found yourself lacking both in confidence and in words to express what you needed to communicate. If you have ever found yourself in any of these positions, then you MUST take a public speaking course because it will help you develop confidence and a familiarity with speaking in public that will ease the fears that many face.

In a public speaking course, you will learn different methods of delivery using the following styles: Extemporaneous, Impromptu, Manuscript and Memorization. Through practice in speech presentation(s), students will learn to develop and improve skills such as:

• Analyzing an audience
• Researching for speech organization
• Outlining a speech
• Developing diction and style
• Utilizing non-verbal communication
• Cultivating a connection with the audience
• Using audio/visual aids
• Developing persuasive arguments and informative talks

In order to be successful in a public speaking course, there are a few things one needs to keep in mind when developing speech confidence:

1. Know Your Audience. If you want to develop a speech that has the best interest of an audience in mind, you must do research and find out whom you will be addressing. Remember: diction and style change when you speak to different groups of people.

2. Know What You Are Talking About. The way to being less anxious is to be familiar with your subject. If you are well-prepared and well-researched in your topic, you will be more confident. Nothing feels better than having total command of a subject and being able to talk about it easily because you know it so well. Remember: people like to listen to people who know what they are talking about.

3. Be Passionate About Your Subject. Passion rubs off on people and if you want an audience to be enthusiastic about your speech, the enthusiasm begins with you.  Remember:  If you do not care, no one else will. Therefore, select a topic and deliver it with a level of energy that communicates your enthusiasm.

4.  Organize Your Presentation. Just as when you tell a good story or a funny joke, keep first things first and last things last. Take time to put your thoughts in the right order and build to an exciting conclusion. Organizing your speech in a clear and logical manner determines the success of your overall performance; therefore, make the effort to organize your speech so it will capture the audience’s attention and help them follow along easily.

5. Breathe! Breathing helps with your nerves and vocal power. Just as in singing, breathing gives your voice the power to project sound across a room. It also helps a speaker stay at a comfortable  pace throughout a speech. Therefore, breathe before and during your speech.

6. Connect with Your Audience.  Reach out to your audience through eye contact. Project your voice so they can hear you without struggle. Use nonverbal communication and gestures to reinforce the ideas in your listeners’ minds, and vary your vocal tone so your speech does not drone in their ears.

7. Practice-Practice-Practice! To ensure that you truly know your subject and how the speech will finally sound, you must practice it many times—one good recommendation is to practice in front of people and ask for immediate feedback before the day of your presentation.  Remember: practice makes improvement.