Public speaking is a 'must' in life, whether its a phone call, conference call, public meeting, working lunch, office boardrooms or classroom presentations. Whether it comes naturally to you or your natural reaction is to hide behind the podium (or someone else) we all have to face our fears eventually.
This is why I'm sharing a Prezi presentation I found, about the
10 Most Common Rookie Mistakes in Public Speaking.
1.) Don't be afraid to take up some space. Hesitance in your movements comes across like an apology and under-confidence to the audience.
2.) Speaking in a very quiet monotone level will always seem uninvolved, uninteresting, and unenthusiastic. If you really want to impress then speak with moderate volume and demand the audience's attention. Make changes in your pitch and speed also so that you don't sounds like a voice recording.
3.) Keep calm and study on! Experienced speakers do plenty of research so that they feel confident in their material and their ability to respond to any question the audience might throw at them.
4.) Practise DOES make perfect; Always practise on your feet - never sitting or laying down gazing at your notes or computer screen. Experienced speakers will often do a dry run of their material with a trusted audience of friends, family, or colleagues.
5.) It's not always about the facts! Make sure you balances facts, data, visuals and real life examples/experiences to keep your audience engaged.
6.) When your presentation content is too safe, it usually comes across as boring. When the most important ability as a speaker is the ability to garner attention, can you afford to avoid taking risks? Keep it entertaining, exciting AND informative!
7.) "Everybody hurts...sometimes!" Use example stories where you make mistakes but learned from the experience in a positive way. This shows vulnerability and less like a plagiarized perfectionist.
8.) My main way to curb nerves is humour, over my 3 years at SLC I've gotten very good at it (so say my professors..) Respect your audience’s professionalism but relate to their humanity informally. By speaking to them more informally, you project that you are equal. They will read that as confidence. Make a joke here or there and don't be afraid to make light of yourself - but not the entire time!
9.) Short, sweet and to the point. Speakers often expand even further on their topic when they see audience’s reactions instead of leaving them curious for more...
10.) As previously stated, use a range of speed and volume when presenting. A range! As in don't continue to speed up and don't continue talking without pausing for breath. Taking pauses can...
a) Increase audience perception as well as your feeling of confidence and ease.
b) Give your audience time to digest your key points and give those points greater impact.
and c) Give you time to formulate your thoughts into more succinct and cogent sentences.
