How to Nail Your Next Public Speaking Appearance

Public speaking can be scary, but we’re here to give you some tips on how to nail your next public speaking appearance! Working on skills to address a roomful of people provides you with the opportunity to inspire others. If you’re finding it hard to prepare, we’ve put together a few pointers so you can be confident about your next public speech.

Don’t Ramble

Every time a speaker is disorganized and jumps from topic to topic, it’s tough to follow what he or she is saying. Instead, provide an organized and concise message. That means you should take the time before the speech to create an introduction, body, and conclusion for your speech. Make sure you have clear main points and transition statements between each main point. This way, your audience will be much more likely to remember what you were talking about later.

Direct Eye Contact

Don’t look all over the place. Don’t look at the floor or ceiling. What you want to do is look directly into one person’s eyes, long enough to finish the thought, and then move on and look into the next person’s eyes. This will allow you to connect better with your audience. If you are not looking into their eyes and making them feel like they are a part of your speech, you won’t be leaving as big of an impression.

Don’t Clutter Your Notes

Often, we tend to write everything we want to say in our notes or PowerPoint. If you are nervous and need to take a glance to remember what you should talk about next, you won’t be able to find the next speaking point that easily if every word is written out. Simplify your notes so that you can have a conversational style of speech.

Use Simple Slides

You don’t want to load up your PowerPoint slides with complicated information and text. It is tough to follow what is going on if your slides are packed with details. Make sure your slides are clear and straightforward.

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