The Ultimate Guide For Delivering Perfect Public Speeches

Good communication is never perfect and nobody expects you to be perfect. However, putting in the requisite time to prepare will help you deliver a better speech. You may not be able to shake your nerves entirely, but you can learn to minimize them. In this post, I share with you the ultimate guide for delivering perfect public speeches.

Whether we’re talking in a team meeting or presenting in front of an audience, we all have to speak in public from time to time. We can do this well or things can go horribly wrong and the outcome strongly affects the way that people think about us. This is why public speaking causes so much anxiety and concern.

As panicked as the thought of presenting in front of a group can make us, whether we’re delivering a speech before hundreds, doing a business pitch, attending a job interview, or introducing a report in a meeting, our careers may depend on us doing it well. I’ve been able to master the art of public speaking from delivering speeches at conferences, TEDx, Universities and other events all around the world.

In this post, I will share with you the ultimate guide for delivering perfect public speeches:

1. Practice

Practice is the key to mastering virtually every skill and effective speaking is no exception. A great speech should seem effortless, authentic and often times even spontaneous. There is no way better way to deliver a great speech than to practice it. Rehearse your speech in front of the mirror, family members, friends and others.

2. Plan Appropriately

Make sure that you plan your communication appropriately. Think about how important a book’s first paragraph is; if it doesn’t grab you, you’re likely going to put it down. The same principle goes for your speech. From the beginning, you need to intrigue your audience. Planning also helps you think on your feet. This is especially important for unpredictable questions that may come up and answer sessions.

3. Seek A Clear Direction For Your Speech

Your speech must have a focus point. You won’t get lost in your words if you stay moving towards your destination. That means you’ll have to decide where you are going. What’s the purpose? What do you want your audience to take away? Without a cohesive message, the members of your audience will be twiddling their thumbs, confused, in mid-snooze, or paying attention to something else. Chances are that if they don’t know where you’re going, they’ll stop listening after some point.

4. Engage With Your Audience

When you speak, try to engage your audience. This makes you feel less isolated as a speaker and keeps everyone involved with your message. If appropriate, ask leading questions targeted to individuals or groups and encourage people to participate and ask questions. Pay attention to how you’re speaking. If you’re nervous, you might talk quickly. This increases the chances that you’ll trip over your words or say something you don’t mean. Force yourself to slow down by breathing deeply. Don’t be afraid to gather your thoughts; pauses are an important part of the conversation and they make you sound confident, natural, and authentic.

5. Entertain Their Hearts Out

Good speeches often tell a story and evoke strong emotions. Many great speakers know how to successfully use humor to their advantage. Just think about your favorite comedian. That person is often mindful of who’s in the audience and how to best deliver that well-planned punch line. Speeches don’t always have to be full of jokes, though. However, your speech should take the crowd on an exciting ride and hold its attention. If you can move your audience to tears, that speech will surely be a memorable one.

6. Watch For Feedback And Adapt To It

Keep the focus on the audience. Gauge their reactions, adjust your message and stay extremely flexible. Delivering a canned speech will guarantee that you lose the attention of your audience or confuse even the most devoted listeners.

7. Don’t Hide Behind The Lectern

The lectern is a crutch, which is a structure built to conceal knocking knees and shaking hands. It’s a barrier between you and your audience and you must step out from behind it. Not only will your movement keep folks from falling asleep, but they’ll perceive you as more open and accessible if you’re out in the open rather than hiding behind a big wooden barrier.

8. Speak About What You Know And Care About

Passion translates into energy and authenticity, which matters to your audience. If you’re not invested and engaged with your subject, why on earth would your audience care? Emotion pulls the audience in and gets them involved in the process. If you find you’re not moved by your topic, modify it until it matters to you. If you’re going to invest the energy in writing and delivering a speech, it should be on a subject that’s important to you.

Conclusion

Good communication is never perfect and nobody expects you to be perfect. However, putting in the requisite time to prepare will help you deliver a better speech. You may not be able to shake your nerves entirely, but you can learn to minimize them. In this post, I shared with you the ultimate guide for delivering perfect public speeches.