tips for effective public speaking?

Question

As a part of Managerial skills the MBA students are to be given some tips on effective Public speaking.

Answer 1

Find a point in the middle of the group and focus on that.

Answer 2

One great tip I always use is instead of saying "Umm" when you lose your place in a speech, pause in silence. It sounds so simple, but it makes speeches much more professional and you sound more assertive. If nervous about speaking, i recommend looking at the back wall of the room, trying to rotate your head every so often to that all listeners are engaged. Be confident about what you are saying even if you are not, chances are if you sound like you know what you are talking about, people listening will think you really do. I've heard 90% of your speech is how it is delivered and only 10% of it is what you actually say. Another tip is try to catch your nervous habits so they can be avoided next time (playing with hair, pacing back and forth, hands in pockets etc.) these small tips go a long way.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

1. Don't do story time. I bet you have seen people either reading off a paper or reading off a power point slide? I call it story time. It sucks. It doesn't get my attention. It pisses me off. Reading off a piece of paper is not a presentation. I don't need people to read off a power point slide, I can read. 2. Start with an enthusiastic and interesting sentence. Its like a book. The first few sentences should get your audience's attention. 3. Speaking slowly and breathe. People tend to talk fast when they are nervous and its hard for the audience to process all the information, plus it's obvious that you are nervous when you speak fast. 4. Move around a bit. People get nervous and stand in one spot. Sometimes they shake. You can relieve all that if you move around. Move you arms if you have to. 5. Always maintain eye contact. 6. Be loud and clear. If you stumble on a word, relax and say it slowly. Don't let it trip you up. And if you forget what you are going to say next either look at your note card or stop, relax, breathe, and think. Don't say um it just sounds terrible. FINALLY: REHEARSE REHEARSE REHEARS. Trust me, if you rehearse and rehearse and rehearse you can give presentations to 1000000 people and it would be a walk in the park. Your mind already knows what to say and what comes next. Your speech will be smooth. I rehearse 3-4 times a day 2-3 days out before giving a presentation.

Answer 4

You will find the most helpful tips in the world in the Dale Carnegie book How to Win Friends and Influence People. I used that book in the 12-week public speaking course I took and I use it to prepare for a speech.

Answer 5

As a student, I can tell you 9 things that can kill a speech.

- Taking long pauses
- Stuttering
- Reading directly from a sheet of paper (If you can't remember
what you were about to say and must look at your paper, be quick about it.)
- A low or unclear voice
- Using fancy words without pronouncing it correctly and/or using it in the wrong context.
- Speaking in a montone
- The words 'um' or 'uh'
- Speaking about a very boring subject
- Taking too long to get to your point

Answer 6

Practicing your speech before hand is a good thing to do. Make sure you know what you are talking about and keep it fresh in your mind. It can happen that when you get in front of people to talk you forget what you want to say. Using cue cards will help as well. Write down your key points on your cards and refer to them as you go. This way you will be confident that you are on the right track and that you haven't missed anything. Also, this will keep you from going too fast and getting flustered. Don't forget to breathe. Lastly, try to relax. Your audience, whoever they may be, want you to succeed. They're pulling for you and when you are relaxed you are confident and you own the room. Good luck

Answer 7

Summary
• Public speaking is a common fear.
• Practice will help ease the tension of addressing a room.
• Tips on organizing your thoughts and delivering confidently.


Many admins clam up when it's their turn to make a presentation, regardless of the number of people in the room. But there are ways to overcome the fear of public speaking. "Understand that the audience really wants you to do well," says Patricia Fripp, a San Francisco-based professional speaker and speech coach. Fripp offers these tips to help you organize your next talk.

Practice

"The best way to be a good and confident speaker is to practice," says Fripp. The least costly way to go about it is to join a Toastmasters Club. This is a national organization devoted to making speeches. Toastmasters Clubs are relatively cheap. They require a $16 new member fee, along with annual dues of $36.

Don't Let on You're Nervous

"It's natural to be nervous, but don't talk about it," advises Fripp. "It shifts the focus away from what you are saying." Make sure you breathe properly, because most people stop breathing when they become nervous.

You Know, Like, Um, Yeah

Filler sounds merely irritate audience members. "The only way to clean up your speech habit is to record yourself and listen to the recording," says Fripp. "That way you are aware of the problems you have and you can correct them."

Silence Is Your Friend

Silence is the antidote to the "you know" and "uh" stalling tactics. "Don't be afraid of a moment or two of silence -- it's one way to letthe audience absorb what you've said," says Fripp.

Structure, Content and Wording

While preparing your talk, remember that structure, content and how you say words all count. "Unless you know what you are going to say and have things well-organized, it'll be very difficult to create that
magic and emotional connection you need to have with the
audience," warns Fripp.

Don't Write Out Your Entire Speech

The written word is for the eye, but the spoken word is for rhythm. "While a speech or a talk isn't a conversation, it still needs to sound conversational," Fripp says. So how do you organize a speech if you don't write out everything you want to say? Write down the words or phrases that will trigger what you want to say.

Get to Know People

If you're giving a talk to the people at your company, the more of those people you actually have had contact with, the better off you'll deliver the speech. Schmooze with audience members before a meeting. Why? It brings on the friendship factor. The more people like you, the more slack they'll cut you if you goof up your speech.

Shifty People Don't Look You in the Eye

It's important to emotionally and intellectually connect with an audience, and one technique is to look people in the eye for more than a couple of seconds. "In your opening sentence, look at one person as you say the entire sentence," suggests Fripp. "Others will feel that sense of connection. Then move on and make similar eye contact with others throughout your speech.

Watch the I-to-You Ratio

Think of the speech as a date with a lot of people: If you talk about yourself too much, the audience will feel excluded. "Don't say, 'When I was growing up, my father gave me this advice,'" Fripp advises. "Instead say, 'I don't know what advice your father gave you when you were growing up, but my father said XYZ.' You draw the audience into your words."

Most importantly, don't forget to have fun. If all else fails and you're so nervous you can barely stand still, just remember that age old trick: Look at everyone in the room and imagine them in their underwear. Then, with a private grin on your lips, start your speech.

Answer 8

Practice.

Toastmasters International is a great program for learning better and more effective public speaking. There's none better for the time and money. Or you can just go to their site and steal their tips if this is just homework.

Answer 9

Practice your speech in front of a couple of friends or family members. This will show you how you perform when you are under a bit of pressure. They can also give you some constructive criticism and help you develop your ideas.

Answer 10

Maintain eye contact, pace if you need to, keep your audiences attention, DON'T picture the audience naked no matter what anyone else says because that's a distraction for your thought process, maintain posture, speak loudly and clearly, rehearse your ideas fully and thoroughly beforehand.