Public Speaking Tips and Advice

Take your presentations to the next level with these public speaking tips:

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: One of the most common mistakes public speakers make is to begin crafting a speech without even asking the question, “who will be listening?” Knowing to whom you’ll be speaking is a make or break deal because our perception is that the material is important enough on it’s own. It’s not. You may have the most important message to communicate but if you don’t present it in a way that your hearers will accept, you’re wasting your (and their) time.

KNOW YOUR FEARS: Fear is a natural part of life. Without it, we would not survive very long. In public speaking, fear is natural and can even be useful if you know how to manage that fear. Click here for some public speaking tips on managing your fear.

KNOW YOUR MESSAGE: A friend of mine who is a public speaking consultant for WHAT'S YOUR POINT told me that most presenters really don’t know the main point of their message. She said that as a presenter, you should be able to sum up your whole presentation on the back of a business card. Remember to be brief!

KNOW YOUR PACE: Pace is a combination of speed, pausing, phrasing and shifts in a presentation. Our culture is becoming faster paced and requires more variety of presentation than ever before. How fast you speak and at what point do you add something ‘different’ in your presentation makes the difference between keeping an audience engaged or losing their attention after 3 minutes. For guidelines on speed, variation and building interest into your presentations, click here.

KNOW THE ROOM: Presenters tend to neglect this simple truth – atmosphere affects effectiveness. Depending on the presentation, you want the audience at a good relational distance from you but also close enough to make eye contact. Also, the people need to be comfortable in the room or they’ll be distracted by their discomfort.