Public speaking is a great skill set to have, no matter your career path. If public speaking is not something you already do on a regular basis, you will probably need to brush up on your skills. The Direct Selling Education Foundation (DSEF), a BBB National Partner, offers four helpful tips to help ease the pressure of public speaking.Prepare, prepare, PREPARE! If you have not done the legwork before a public speaking engagement, you may feel flustered, nervous, and incompetent. These worries will be evident to your audience, so prepare as much as you possibly can. Write down or type out your content, and frequently rehearse using your notes; also, make adjustments where necessary.
Show confidence. This is easier than it may seem, especially if you have adequately prepared. You know the material, you are a successful leader, and you have been given the responsibility to speak in front of a group of people. Take pride in this role by holding your head high, making frequent eye contact, and speaking in a strong, clear voice.
Focus on key points, but provide personal stories to balance them. Your main focus should be on the key points, or main ideas, of your speech. If you nail those, the rest will not matter as much. However, it is also important to give your audience a way to relate to you personally. So be sure to provide a few personal stories that will illustrate your main points.
End with a call to action. You do not want your speech to fall flat because of a boring conclusion. End with a call to action from the audience. Doing so helps give your speech purpose and drives your point home. Concluding with a call to action also helps your audience figure out where to start.
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