Public speaking is the act of delivering a speech to an audience and is a valuable skill to have to improve communication and to influence others. Effective public speaking involves knowing the audience, organizing material, practicing, engaging with the audience, using body language, and telling compelling stories.
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” ― Nelson Mandela
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Know the needs of your audience
Know the needs of your audience and match your contents to their needs.
Know your material thoroughly. Put what you have to say in a logical sequence. Practice and rehearse your speech at home or where you can be at ease and comfortable, in front of a mirror, your family, friends or colleagues. Record and listen to yourself. Know what your strong and weak points are.
Perform like an actor on stage
When you are presenting in front of an audience, how you are being perceived is very important.
Dress appropriately for the occasion. Present the desired image to your audience. Appear relaxed, even if you feel nervous. Speak slowly, and show appropriate emotion and feeling relating to your topic.
Body language is important
Standing, walking or moving about with appropriate hand gesture or facial expression is preferred to sitting down or standing still with head down and reading from a prepared speech.
Use audio-visual aids or props for enhancement if appropriate and necessary. Master the use of presentation software such as PowerPoint well before your presentation. Avoid excessive use of animation, sound clips, or gaudy colors which are inappropriate for your topic. Avoid putting a lengthy document in tiny print and reading it out to them.
Speak with conviction
Speak as if you really believe in what you are saying. Persuade your audience effectively.
In case you’re presenting your capstone project, thesis, dissertation, research paper, make sure the material you present orally should have the same ingredients as that which are required for a written academic work, i.e. a logical progression from INTRODUCTION (Thesis statement) to BODY (strong supporting arguments, accurate and up-to-date information) to CONCLUSION (re-state thesis, summary, and logical conclusion).
Avoid reading from notes
Do not read from notes for any extended length of time although it is quite acceptable to glance at your notes infrequently.
Speak loudly and clearly. Sound confident. Do not mumble. If you made an error, correct it, and continue. No need to make excuses or apologize profusely.
Maintain eye contact
Maintain sincere eye contact with your audience.
Use the 3-second method, e.g. look straight into the eyes of a person in the audience for 3 seconds at a time. Have direct eye contact with a number of people in the audience, and every now and then glance at the whole audience while speaking. Use your eye contact to make everyone in your audience feel involved.
Speak to your audience
Speak to your audience, listen to their questions, respond to their reactions, adjust and adapt.
If what you have prepared is obviously not getting across to your audience, change your strategy mid-stream if you are well prepared to do so. Remember that communication is the key to a successful presentation. If you are short of time, know what can be safely left out. If you have extra time, know what could be effectively added. Always be prepared for the unexpected.
Pause
Allow yourself and your audience a little time to reflect and think. Don’t race through your presentation and leave your audience, as well as yourself, feeling out of breath.
Use Humour
Add humor whenever appropriate and possible. Keep audience interested throughout your entire presentation. Remember that an interesting speech makes time fly, but a boring speech is always too long to endure even if the presentation time is the same.
Check all necessary equipment
When using audio-visual aids to enhance your presentation, be sure all necessary equipment is set up and in good working order prior to the presentation. If possible, have an emergency backup system readily available.
Check out the location
Check out the location ahead of time to ensure seating arrangements for audience, whiteboard, blackboard, lighting, location of projection screen, sound system, etc. are suitable for your presentation.
Have handouts ready
Have handouts ready and give them out at the appropriate time. Tell audience ahead of time that you will be giving out an outline of your presentation so that they will not waste time taking unnecessary notes during your presentation.
Know when to STOP
Know when to STOP talking. Use a timer or the microwave oven clock to time your presentation when preparing it at home. Just as you don’t use unnecessary words in your written paper, you don’t bore your audience with repetitious or unnecessary words in your oral presentation.
Ending your presentation
To end your presentation, summarize your main points in the same way as you normally do in the CONCLUSION of a written paper.
Remember, however, that there is a difference between spoken words appropriate for the ear and formally written words intended for reading. Terminate your presentation with an interesting remark or an appropriate punch line. Leave your listeners with a positive impression and a sense of completion. Do not belabor your closing remarks. Thank your audience and sit down.