Getting Yourself on Stage the Expert Way

Speaking in public before a live audience can be nerve wracking for anybody. Some of the greatest public speakers in our history have overcome anxiety about speaking in public. Below are some of the best tips for public speaking and speaking on stage like an expert.

Some of the best qualities of a great speaker include confidence, clarity, adaptability to the audience and organization in delivery. 

Confidence

You can exert confidence while speaking by having a sense of authority when you speak. When listeners pay attention to a public speaker, they're waiting to hear someone with a sense of leadership. The best qualities of a great speaker include expert knowledge on the topic they're discussing and the strength of his/her opinion. When there's a sense of authority in speech, the listeners feel confidence, too. They also gain a peace of mind knowing that they're listening to someone who knows what he/she is talking about.

Clarity

In order to be a clear and effective communicator, clarity is very important. Be sure to enunciate your words and pronounce the words clearly. Speaking with a clear voice (no frogs in your throat!) and projecting so that the listeners can hear you will help you be a great speaker. 

Be an Adaptable Speaker

When speaking, be conscious of your voice level. If anyone in the audience lets you know that they can't understand what you're saying or that they can't hear you in the back, be sure to make adjustments. This will also help your audience members appreciate you better. They'll feel as though it's worth their time to hear what you have to say because you are conscious of them and their needs.

Be Organized In Your Delivery

All great speakers would say that the best tips for public speaking include efficiency and organized delivery. When people are listening to a speaker, they want to know what they're listening to and why they're listening to it. When delivering your thoughts, be prepared in advance and organize them. Make sure you have an opening, a middle and an end that wraps it all up nicely. More ways to improve your delivery is to memorize the ideas, not line by line what you need to say. If you memorize the ideas, then you can pad your speech with conversational and colloquial material that doesn't make you nervous, awkward or afraid of forgetting your lines. 

More ways you can feel better about public speaking is to speak to your audience at the beginning to warm yourself and the audience up together. You can loosen up in front of your audience and create a safe environment. It reinforces a sense of intimacy and establishes some basis for trust. Your audience might also be more susceptible to understanding your sense of humor. Also, don't be afraid of using helpful tools like sound and visual content. If you have a video or a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate your points, be sure to use it. But make sure that you do a test run beforehand. A lot of the times these things can be susceptible to technological difficulties. If your sound or video stops working midway during the presentation, your audience might grow restless, bored or confused. In order to prevent this, be sure to have a demo run. You can also try giving your speech a practice go. Another helpful tip is to time yourself during a practice run. This way you know exactly how long it takes for you to deliver your speech. If your speech is too short, it might not fit the event's schedule with other speakers who may or may not be lined up. If it's too long, it might make the audience grow bored or restless, otherwise not leave enough time for a Q&A session. Make sure you feel out your room so that you know how to engage with your listeners. All of the above are some of the best tips for public speaking.