Out of the Office - Guide to Public Speaking

 

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In the workplace everyone has their own comfort zone. For some workers it is behind an office desk conversing with clients or customer. Others it is in an office setting behind a computer dealing with numbers, words or mounds of data. And still other workers are comfortable talking in front of people in a boardroom setting, selling to groups of people or teaching a group of students.

Becoming comfortable speaking in public is easy for some and very difficult for others. The biggest hurdle that people need to overcome is the fear of failure when speaking in front of other people. Over time people have come up with ways to relax and not become so fearful that they can not speak. However, the people who can overcome public speaking fear have advantages in the business and education world that can go along way in attaining success in whatever venture they choose.

The art of speaking in public has been around for centuries. Public speaking has been a part of our lives in the form of political speeches, teaching others and even performing in front of the public by singing or dancing. But when we think of public speakers we think of great orators who can evoke strong feelings from an audiences. These great speakers include Patrick Henry, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, John F Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. All of these great speakers had the ability to present their ideas and elicit a strong showing of support.

But becoming a confident public speaker takes practice. The most important way to become a better public speaker is to control your nerves. One of the biggest concerns of all public speakers is the fear of failure. By controlling your nerves you will show that you are confident in your speech, which will make it an effective public speech.

However, there are many other attributes to becoming a successful public speaker. They include:

- Knowing your subject
- Proper posture while speaking
- Use and positioning of hands
- Controlling your voice
- Relaxation

In order to become a confident public speaker you need to research and study the topic of your speech. By becoming comfortable with the subject matter, you will speak with a confident tone. Speaking of your voice, it is important to control your voice. Speak in a normal speaking voice, and raise or lower your voice when you want to draw attention to certain facts. When people change their voice, listeners will naturally be drawn to those words, so use them wisely.

When giving your speech, it is very important to exhibit good posture. Make sure that when you are speaking you sit or stand straight. Also, what you do with your hands can go a long way to your success or failure. If standing, having your hands at your side is acceptable and if seated, keeping your hands in front is recommended. However, if you wish to emphasize certain points of your speech, the gesturing with your hands may help drive home your point.

However, all of these suggestions will be meaningless if you do not relax. Audiences will catch the fact that you are not relaxed which can mean a failure of your speech. So, one of the most important aspects of relaxing is using your breath properly. Nice even breathes will help keep your nerves in check, and a good deep breath before starting may help get you off to a good start.

Having the ability to confidently speak in public is a very useful trait to have. Becoming a public speaker can open up many doors for people in the business, political and personal areas. With practice any person can become a good public speaker. In addition to the previous tips and information, we have put together a few more helpful resources to make you a good public speaker:

 

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