Did you know that when surveyed about their greatest fear, people more often say public speaking than death? That’s right, apparently people would rather die than have to address a group of people.
Hm, must be bad.
I used to be one of those people. For me the mere thought of standing in front of a crowd made me feel like tossing my lunch. But the thing is I really wanted to be a good speaker. There’s power in it and it gives you the chance to really spread your word quickly. And let’s face it, it’s also downright cool to be able to command a whole audience.
So, how’s it done?
I’ve heard a lot of “solutions” in my time, mostly from the pop-psychology corner. Everything from “drink some alcohol right before you go on” to “curl your toes over and over as you speak.” And of course, we’ve all heard that it helps to picture the audience naked.
These are techniques for distraction, for putting your mind elsewhere.
And that’s exactly why they don’t work. They distract you at the very moment when you should be at your very best. I don’t recommend this.
Instead of using these techniques or coming up with new ones, I actually took a sober look at where my difficulties were coming from. Instead of trying to cure nervousness with those strange solutions, I wanted to figure out WHY I was getting nervous in the first place.
I found that it all boiled down to one thing:
Fear of the unknown.
What was going to happen when I started talking to the group? Was I going to mess up? Would people laugh at me? Would I vomit all over the entire first row?
Sound familiar?
Well, if the problem is fear of the unknown, the proper action would be to take away the fear of the unknown.
Simple, right? You probably feel better already, but how do you become a pro at this? Here we go…
How to speak in public like a pro -
Well here are the techniques I use that will take you from the preparation stage, all the way up to when you’re at the podium doing your thing. I used these at the beginning of my public speaking career and I use them now.
Don’t book Carnegie Hall for your first crowd -
Don’t do what so many others try to do and address a two-thousand person crowd as your first engagement. Start small. Address your family, a bunch of your friends. Get used to talking to more than one person at a time. Then move on to a small group of strangers. My first engagement was 5 complete strangers and I found that very manageable.
Prepare -
You have to prepare. If you’re not willing to put work into preparing a good speech, you’re not going to do as good a job as you could.
Nail the intro -
For me and many others, breaking the silence is the hard part. I’ve heard many public speakers say, “after I get warmed up it’s a piece of cake.” In my experience it can take anywhere from a few seconds to five minutes or so to get to this warmed up stage.
For that reason alone you need to practice your intro over and over. Spend more time writing it so it flows, is logical, etc. And practice it to the mirror or a friend or your family. If you can nail your intro and get over the tough initial silence, you’ll soon find your rhythm and from there it really is a piece of cake.
Outline -
After you’ve nailed your intro you’ve got to know where else to take the speech, so simply plan one out. It’s not hard. Just pretend you’re hearing about the subject for the first time yourself and plan the lecture so it makes sense.
Take care of your body beforehand -
This is one thing that is often very overlooked. You need to eat and sleep before you give the lecture. Have water and get some exercise as well. If your body is working smoothly you’ll be able to give more attention to the matter at hand. One word of caution, and this is just my opinion here. Don’t eat right before the lecture. I find that eating not only makes me belch a bit, but the process of digestion added into the whole excitement of the situation makes me feel a bit off. I usually put about three hours between my last meal and lecture time. However, water I do right up to and during the lecture.
There are plenty of other things involved in your quest to become a great public speaker. The techniques above are designed to bring you from the state of a cowering mess in the closet to standing at the podium addressing a crowd.
Thanks to Darren at ProBlogger for coming up with another great group writing project. For more great How-to articles go visit his Site.
24 Comments
[…] How to Be a Great Public Speaker, by a Former Nervous Wreck by Charlie […]
Sound advice. I think speaking gets easier for most people once they try it a few times. It’s never as bad as you think.
[…] There is a good post over at Blargy that provides some good tips on being a great public speaker. The author does a great job of explaining some of the fundamentals to public speaking. I thought a small addition to this list might be helpful: tips on warming up. […]
Excellent ideas!! Our how-to is up as well if you’d like to check it out!!
Yes, I agree that to speak to a group of strangers does make me very nervous and it is the fear of the unknown that creates that nervousness. If it was a group of people that I know then there is no problem, controlling that fear is the key.
Brad - Definitely! I agree that it gets easier for most people after a few goes. It sure worked that way for me.
Legal - Awesome addition to my post. Thanks for the link and thanks for the warm-up tips.
I remember being in high school, and i was wondering if people were thinking…”her thighs look fat in those jeans” rather than, “hey, good speech”..peer pressure, ey? really nice post…i enjoyed reading it. (my face goes bright red when i have to speak in front of lots of people)
[…] 76. How to Be a Great Public Speaker by A Former Nervous Wreck by Charlie […]
Reminding speakers to start small when it comes to audience size is a great tip and one I learned the hard way. Great post and advise!
[…] How to Be a Great Public Speaker, by a Former Nervous Wreck by Charlie […]
[…] How to Be a Great Public Speaker, by a Former Nervous Wreck by Charlie […]
[…] How to Be a Great Public Speaker, by a Former Nervous Wreck by Charlie […]
[…] How to Be a Great Public Speaker, by a Former Nervous Wreck by Charlie […]
[…] How to Be a Great Public Speaker, by a Former Nervous Wreck by Charlie […]
[…] How to Be a Great Public Speaker, by a Former Nervous Wreck by Charlie […]
[…] We have 3 suggestions to help you make your own professional life easier: How to be a great public speaker, by A Former Nervous Wreck If you work in the Events business, chances are, you’re going to end up in front of the crowd sooner or later. Blargy’s point-by-point guide to preparing yourself for that day is some of the most practical advice we’ve read on the subject. […]
[…] How to Be a Great Public Speaker, by a Former Nervous Wreck by Charlie […]
[…] How to Be a Great Public Speaker, by a Former Nervous Wreck by Charlie […]
[…] From the Problogger ‘How To…’ Group Writing Project, blargy treats us to “How to Be a Great Public Speaker, by a Former Nervous Wreck”: Did you know that when surveyed about their greatest fear, people more often say public speaking than death? That’s right, apparently people would rather die than have to address a group of people. […]
[…] How to be a Great Speaker… […]
[…] How to Be a Great Public Speaker, by a Former Nervous Wreck by Charlie […]
I want to follow a career in motivational speaking, how do i effectively get myself invited to speak.
very informative
Thanks, Lucius! Appreciate it. Glad you liked it.
Spout it out!