10 techniques to speak in public and not faint trying

I am one of those people who has always been terrible at speaking in public. In a personal conversation or in a presentation with a small quorum I don't do badly, but the thought of facing an audience makes my hair stand on end. So recently Natalia Gómez's ebook, Public speaking and success , fell into my hands and I decided to share the public speaking techniques that I collected from more than 40 pages. 

A selection of the 10 best techniques for public speaking

Think that a good presentation is key when it comes to selling, be it an idea, a lifestyle, a product or even yourself. Actually, communication, as such, is a very important basis, since through it we show our image to the world. So… here are the 10 public speaking techniques that I want to highlight from what I have learned.

#1. shows naturalness

One of the best public speaking techniques is to always be yourself and not play any role, because this would make us lose credibility about what we are saying . If you are cheerful people, you do not have to hold back your character because it is a serious conference. If you are shy you do not have to become an extrovert to make your presentation.

You don't have to dress feeling uncomfortable; To speak in public you do not need to wear a suit, tie and shoes. If you don't like them, don't wear them! It's better to dress a little casual and not worry all through the talk about your clothes.

Of course, be yourself, but respecting the audience that is going to listen to you.

#2. Know your audience

It is what you should think about the most. They are the people who are going to listen to you and you should not allow them to get bored . Before starting to wonder how you will say things, how you will dress, how you will move through space... you must put yourself in the shoes of "the listener".

Why are you here? What do you need? What do you expect from me? How much time do you have? It is important that you abide by what they are going to get out of your presentation, and not the other way around.

Beware of pedantry or overestimation. Sometimes we sin by believing that the public knows everything we are going to talk about. Be careful with that! The audience is not omniscient, so explain things neatly and clearly, and don't leave out any details . But try not to go too far, your audience is not stupid either, nor do you want them to feel that way.

#3. the best at the beginning

Use a good phrase at the beginning. With that, you will create more expectation and a greater predisposition of your public to listen to you. You can use famous phrases, slightly crazy ideas, or a little joke. Watch out for the use of humor though , as it is one of the most powerful public speaking techniques, but very difficult to use successfully. Not everyone is made to laugh by the same things.

Start positively , the attitude with which you speak is also transmitted to the public. And a little smile is not too much, since the public will be more affable with you.

#4. control nerves

The great dilemma! The fear of speaking in public is one of the most widespread phobias. More than 80% of the population admits that they are afraid to speak in front of large concentrations of people . So don't worry, if you are one of them you are not alone. As much as I have read on the subject, I still believe that there is no perfect remedy . What's more, much of the advice that appears in articles and books contradicts itself. So I guess each person has to find what tricks he feels comfortable with.

Although what you always have to keep in mind is that if you have prepared yourself well, and conscientiously, the chances of something going wrong are minimal . If at any point you get stuck, breathe, count to 5, drink water and resume your speech. And if none of that is enough, you can resort to the typical “imagine your audience naked”.

#5. prepare the presentation

Cards, a video, support material, diagrams... and above all practice , lots and lots of practice. Speaking in public can be a gift, but it is also something that is learned, there is no doubt about that. So you can always improve, and you do improve through preparation and practice.

There are people who practice in front of the mirror, others prefer to record themselves so that they can observe and analyze themselves later, and others simply perform their presentation in front of friends or family. In a friendlier environment it is usually easier for us to be ourselves and helps us to achieve security.

MASTER IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Learn how to develop and accelerate the growth of your company

I want to know more!

Prepare your support material well , but remember that it is just that, support. Risto Mejide said:

Let's kill Power Point and present looking into the eyes

It attracts so much attention that even we ourselves look at it excessively. By this I do not mean that we completely get rid of the materials, since they are helpful to give turning points, pauses, to attract attention or even to give a touch of humor.

I remember a professor at my university who, in the middle of a class on the history of the Internet , put a picture of a smiling monkey on PowerPoint.

We were all taking notes like crazy, not paying much attention to what he was saying. And suddenly, with that photo, we all stopped and looked at each other without understanding anything. He said: "I have put this, well... because I like monkeys, and I wanted to see a monkey" and he continued with the class. That made us all smile, we had a moment of pause that helped us focus again on listening and assimilating what he was telling us. It was a break, a wake-up call, a touch of humor... It helped him a little for everything.

#6. Look at your entire audience

Speaking of not focusing on supporting material… Don't focus on one person either! No matter how important it is, or no matter how interested we see it. You are in front of an entire audience, your audience wants to be treated equally , so do it.

Use the “beacon gaze” and look at each person in your audience. If it is a very large space, do it by sectors. Eye contact is a very powerful weapon, which will make your audience pay even more attention if they think you are addressing them directly.

#7. The importance of rhythm

Don't use chants. When we give long, highly rehearsed talks, we tend to memorize both the words and the rhythm and tone. That's a big mistake for public speaking.

Vary your speed, pitch, and force during your speech . Mark the most important points well with strength and a slow pace. Leave pauses if what you have said requires time for reflection on the part of your audience. Give it rhythm, give life to the speech!

#8. Point out what you are talking about

As I have said, your audience does not know everything, and no matter how much the title of your presentation gives an idea of ​​what they are going to hear, it is always better to make it clear. And if necessary, repeat it.

If you see that you start to go around the bush, go back to the beginning. Repeat your theme, and come back from there. To do this, it will be very useful to have an outline of the complete presentation, which you can show your audience or not.

#9. Public speaking = telling stories

Storytelling is very helpful . For some time it has been used in advertising and marketing due to the power of conviction they have. Everyone likes a good story. They make the audience identify with the characters and make everything personal . It is important that the stories are:

• Personal, the more the better, because it will be easier for you to explain them naturally.
• Original and extraordinary.
• That they highlight some value of our speech
• That they fit into it, it wouldn't make sense to put stories in the middle of it because they're funny, period.

#10. Save the second best for last

At the beginning of the presentation you need to attract attention so that they attend to you, but just as important is to call it at the end so that they remember you . Think carefully about your last sentence, because it is the first thing your audience will remember when they leave the room. So a good strategy is to save the second most important thing in your speech for the end of your speech.

What did you think of this article on public speaking techniques? If you know of any more, share them in the comments.

If you have a project that you want to present or you are starting to undertake, reinforcing these techniques will be very useful. Train with us in the Master in Entrepreneurship and learn to apply agile methods in your projects. We will wait for you!