Chapter Ten

Speak Confidently

Do you know how to speak in public? Have you ever spoken in public? Are you scared to speak in public? Research shows that public speaking is the second fear people have next to death. Therefore, don’t worry if you are scared of speaking in public. This chapter discusses public speaking and provides tools and techniques to speak confidently.

We shall first understand what public speaking is all about! Public speaking is an art and a skill to communicate with the audience effectively. It is one of the key characteristics of several great leaders. Most leaders are not good at public speaking initially. However, they develop and master this skill gradually. Some great speakers are Dr Martin Luther King Jr, John F. Kennedy, Winston Churchill and Barack Obama.

Public speaking is closely connected with oratory. According to Cicero, an orator combines—‘the acuteness of the logicians, the wisdom of the philosophers … the memory of lawyers, the voice of tragedians ….’. Cicero states that, ‘Nothing therefore is more rarely found among mankind than a consummate orator’.

Tips to Conquer Your Fear of Public Speaking

Here are some tips to conquer your fear of public speaking:

• Drink sufficient amounts of water as it keeps your mind cool.
• Count from number one to ten, and then count back from ten to one as it reduces nervousness.
• Close your eyes and meditate for some time to enhance concentration.
• Practice the content well. Give lectures in front of family or friends. Revise the content a number of times.
• Have the courage to stand up and speak.
• Don’t hesitate to speak, if you get any opportunity to speak in big audiences.

Public Speaking Pointers

Public speaking is an art, a craft and a skill. If people want to hone their public speaking skills, they must have a passion for learning the ropes. Here are a few nuggets you can keep in mind, to connect with your audiences quickly and deliver effective presentations:

• Use humour as an ice-breaking tool to connect with your audiences. Humour breaks the tense situation and helps connect with the audience quickly. However, avoid using excessive humour as it compromises the content and you may be labelled as an entertainer rather than a professional speaker.
• Use alliterations and rhymes as they sound like music to your audience and they will help you retain the important information for a longer time.
• You can also tell tales as tales connect with audiences quickly. People are excited about listening to stories. Besides, tales help connect the reel content with real-life events. Research reveals that only one out of seven messages gets across to the audience during communication and the rest fall flat. Hence, speakers must use visuals while speaking with the audience as people remember visuals more. If possible, you can also interact with your audience if it happens to be a small gathering as this inter-personal communication ensures effective takeaways.
• Research also unfolds that audiences often lose touch with speakers when a speech exceeds seven minutes. Hence, it is essential to gauge the body language of the audience frequently during presentations so as to change presentation styles accordingly. If a speaker finds that the audience is losing interest, then he must share anecdotes or short stories about the topic to lighten the conversation and make people listen.
• The audience expects two E’s from the speaker—education and entertainment. The main theme for public speaking is to inform and educate. At the same time, don’t dump knowledge at one go as the audience will not be able to digest it.
• Start the speech by breaking the ice with quotes, stories or anecdotes. Maintain a slow pace initially and gradually gain momentum as you deliver the content.
• Don’t use too much of fillers as it hinders the quality of the presentation.
• Body language plays a crucial role in your presentation. Effective coordination of verbal and non-verbal communication helps the audience understand the content more effectively. You should also keep in mind the use of positive body language. Never point your finger at the audience as it is a sign of negative body language.
• Choose the topic in which you are confident. In order to deliver effectively, you need to have a good command over the content.
• Be a good communicator. Have a good command over the language as well. Use correct grammatical language and simple vocabulary, so that everyone can understand and appreciate what you are saying.
• Whenever you find it tough to recall the content, repeat and elaborate the key ideas in a different manner. Evan Esar said, ‘Public speaking is the art of diluting a two-minute idea with a two-hour vocabulary’.
• Adopt a Socratic Method of reply if a person asks any questions. It encourages interaction, and the questioner understands the topic clearly. If the answer is not extracted from the questioner, you can reveal the answer appropriately.
• Try to give what the audience wants rather than giving them what you know.
• Vary the tone of your voice constantly. The speech will sound like music for the listeners then and you will be adding enthusiasm to your speech.
• Move around freely on the stage.
• Your presentation should be such that even poor listeners should listen to you and understand what you say.

When you deliver a presentation the next time, keep these techniques in your mind apart from doing a lot of preliminary research about the topic well in advance. Ralph Waldo Emerson rightly noted, ‘Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel’. You can attract others either with your words or deeds. Oratory is a powerful tool to influence others. It can be used for good or bad. Barack Obama uses this skill for the betterment of mankind while Osama used his speeches to incite the destruction of mankind. You can use your speech like a sharp saw that can cut a wood log in a single stroke. Make sure