5 Expert tips to improve your public speaking skills

Speak Up: 5 Expert tips to improve your public speaking skills

ashley

19 Sep 2017

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Planning is key
Forget winging it, if you want to create a compelling and engaging speech that would make everyone sit up and listen, you need to plan! Think about how you want to structure your content and context of the presentation. It is also pivotal to know your material! You'd have trouble articulating your topic if you don't know it yourself!
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Keep practicing
Practice does indeed make perfect. Whoever coined these iconic yet cliche words obviously knows what they're talking about! You don't have to spend hours memorising chunks of information and statistics. Instead, opt for learning the main points and elaborating the rest in your own words, based on your understanding of the topic. Regurgitating obviously rehearsed words would neither endear nor engage your audience!
3/5
Remember your body language
Channel your inner Winston Churchill by minding your body language! It is indeed astonishing that relatively trivial things like posture and eye contact can make or break your speech. Simple things like standing up straight, making eye contact and not fidgeting does wonders in improving your image and credibility in the eyes of your audience!
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Engage your audience
To create an articulate yet compelling presentation that resonates within your viewers, create a hook that reels your audience in and enthralls them. Include witty remarks, relevant anecdotes and personal stories that interweaves your personality with your content. This helps the audience to relate and feel engaged throughout your speech.
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Think positive!
Last of all, think positive! If you bombard yourself with a wave of self-deprecation right before a presentation, you're bound to fumble with your words and mess up. Sometimes, all you need is some confidence! Try reading an inspirational quote or even a funny meme to tame those nerve-racking butterflies in your stomach!

Ace your work pitches or school presentations with these 5 tried-and-tested tips to improve your public speaking skills!

If you haven’t penned down public speaking skills as one of your new year resolutions at the start of 2017, perhaps you ought to reconsider doing so. Public speaking is an especially necessary skill to possess in school or the workplace. From proposing a sales pitch to conducting a seminar, oratory skills are paramount in the working world. If your degree is all you bring to the table, you’d soon find yourself out of depth in an environment that values persuasive and articulate individuals.

Now before you bang your head on the table in despair, don’t fret! We’ve collated 5 tried and tested techniques that would undoubtedly jazz up your oratory skills! Conquer your nerves and prepare to deliver a compelling speech guaranteed to knock the socks off your coworkers!

Ashley Anand

Photos: Getty Images

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