Public Speaking Tips for Students - How to speak effectively in-front of Class?

How to Improve Public Speaking?

“There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.”  -Dale Carnegie 

Nowadays, most of the people are losing their self-confidence. They hesitate when they are asked to speak in-front of a bulk of people. The one who wants a bright future ahead must be good at public speaking. To attract people one must have communication skills so that he/she could entertain the audience. In present time your appearance will decide your character and your speaking will present your thoughts.

Today’s youth finds it difficult to start a conversation with a random person. If a person cannot open a talk then how will the person socially interact with the people? In the way of becoming an entrepreneur, businessman or an influencer you must know public speaking. If you don’t know public speaking then accept it and start learning it. Even Charles Stewart Parnell, the great Irish leader, at the outset of his speaking career, was so nervous, that he frequently clenched his fist until his nails sank into his flesh and his palms bled.

In-fact, many of the famous speakers have made poor showings at first but now they are most famous speakers of all time. “We cannot decide one’s success by their initial talk.”

So to improve public speaking the following things are essential;

1] Start with a Strong and Persistent Desire

You must desire for big. In the book ‘Think and Grow Rich’ the author Napoleon Hill have forced on the power of auto-suggestion. If you firmly hold your desire then the sub-conscious mind also gets alert and you will definitely achieve your goal. Auto-suggestion is a state of mind in which your sub-conscious mind gets activated and focuses on only one thing. If your desire is pale and flabby, your achievements will also take on that hue and consistency. But, if you go after this with persistence and with energy, nothing underneath the Milky Way will defeat you. So in this war to exterminate your foolish fear of audience you must have a strong desire.

2] Act Confidently

In today’s world appearance does matters. If you are not confident in a situation but you act like you are confident then it will boost your believe system. To develop courage when you are facing an audience, act as if you already have it. Before facing your audience breathe deeply for 30 seconds. The great tenor, Jean de Reszke, used to say that when you had your breath so you ‘could sit on it’, nervousness vanished. If you act confidently your audience will listen to you and they will experience a feeling that the one they are listening to is a professional.  Draw yourself up to your full height to look your audience straight in the eyes, and begin to talk as confidently as if every one of them owned you money. So take the offensive against your fears. Go out to meet them, battle them, and conquer them by sheer boldness at every opportunity.

3] Know thoroughly what you are going to talk about

To speak in-front of a bulk of people thoroughly. Unless a man thought out and planned his talk and knows what he is going to say, he can’t feel very comfortable when he faces his audience. He is like the blind leading the blind.  You have to prepare your words before you speak. You must be answerable to the questions asked by your audience. Knowledge of the topic on which you will speak is equally important as the desire to speak.  Dale Carnegie said, “Keep your mind on it. Keep your heart in it. Know it like the back of your hand. Then talk as if you were determined to say it.”

4] Practice

“Practice makes a man perfect.” Very true! Practice will increase your confidence. The first way, the last way, the never-failing way to develop self-confidence in speaking is –to speak. Practice will enrich your tone of speaking. Your nervousness will decrease and you will be confident in-front of people. Theodore Roosevelt said, “Any beginner is apt to have Buck fever.” ‘Buck Fever’ means a state of intense nervous excitement which may be entirely divorced from timidity. And this can be reduce by doing practice. Choose your subject, preferably one on which you have some knowledge and construct a talk on it. Practice it by yourself a number of times. Then present it in-front of your audience with all your effort, all your force and power.

Also, your audience will engage with you if you start your talk in a unique way like ask them questions, crack a joke, tell them a story, etc. Your audience will definitely like it. If you’re comfortable with a unique way to open a talk then it’s great! Otherwise a simple start will also work. Also look into the eyes of your audience. Make an eye contact with your audience. This will help a lot.

Also comment your thoughts and suggestions about this article in comment section below.

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