Online StorePublic Speaking Tips - What To Do Before And After You Open Your Mouth?
The Minute Before You Start Speaking
Take three deep breaths the minute before you get up to speak. Breathe deeply by inhaling through your nose, then hold your breath for about 2 to 3 seconds, and then let go slowly through the mouth.
You will find this simple exercise will really relax you and give you poise so you start your delivery with the maximum effect.
Patiently Wait For Everyone’s Attention
If when you get up to speak there is still a lot of noise or distraction among the audience WAIT!
Just maintain a relaxed facial expression and gaze around the hall as you wait for the audience to settle down. If that doesn’t work, then still maintaining a relaxed facial expression, and with your voice controlled, not revealing any hint of irritation, mention how it is good to see everyone present and encourage everyone to take their seats.
You might want to use a simple expression like: “Just as soon as everyone is happy and settled, we’ll begin the presentation.”
The First Words
If you use this public speaking tip, you are likely to gain much more respect from the audience and their attention will be 100 percent focused on you and your message.
Your first words should be given careful consideration seeing they are like a funnel which catches the attention of the audience and then channels it into your presentation.
The first few sentences can actually be written out in full and learned by heart. This ensures your launch is sure, confident, and unfaltering, boosting your own confidence as well.
Multiple Openers
Get skilled at using multiple kinds of opening sentences to snatch your audience’s attention. As your first few words can set the tone of your whole speech, it pays to give them very careful thought.
You might use:
A list of questions highlight aspects of the subject your audience might not have thought much about before
A direct quote from a leading authority or statistics from a recent news report
A real life experience or story that highlights the main theme or title of your speech
The Introduction - How Long?
It is important that the length of the introduction is in proportion to the whole time allotted for your speech.
If you are speaking for 30 minutes an introduction of 3 or 4 minutes is acceptable. If you are only speaking for 10 minutes then 30 seconds to 1 minute is enough to state a few simple introductory sentences to channel the attention of the audience into your main subject.
Make sure the relationship between your introduction and the body of the presentation is not a case of the tail wagging the dog!
New, inexperienced speakers often start a presentation in a faltering way which advertises the fact they are lacking in confidence and increases their own feelings of nervousness. Use the public speaking tips above and launch into your presentation confidently every time taking the audience right along with you.
