Speak With Confidence

There is a natural fear of public speaking that most people experience when they are to deliver a presentation or speak in public. It is far more unusual for people to be able to naturally speak with confidence.

There are a number of techniques that can be used to help with public speaking anxiety. One of the best methods to use to speak with confidence is practice. More than any other human activity,confident public speaking is improved by practice and doing.

When learning to swim, the swimmer first gathers their confidence to get in the water. Once inthe water they gain confidence by learning the strokes and practicing until they swim confidence.In the same way a public speaker can use practice to be able to speak with confidence.

There are 2 ways a public speaker can use practice to develop their skill and confidence:

(1) Practicing a speech

Practicing a speech is similar to rehearsing a play. Practice helps you get used to your speech, thetiming, cues and the flow of the speech. It also helps in discovering anything that doesn't work as planned.

Deliver the speech several times, including a few times to friends and family. If possible practicethe delivery of the speech in room where you will actually give your speech.

Practice the speech in the way you expect to deliver it. There are 4 ways a speech can bedelivered; (a) impromptu, (b) extemporaneously, (c) memorized or (d) reading the speech. Theextemporaneous way where you speak from very brief notes (written or memorized) of the mainideas of the speech and form the words as you speak is the preferred way. It enables the speaker to be more flexible and to deliver the speech in the most effective style of delivery, that is in aconversational style.

(2) Practicing Speaking

Learning to swim means finding a swimming hole or pool to practice your strokes. In learning public speaking it requires finding a meeting to practice your speaking.

Fortunately there is ample opportunity in most communities for an ambitious speaker to beheard. There are many meetings held weekly in a community e.g. luncheon meetings, lodgemeetings, civic meetings, P.T.A. meetings etc.

Also there are many courses runs that can help with public speaking that give the opportunity to be heard and practice your newly discovered skills.

As with all fields of human activity, practice plays an important part in developing skills andconfidence in public speaking. The more frequently you practice the quicker and easier it is toovercome public speaking anxiety and fear to speak with confidence.Most effective speakers
today started off as nervous speakers and it was through practice that they developed their skills to become confident public speakers.