I recently watched a friend of mine give a speech at a wedding.  He was so nervous but had a great amount to say.  While his words were engaging, funny and appropriate, he nearly lost the audience as he choked on his words as it sounded like he forgot that to remain fully alive one must breathe.

Being able to breathe properly during public speaking is essential.  Breathe incorrectly and your words are lost, your fear and anxiety increase and in many cases your message is lost.  If you don’t breathe properly you can end up with a dry agitated cough, irritated throat, dry mouth, scratchy throat and a rasping between words.

Another problem with improper breathing during public speaking is the loss of words.  Either through the lack of breath, and the speaker is trying to get all their words out in one short breath, or breathing so hard that words are missed or swallowed.

Learning to breathe in a composed manner will assist in getting your message across and assist in alleviating the fear and anxiety that can so often destroy a speech.  It is important to get your breathing correct from the beginning.  Before you even are called to stand and speak take a moment to collect your thoughts and take some deep breaths right into the lungs to gain a full amount of oxygen and to release any tension.

As the speech goes on it would be a good idea to practice breathing from the depths of the diaphragm.  This will help you to breathe in a circular fashion that will allow you to speak clearly without the shallow breaths that make it difficult to hear your words.

Breathing will help you relax and be able to deliver your speech in the best possible way, being clear, articulate, loud and most importantly understood.

One of the most useful techniques you can ever learn to engage and connect with your audience is the simple technique of smiling.  A smile brings a warmth, an easiness, a closeness, an ease for people to like you immediately.

A smile can be given without much effort but have a huge impact on the audience.  I am sure you can think of someone who has a beautiful smile and who lights up the room just by doing exactly that.

There are so many benefits to smiling when you are giving a speech.

Smiling can help you relax.  It not only helps your audience connect and relate to you but it puts you in a better mood.  Have you ever tried smiling when you are feeling mad, or sad or depressed?  Try it – it instantly lifts your own mood.

Smiling makes you more attractive.  People are drawn to people who are happy and alive and a smile can certainly make you look happier and alive.  People will feel connected to you and want to hear what it is that you have to say.

Smiling can help to alleviate any stress, anxiety or fear you have in relation to public speaking.  Smiling actually lowers your blodd pressure and reduces stress.

Smiling makes you appear approachable so if people have questions about your presentation, product or speech they are much more likely to approach you and ask you questions and seek clarification.

Smiling makes people react to you in a positive way.  It helps them get to know you and to feel warmth radiating from you.  It helps them to feel comfortable. You appear confident and friendly.

Practice smiling as you practice your public speaking.  The more you smile, the easier it will become for you to do it naturally.

Remember just smile, smile, smile.

Public speaking is something many of us have to do throughout our lifetime.  It may be at short notice we are thrust into the world of public speaking fear.  “Excuse me dear do you mind getting up and thanking the guests for coming…and try to be funny will you”  It is this kind of request that makes people quiver, sweat and shake or wish the ground would open up and swallow them whole.

According to many studies across the world, public speaking fear is a bigger fear than death. So what is it about speaking to a group of people that makes us so afraid?  There are many reasons that people fear public speaking and one of the big ones is that people fear that they are going to make a fool of themselves.  Standing up in front of other people can make people feel extremely vulnerable and feel like their every word and every move is being judged.  People often act very differently in a crowd situation for the very same reason.  They are scared of being made a fool of or acting differently to all the other people around them and then being made an outcast.

Considering so many of us will be called upon at some stage throughout our life to speak in public, it is really worth overcoming the fear and learning how to be a confident public speaker for these occasions.

People are not born with the ability to speak at all.  We have to learn from an early age how to understand others and then speak so we are understood.  Watch a baby learning to talk, they practice all day long.  They make mistakes but they soon learn and we learn to understand them.

Public speaking is a skill that too can be learned.  Your first task is to understand why it is that you are speaking and know who it is that you are speaking to.  There are numerous techniques that you can master that will help you to not only overcome your fear but actually enjoy public speaking and become good at it.

Making sure you practice your speech will allow you to know your material and improve your confidence so that you can concentrate on the actual delivery of the material.  The better you know your topic, the more confident you will be. Also through the use of practice you can ensure that your speech flows, rehearse the beginning and closing lines and ensue your speech falls within the required timeframe.

Public speaking is a skill that can be learned. It is an important component of communicating effectively and getting your message across.  One of the most powerful tools in public speaking is to be genuine.  So make sure you are yourself, that your knowledge is up to date and that you come across as believable.  When you master the skills you can look forward to public speaking rather than wishing that you were dead!

One of the things many people forget is that public speaking is about getting a message across and being an effective communicator.  If your message is not clearly conveyed to the audience, or if they have misinterpreted your meaning or just don’t understand what you are saying then you have failed as a public speaker.

Although fear and nerves can rise up in your body at the very thought of standing in front of a live audience and speaking, it is something that can, with a little practice be overcome.

It is important that when you are speaking that you stay on topic.  Too often speakers let their fear take over and they begin to ramble or go off on some irrelevant tangent as part of controlling theirs nerves.

One of the best ways to stay on topic is to put in adequate preparation.  This is one of the most important techniques to use in being an effective public speaker.  You need to put time and effort and thought into what you are going to say, into who the audience is, into what message you are delivering.  You need to be prepared about how many people you are addressing and be prepared about what type of technology you will be using and about how you will present if the technology fails.  Preparation of what the room will look like and being clear about what your message is is extremely important.

One key tip to remember is getting yourself into a positive state in your mind and in your thoughts, expecting success.  Use this simple public speaking tips and you will be amazed at how your audience will respond.

Effective communication skills are vital to succeed in any area of life, whether they are used at work, within relationships, families or in our daily interactions with other human beings at the shop, on the train or with the postman. So many misunderstandings occur in our daily lives because of ineffective communication. How many times a day are you misunderstood? Do people take the wrong meaning to what you intended? Do you have trouble expressing yourself clearly so people understand what you are saying?

One of the key components of effective communication and to improve your public speaking is the ability to listen. Yes even when you are the one speaking. If you are a good listener it will help you to understand how to ensure that you are being listened to.

So if you are speaking in public why do you have to listen?

There are many reasons for listening. . First if you have arrived before a speaking event you can grab the opportunity to speak to members of the audience before you get up to speak. You can use your active listening skills with individuals or small groups of the audience before you speak increasing the likelihood that they will reciprocate and listen to you when it is your time to speak. Also if you listen intently to what they are saying you may be able to take aspects of what you were speaking about and refer to it in your speech. (Always check with people if it is something sensitive.)
Sometimes if you don’t know what they are speaking about, you don’t listen and then get up, you could be stating some very similar points without even realizing, which will demonstrate to the entire audience your poor listening skills.

You may be required to answer questions after your speech is concluded. It is important you take the time to understand and listen to the question before you launch into your answer. It might mean you need to feedback to the
person asking the question and rephrase the question to ensure you are understanding their meaning.

Have you ever been speaking to someone about something that is important to you and you can tell they are not  listening? They may be hearing what you say and giving an occasional nod or ‘a-huh’ but you can tell they are not
actively listening to you?

So how do you ensure you are listening and how do you improve your ability to listen? When somebody actively listens to you they give you their full attention. They don’t interrupt you, they feedback to you what you have said to ensure they have understood you correctly; they ask questions to clarify (but don’t interrupt you to do so).

Listening, when done properly can be quite tiring as it can take a lot of concentration. You need to stop your mind
wandering and stop the incessant chatter that can go on in your mind. You can use your body language to help listening, by leaning forward, looking interested in what the other person has to say and looking at them.

If you practice your listening skills and get good at it will help you in all walks of life. So just practice these communication strategies and you will be well on your way to mastering public speaking.

Why bother with Public Speaking?

Let me assure you that no matter what you do for work, all through your life public speaking, if you learn to master it, will be an asset to you. I had never planned on being a public speaker or doing a job that involved public speaking but after learning the skills at the age of 16 I have never looked back.

In my very first lessons about public speaking I was shaking with fear but through week after week of practice I began to learn how to use my notes, how to overcome my nervous habit of shifting from one foot to the other, I learnt how to smile and engage with the audience and I learnt how to speak loudly so an audience could hear me.

It is one of the most wonderful and useful skills that I ever put time into learning. It helped me to develop my confidence and to be articulate. It assisted me with developing my ideas into a logical sequence, mastering my debating skills and being able to express my personal views to friends and colleagues. It also assisted me in being able to critique other speakers and what they have to say.

Being able to speak in public as well as willing to speak in public can be a unique skill set to have in the work environment. It will put you ahead of others at job interviews and promotions. You will impress friends, colleagues and your boss.
Speak and the door shall be opened with opportunity after opportunity. I have been provided with some extraordinary experiences simply by having the ability to speak in public.

Two short years after first learning the skills I went for and was offered a job that meant getting up and speaking to
groups of young people on an almost daily basis. Would I have considered going for that job if I had not had the public speaking training? Not a chance. I went on to be given the opportunity to learn puppeting skills and clowning skills, both which involved lengthy public speaking addresses.

I have used my skills in public speaking to address audiences at parties, weddings, work functions, hostile crowds, young people, the elderly and people with disabilities. It has been one of the most rewarding and useful skills I have ever learnt. The feelings aroused in you after addressing an audience when you know that you have engaged with them, when they laugh where they are supposed to, gasp when that is appropriate and applaud on your conclusion are stirring to the core
of your being. You feel elated, satisfied and joyous at a job well done.

That is why I bother with public speaking!

You have no doubt seen an audience responding very positively to a public speaker who speaks with confidence. There is something about them, they hold themselves with a certain air, they seem invincible, alluring, attractive… but how do they do it?
If you want to develop your confidence levels when speaking consider using some of these simple steps below to increase your own confidence and make you feel incredible:

• Make sure that you fill your mind with positive thoughts. You can do this by imagining yourself getting up and speaking in front of an audience and doing so with confidence and poise. Fill your mind with positive pictures of yourself, the audience responding, everything going well. Picture people coming up to you after your speech telling you what a great job you did and how confident you looked.

• Think about other areas of your life where you have been successful and developed confidence. It might be that you are very confident in a particular field. Remind yourself of how well you have done in this particular field and renew the feelings of confidence that you have managed to develop around this topic. Its good to remind yourself of this because at some stage you were not as confident as you are now in that particular area, you have developed your confidence through practice, experience, knowledge and determination. You did it once, you can do it again.

• To feel confident it is important to be thoroughly prepared. This means knowing the topic that you are speaking about, researching about it and ensuring you know it back to front. It means practicing; rehearsing, timing yourself and anticipating any questions you may be asked.

• Remember that if you act confidently, you will be more confident. How do youact confidently? You can ensure you walk tall, shoulders back, chest out and smile. So many people forget to smile but a smile can really help you to relax and can show the audience you feel comfortable. By filling your mind with positive thoughts and words you are also sending out a positive energy to the audience which allows you to look more confident.

• Don’t agonize about the audience and how they are judging you or what they are thinking about you. Embrace who you are and be genuine in your delivery. Don’t worry about stumbling over the odd word or making a mistake. If you show that you are human then audiences will connect with you as they can relate to you.

One of the biggest tips I received early on when learning about public speaking was the more you appear to be confident to others, the more your confidence will actually grow. So keep believing in yourself. Keep practicing and watch your confidence grow rapidly.

When I started out in public speaking I was terrified.  My body used to shake, my heart would beat so fast it felt like it would explode through by chest and my voice would quiver and shake as I spoke.  It was not fun and not enjoyable but then I learn about public speaking nerves and how to control them and I have never looked back.

When I learned about public speaking and how to relax my life changed for the better and I started to enjoy the chance to speak.  A friend of mine recently was required to speak at work for a conference.  She too suffers from the debilitating public speaking nerves and was ringing for some advice.  This is what I told her:

I suggested she undertake the following routine:

Lay down.  Close her eyes.  Breathe deeply and slowly and visualize the room she will be speaking in.  Picture herself standing up in front of the audience and going through her speech (a topic she is very knowledgeable in).  Picture yourself standing confidently, looking at the audience, smiling and the audience smiling back. Feel the feelings associated with having done a good speech.  Imagine people coming up to you after the speech and telling you how well you did.  Take at least half an hour to go through all these images in detail.

Drink plenty of water and eat healthily and lightly the day before the event.  Our bodies are made up of a lot of water and it’s important to keep hydrated. By eating healthily and drinking plenty of water our bodies will be filled with positive energy.  It will make us feel alert and energized and prepare us to perform well on the day.

On the day itself breathe away those nerves.  When you take some slow, deep breaths you calm your body.  The additional oxygen you receive helps your brain to think more clearly and you can really control your nerves and  dissipate the butterflies and the shakes.

It is also important on the day that you block those negative thoughts that come hurtling at you.  It is only natural to be a little apprehensive and nervous but if you allow those thoughts to take over and think of all the things that could go wrong you nerves will be on edge.  If you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts let your mind pass over them quickly and consciously concentrate on positive images of you speaking confidently and being successful in getting your message across.

Smile. Smiling releases good feelings within the body, helps you to connect with your audience and causes people to smile back at you.  When people smile at you, you instantly feel more relaxed because you feel like they are on your side.

My friend rang me after her presentation and said she had put all the above tips into practice to control her public speaking nerves.  “How did it go I asked?”  She blurted out she had never felt so confident or relaxed before.  She used all the tips and felt a feeling of calm come over her body.  Her colleagues asked her what she had done because she was so different.  They told her she appeared so confident and they couldn’t hear the normal shakiness of nerves in her voice.  “I got some good advice she responded and more importantly I put it into practice!”