An individual’s ability to lead has a direct connection to the kind of orator or public speaker he or she is. Other individuals often regard an individual’s ability to speak in public as a barometer of his leadership skills. Some of the most prominent leaders in the world have had the power to connect with the masses through the medium of public speaking. Not just political leaders, but normal individuals as well tend to make a fat better impression if their speaking skills are good.
People who can speak well in public are regarded as having a high level of self-confidence. Such people generally do well in a group discussion, presentation, or a job interview. To some, speaking comes naturally, others struggle with it. But you can definitely become good at it with time and patience. So you’re saying to yourself that ‘public speaking scares me’, then maybe you need some tools, as this article will be discussing, to refine your oratory skills.
First, in order to remove the ‘scares me’ tag from your mind, you need to ask yourself: what is really required of me for public speaking? You need to introspect and answer a few questions, such as: ‘what is it about speaking in front of others that scares me the most?’, or ‘where it is easy for me to speak in front of people and where it is difficult?’ For instance, you might find it easy to recount a tale or an anecdote in front of a group of friends, but may not be able to articulate your thoughts when asked for an opinion in front of a classroom. After you have answered these questions, you need to set some goals for yourself in the public speaking department.
In order to get rid of the ‘public speaking scares me’ syndrome, you will do well to speak on topics that interest you. But there is a catch; you need to think if the same topics will interest the others as well. Once you have finalized a topic, check if it has one single main idea or point that you can base your talk on and also if you can find comprehensive information on it. The topic of your choice should inform people, or educate them, persuade them for something or it can simply be entertaining in nature.
It is important to be fully prepared before you head out for a speech or talk in front of an audience. Make sure everything you require to assist you during your talk is with you, for instance, your notes, slides, and statistics. When you are finally speaking, begin your talk with an important piece of information or statistics or a quote that hooks the audience. It should be able to catch the interest of the members of the audience almost immediately. Keep the closing of your talk brief but intelligent and impressive. Do not repeat points as they are sure to bore your audience.