One of the best thing you can do as a newbie in public speaking is to get advice from more seasoned speakers. To get you started, I've asked readers of The Eloquent Woman on Facebook to share their top advice for new speakers or presenters--and I've added links to resources that will help you act on their wisdom. Here's what they advise:- Jennie Poppenger urges new speakers: "Know your audience!" Always good advice--but how do you do that? I've got 5 ways a speaker can find out about your audience, opportunities for you to discover more before you start to speak.
- Jennifer Roberts reminds you to "Practice, Practice, Practice." I couldn't agree more, but sometimes it's tough to find the time to practice your speech or presentation. Try my 5 stealth ways to find time to practice to get over that barrier.
- Anne Balcer wants you to get used to the space where you'll be speaking. She advises, "Get in to where you will be speaking before the event, and pace around where you will stand, claiming the space for yourself. Makes an unbelievable difference in your confidence level!" When you do that, take along my checklist for sussing out your speaker space as a guide.
- Dorie Hightower suggests that you "make eye contact with the audience and smile before you launch into your talk." Try these 5 eye contact tips for speakers to get started, and read Confidence: Fake it until you make it to find out why smiling helps you not only to connect with the audience, but to mask your fears and improve how you feel physically.
- Cherisa Zafft speaks from experience: "Breathe from your diaphragm." Check out how to breathe like a baby (with a link to how the diaphragm works) and learn about how to use breathing to control your stress about speaking in When the speaker needs to catch her breath.
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3 comments:
Great resources. Thank you for posting. I do quite a lot of public speaking and I've never received training. Your blog has helped me to think about ways to improve my public speaking skills. Recently, I was asked to give a speech about my work. I normally facilitate workshops, so I wasn't used to giving a 15-20 minute talk. Afterwards, an older gentleman approached me and told me to take a speech class. He said during my speech I was speaking 4 notes above my normal voice. When he heard me speaking to people after the speech, he said my voice was very different from the voice I used during the speech. He told me to speak from my diaphragm rather than the back of my throat. At first, I was offended, but then I realized this was a very helpful comment. Do you think I should take a class or are there resources that you know of that help people practice these skills? Since I am a young woman (late 20s), I am sensitive to the fact my youth often makes it difficult to connect with an audience. I want to try my best to work on this challenge....I appreciate any advice.
Holly, I'm glad you're focused on improving your speaking--it's a skill you can use throughout your career.
I always think training is useful, particularly if you have something specific on which to focus. Feel free to email me at info[at]dontgetcaught[dot]biz for ideas about training.
In the meantime, check out this post about establishing your credibility when your age is working against you: http://eloquentwoman.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-do-i-establish-credibility-as.html
And to figure out the right range for your voice, check out these tips from a vocal coach--and note that you can damage your voice if you're pitching it too low or too high: http://eloquentwoman.blogspot.com/2011/01/womens-voices-are-you-speaking-too-low.html
Let us know your progress. I'm glad the blog has been helpful to you and look forward to helping you find a good training solution!
Thanks, Denise. I'll check out these resources and send you a email soon. I appreciate your feedback.
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