Tips for effective public speaking

A key component of communication, public speaking or speaking generally is an art that can make a message resonate well with a target audience. It also serves as a tool through which PR practitioners achieve their objectives. However, delivering a good speech relies on putting certain elements into effect, as listed below.

1: Research on the topic:

In order to deliver a good speech to an audience, a detailed research must be conducted on the topic before delivery. This would enable the speaker have sufficient knowledge on the subject and gain some confidence before the audience in the course of delivery.

It would also enable him/her to be able to take questions on the topic from the audience. This would also inspire confidence on the part of the audience and enable the message being passed by the speaker, resonate well with them.


2: Theme:

Every speaker about to face an audience in the course of delivering a message should focus on a particular theme. Having a particular theme in place would keep him or her on track with the message without veering off into another topic.

Developing a theme would also enable the speaker reinforce the message before the audience and remain consistent in the course of delivering the message to the audience. Being consistent with the message would keep both the speaker and audience on the same page.

3: Stick to your personality:

While speaking to an audience it's important the speaker embraces his/ her own distinct personality and not try to be someone else. Trying to imitate someone else
can alienate the speaker from the audience. It's important for a speaker to understand that his/her unique personality is conveyed through  the tone, expressions and body language.

4: conduct Research on the audience:

It's crucial for the speaker to conduct a research on the audience he or she would be addressing. This would enable him or her know the educational level of the audience and other details such as their age grouping, sex and professional backgrounds.

A good knowledge of the audience's background would enable the speaker tailor his message to suit the level of understanding of the audience based on findings from such research.

5: Practice:

Every person about to speak to an audience, especially for first timers, owes it a duty to practice. This is necessary in overcoming stage freight and boosting confidence of the speaker. To begin with the speaker should identity those things he or she is not confident about before the audience and develop a means to deal with them.

6: Engaging the audience:

Another critical component of effective speaking borders on actively engaging the audience. This is necessary in order to keep them active and not passive. Actively engaging the audience can be achieved by creating room for moderated questions and answers.

Catch words, which the audience can respond or chorus to can be developed. Engaging the audience in the course of speaking serves as a key element in public speaking. It creates room for a discussion among all parties involved. This makes an event lively and shifts attention from the speaker to the audience as well.