No one can undermine the power of a great speech that is delivered by an eloquent speaker. Their words can motivate, inspire and influence. When you think about it, a moving speech can even make miracles. It is also always a pleasure to listen to a great speaker with a meaningful message. So if you want to have a sought-after skill, you may want to hone your public speaking ability. It may seem like an ambitious attempt as great speakers appear oozing with confidence and wisdom. These speakers may appear so at home on stage that it is easy to conclude that they are born with that skill.
While a select few deliver their piece with ease and ardor, the majority start thinking that they are simply not as gifted in public speaking. Even so, everyone should still strive to be good in public speaking because it is a skill that you will find useful anywhere you go. If you consider speaking in front of an audience as one of your weaknesses, take steps to overcome it. Chances are it will not be such a difficult task because there are simple things you can do everyday to conquer stage fright. Listed below are three things you can do to improve your public speaking skills.
Read aloud.
Reading is already a good habit because of its endless benefits. For one, it widens your knowledge and vocabulary. Then if you want to improve your speech power, you may want to try reading aloud. It is as simple as setting a time for daily reading and saying the words aloud. This practice will help you improve your voice and diction as you listen to yourself pronounce the words. To further benefit from this practice, it is recommended to choose different reading materials so you can adjust your tone and pace depending on the message you are reading.
Tell stories.
All great speakers are amazing storytellers. Through their words they can paint picture of scenes that mesmerize their audience. If you want to achieve the same impact when you deliver a speech, practice telling stories. You can easily incorporate this in your daily life as you converse with the people around you. At the end of the day, you can tell your parents about your day in detail. If you had a recently interesting experience, share it with your friends. Be mindful of the flow and details of your story. You can compose the story in your head first so your audience will not get bored or confused. As you enhance your storytelling skills you also improve your public speaking skills.
Sing a song.
The sound of a speaker’s voice has a huge role in the success of a speech. It is pleasing to listen to a speaker with a nice voice. In a way, your voice can make or break a speech. Fortunately, there is something fun you can do to improve your speaking voice: singing. Everybody loves singing and it’s something you can do on a whim. It will not even feel like work as you entertain yourself while exercising your vocal chords. If you get used to using your voice to express yourself, you may not feel so nervous or overwhelmed when someone asks you to speak onstage. To further benefit from this practice you can use a karaoke machine and record your voice.
Aside from the things listed above, there are many other things you can do to appear natural and comfortable as you speak on stage. It simply implies that public speaking is never an unattainable skill. With small but consistent effort anyone can master this skill with ease.
