Public Speaking Tips

I used to think that if you led a team or led a company, you oozed communication skills and confidence. To be in charge you must be pretty comfortable in the spotlight.

Turns out I was wrong.

You can be great at your job, and really tough on email, or in your comfort zone and safety of the office space… but it doesn’t mean you don’t quiver at the knees at the thought of being part of a panel presentation. I’ve even found that sometimes the boss is totally confident to deliver the message, but the corporate communications team are pretty  nervous about the boss’s ability to stay on message.

Hello presentation training. A good public speaking course takes the best lessons from media training and mixes them with communication training. This speaker training teaches you how to structure your presentation, control a conversation, engage the audience and stick to the plan.

Media Training in Perth means I’ve trained my fair share of execs. Some had to deliver prepared speeches and weren’t allowed to stray too far from the script. Some had more freedom. Either way, successful presentations or speeches start with good structure and prep.

Here’s some other presentation skills and tips:

• Consider audience engagement. The best way to have the audience listen to you, is to involve them. Hands up if you agree (see what I did there)?
• Don’t underestimate the importance of a pause. The silence that falls seconds before your main point, or seconds after it, gives your words impact.
• A lectern is a big boring barrier between you and the audience, but it’s also really useful for notes. Don’t use it as a safety blanket, learn the skills to communicate through it.
• Mark up your script with pause, emphasis, feelings and movements. I love using different colours. But there are a heap of ways to do this, find the one that works for you.
• If you prefer to speak totally unscripted, go for it. But at least plan your structure – your beginning , middle and ‘full circle’ end.
• Don’t ignore the distractions (or hecklers) – refer to them. Deal with them.
• If your presentation involves question time, open the questions yourself. “The question I get asked every time I do this is …” It’ll take the sting out of that awful question you know is coming anyway.

Public speaking training will teach you to calm your nerves and use your voice, body language and eye contact to enhance your message. You’ll learn how to tell a story and persuade an audience.