Saturday 25 January 2014

Public Speaking Skills

Communication is the most powerful tool we have for business and personal relations. This is why it is so important to be a good public speaker. It does not matter who you are what you are what sort of job you hold but on one day you will be required to make a speech before standing the audience. Presentation and public speaking skills are required for professional students as they are expected to give presentations at conferences or research group meetings. Hence, a professional student should learn these skills without any more escaping.

Benefits of public speaking
  • You can go up the corporate ladder
  • Employers prefer hiring people with good public speaking skills
  • You feel better about yourself
  • Improves your self-confidence, character & sense of fun
  • Receive recognition
  • Learn to speak concisely, clearly and confidently
  • Effectively persuade others
  • Opens up new opportunities
Public speaking tips:
  • Be familiar with your topic: Before giving your presentation you should know more about the topic or title properly.Using of humour, personal stories and simple language will be helpful to you.
  • Rehearse: Rehearse out loudly the topic you have chosen. Practice with a timer and do a revision if necessary.
  • Be aware of your audience: In order to aware your audience well try to reach the spot in advance and establish rapport by talking to audience for some time.
  • Get familiar with the hall: For effective presentation you must be familiar with the hall. Arrive the spot or hall early and walk around the hall. You must also ensure arrangements are perfect for your presentation.
  •  Speaking: Begin your presentation with a quote, saying, proverb, with a good joke. Never read from the text and avoid words that you find difficult to pronounce.
  • Hand outs: Prepare good hand outs and keep them ready. Do not distribute them before or during your talk. You can better distribute them at the end.
  • Handle unexpected issues smoothly: You should prepare even for handling unexpected issues smoothly such as – maybe the lights will go out or maybe the projector is dead. So have a plan to handle every situation.
  • Seek and utilize feedback: Remember that no presentation or presenter is perfect. If you aim for continuous improvement the only best way to improve is to solicit candid feedback from your audience.
  • Make eye contact: Develop intimacy with your audience by making solid eye contact with them. Try to make eye contact with each person at least once.
  • Visualize yourself giving your speech: Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and confident. Visualize the audience clapping – it will boost your confidence.
  • Obey time constraintsYou must strictly obey time constraints. Customize your presentation to fit the time allowed, and respect your audience by not going over time.
  • Practice good manners: Avoid bad mannerisms like – sitting on the table, digging the nose, scratching the hair, adjusting the glasses or dress etc.
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