Becoming Larger Than Life

To say that there is no ego in a person who does public speaking regularly or for a living would be clearly a false statement.  But for those of us who only speak from time to time, when you see a speaker who can walk out in a room of 30 people or a auditorium of 3000 and literally "own the room", it really is an amazing transformation.  To imagine how  you could ever be that much larger than life is mind boggling.

Create a Problem and Then Solve It

How well your presentation goes the next time you step up to a podium depends on several factors.  One factor you can control completely is your script.  The way you organize your content and how you present the material to that crowd can either totally captivate them and drive them step by step to conclusion or it can bore them to sleep.  Its all in how you construct your presentation and how you present what you want them to know throughout the talk.

Don't Fear the Pause

If you listen to experienced speakers, it's easy to see some real differences in how they step through their presentation. One thing that jumps out when an experienced public speaker is how he is able to hold an audience in the palm of his hands. He appears totally relaxed. This is a calculated relaxation. In fact most of the methods he uses such as his use of hands, the vocal range of his voice, where he looks and how he moves are all carefully planned...

Give Them a Bit of You

There is a good reason that public speaking is a superior method of presenting material to a group rather than just handing over a report and letting them read it. Yes, part of that reason is that by stepping through the talk, you can make sure they "get it". But the most important reason has to do not with the subject, not with the presentation style. The reason public speaking is so effective is that the audience gets the material presented in a very personal way by the one person who can do that - you.

Illustrate, Illustrate Illustrate

When a speaker loses an audience, too often it is a mystery to him.  But for the audience, it is not a mystery.  The simple fact is that many speeches we listen to spend a lot of time in some theory or idea.  And we as humans have trouble focusing on an abstract idea for very long before losing interest.  This is one of many reasons one of the central rules of public speaking is to use lots of stories and illustrations to make sure you hold the audience's attention.

It's all in the Voice

Maybe one of the most common occurrences that happens in a public speaking situation is to see someone in the audience go to sleep.  When you are the one going to sleep, you just hope the speaker doesn’t notice.  But when you are the speaker, you do notice and you wonder what you are doing wrong.  You worked hard on your speech and you thought it was pretty interesting stuff.  So why do they doze off? It might have something to do with your tone of voice.

Make Them Laugh

In the delightful Broadway musical "Singing in the Rain," there is a song called "Make em Laugh." The song is based on the idea that the best way for any stage performer to build a bond with an audience is to use humor to bring a smile, or a laugh, to that audience.  Well, that idea is not just valid for stage performers.  It's just as true when you begin to develop your style as a public speaker.

Speak With More Than Your Voice

There is a misperception about public speaking that the art or technique of becoming good at it is all in how you speak.  The truth is that your voice is only part of what you need to be successful in giving a presentation to a group of people.  To be an effective public "speaker," you should use every resource you have including your body language, your arms and your tone of voice to capture the attention of the crowd and hold it.

Tell Them Something They Don't Know

When an author is trying to come up with a topic for his next story or novel, the old pros in the writing came will always give him the same advice.  "Write about what you know."  That is because if you speak from your own area of expertise, you will speak with authority and passion.  And authority and passion not only make for a great story or novel, they make for a really good public speaking event as well.

The Greatest Public Speaking Secret of them All

Any guide to success in an endeavor will tell you that there is no magic formula to success.  But in a lot of fields of endeavor, there seem to be "insider secrets".  And taking on the challenge of becoming a truly great public speaker is a noble ambition. If you could learn the "insider secret" that would help you make the transition from a merely good public speaker to great one, wouldn't you want to listen carefully?