Everyone wants to be able to talk better. We don’t care whether we’re giving a virtual presentation or just talking to a friend, spouse, or stranger. Delegating well means that you’re telling your listeners whatever you want to say in a way that makes them feel good about what they’re hearing. It means that you appear comfortable, dynamic, and empathetic to the people you talk to. Then, what can you do to improve the way you speak?
Here is a list of three things you can do right now to enhance your general speaking skills.
1. Make Your Presentation Interesting
Whether it’s a boring subject or not, it can be interesting if shown in the right way. Instead of just giving the facts, find ways to make your speech or presentation more interesting for the audience.
Stephen Gleave is a great example in this case, as a great leader and communicator, he learned ways to address his team members to develop their interest in the relative subject.
Use some of these public speaking tips:
- Start with an exciting line, like a surprising statistic or a funny story. For people you don’t know, you might also want to start by giving a short introduction about yourself.
- Add a personal story or a joke that connects to the subject about what you are writing. The presentation should be funny or have a few light moments.
- Use charts, graphs, and photos to show your points. Make sure your slides don’t have a lot of text on them because this can prevent the audience from paying attention to what you say.
- Create a “callback phrase” or “theme” that you can use to connect ideas in your speech.
- Outline what you’re going to talk about so the audience can figure out what to expect from you.
2. Practice, Practice, and Practice
If you want to be an excellent public speaker, you should be ready to give a speech. As one of the best ways to become better at providing an address, you should practice a lot. Pre-plan what you will say and read it out loud a lot. You can also learn more about public speaking from Stephen Gleave. He is a great lawyer and has helped many clients throughout his career.
Make sure you know everything you’re going to talk about before you speak in front of a group so that you don’t stumble over your words. Practicing a lot can help you overcome your fear of speaking in front of a group. As long as you don’t get too nervous before a big speech or presentation, having a lot of practice can help you feel confident when the time comes.
3. The Way Your Body Moves Tells a Lot About You
Your body language consists of your gestures, facial expressions, and moves. It’s an essential part of how we talk. Your audience will understand the subtleties of your message better if they see it this way.
If your body language doesn’t match what you want to say or doesn’t make sense, your speech will be hard to understand. The more you confuse people, the more likely they will leave and not come back.
To improve your body language and get people to pay attention, follow these tips:
- Stand up straight, and don’t slouch if you can.
- Make sure that your facial expression aligns with what you want to say.
- Take it easy. Moving can be distracting or change how your message is received.
- Watch a TED Talk and look for body language that good communicators use.