Mark Schlarbaum

Posted by: Mark Schlarbaum

By Michael Lee

There will come a time when a person has to effectively deliver a speech in front of a group of people, so books that teach public speaking tips have become hot sellers. The rules of public speaking are as simple as A, B, C. Captivate your listeners by knowing the background and expectation of your audience before the speaking event. That’s the most important public speaking tip you have to practice before doing anything else.

Here are other public speaking tips and strategies that will help anyone become an effective public speaker:

1) Making tiny mistakes is fine, as long as you learn from them and don’t repeat them. However, it is highly recommendable to prepare well before your speech to avoid any embarrassing instances.

You are only human and you can recover from the errors you’ve made. Anyway, bouncing back from your mistakes makes your personality as a public speaker more trustworthy.

2) Bring out your sense of humor. You may tell jokes if the topic allows you to; but if you’re not good at it, better leave the jokes from your agenda behind, for there is nothing more that can aggravate a speaking disaster than a bad punch line.

3) Master the art of telling stories. Own the stories you tell by using your real personal experience to bring life to the material you are delivering. These stories make you a real human, and animation can add color to them.

4) Use technology to sustain your momentum as a speaker but not vice versa. Your power point slides, if you are using one for your presentation, should contain visual graphics and not long sentences. Speak to your crowd and not your presentation.

5) Focus on bringing the positive thoughts to your words and not on how you are doing as a speaker. Enjoying your speech helps you deliver a compelling message.

You will enjoy speaking in front of a whole bunch of people if you always practice these effective public speaking tips.

By: Ken Okel
Sometimes it’s not how you say it but the words you use to make your point. Between the Olympics and the political conventions, there have been a lot of high profile speeches recently. A few dazzle the audience and some have them restlessly moving in their seats. In some cases, there’s something the speaker is doing wrong that creates a distance between the podium and the audience. Here some tips on ways to use your words to keep you out of trouble:

Keep It Simple: I remember a weather forecaster who used to use the phrase “shower activity.” She’d say, “We should have some shower activity later today.” I understood that she was talking about rain but why not just say the word, “showers” or “rain?” Perhaps this evolved from seeing rain showers producing activity on the station’s radar. But the phrase, “shower activity” sounded very unnatural.

To sound like a normal person, use words that you would use with your friends and colleagues. If you wouldn’t normally say it in a professional setting, then don’t use it. Otherwise you will alienate your audience and look like someone who’s trying to impress rather than inform. Unlike Scrabble, you don’t get more points for using larger words.

Needless Details Derail: Some speakers need a filter on what comes out of their mouth because they love to talk and especially talk in tangents. This can be cute with a child but tiresome in adults. Make sure you stay focused on your point and how it ties in to your greater message. There’s nothing wrong with a well placed story but it has to fit the rest of your material. Otherwise, save the tale for another day.

Jargon Doesn’t Stand for Anything: There’s nothing worse than confusing your audience with terminology that they can’t understand. Nowadays so many of our everyday tasks come with a special vocabulary. While it’s familiar and tempting to launch into these words you need to limit their use. Think of it like this: If in the place where you’re talking, 95% of the audience knows where the bathroom is located at your business, then you can use as many acronyms and jargon as you like. Take a moment to explain the concept rather than leave people wondering what you’re talking about. Otherwise, they’ll tune you out quickly.

The difference between an effective presentation and one that is forgettable can be easily bridged if you focus on your words.

Posted by Janet Schlarbaum

Posted by: Janet Schlarbaum

By Tanner Larsson

Public speaking is simply the act of getting up in front of people and talking about a subject. As easy as it may seem, there are important skills that are required in order to keep the audience’s attention while not straying too far from the topic at hand. Developing these skills is vital to becoming a good public speaker.

When speaking in public, it is important not to be afraid of making mistakes. Worrying about forgetting a line or not following a prewritten speech will only make you more nervous from the get go and make it more likely that you will indeed make a mistake. Making mistakes is human and understandable to the audience creating a sense of empathy. It is important to make a natural recovery from mistakes and not get down on yourself for “screwing up.”

Good public speakers usually always use humor in their presentations. Telling jokes can often be good way of “breaking the ice” with the audience. However, if joke telling is not your forte then it is best to avoid doing so. Humor can be used subtly and a willingness to poke fun at yourself makes you appear more human to the audience. Storytelling can be a useful tool for a public speaker. By relating information from the presentation to your own life, you make your topic feel more real and more applicable to everyday living.

A skillful use of the public speaking environment is quite important as well. It is important not to seem rigid when giving a presentation. You should use the space that is available and move around a bit to make you seem more comfortable with what you are speaking about. In confined spaces, public speakers should use more body language.

An appropriate use of notes is also essential when speaking in public. It is important not to read during your presentation and to only use notes as an outline and as a last resort in case you forget some information. Also, visual aids should be used to liven the presentation and in turn make it flow better.

Article submitted by: Janet Schlarbaum

By Douglas Robert

There is a definite link between public speaking and self confidence. You need enough self confidence to be able to get up on stage and deliver a speech. And once you get there and discover that you can actually do it, your self confidence soars. Speaking in public is a powerful way to boost your self confidence.

Public speaking can be used for motivation, influence, persuasion, informing, teaching or simply entertaining. Speaking to a group is a rewarding experience as it allows you to showcase your knowledge or expertise in a public forum. Sharing your thoughts from the podium helps enrich the lives of those in the audience who gain the benefit of your unique experience and insight.

But most of us fear public speaking only because it’s not familiar. Speaking to a group forces you to break out of your comfort zone. When the opportunity to speak is thrust upon you, it takes bravery to conquer the initial sense of fear. But for those who can do it, the rewards are plentiful. Public speaking helps you discover that you’re stronger and more capable than you ever thought you were. Deliver a stellar performance and your confidence surges forward.

When it comes to expressing your thoughts and ideas on stage, self confidence is essential. But for those who suffer extreme shyness or nervousness at the thought of public speaking, it takes some effort. If you’re one who dreads public speaking, try to understand where that fear is coming from. Chances are you’ve never had a bad public speaking experience.

You’ve got to be able to imagine yourself delivering capably and comfortably. Visualization is a huge help in overcoming fear. If you can visualize it, you can do it.

Another confidence builder is preparation. The more you prepare and practice in advance, the more natural it will feel when it’s time to perform. If you find your self confidence low or nonexistent, the best way to boost it is to — practice, practice, practice. When you’re confident about something you can do like drive a car, make dinner, or even speak in public, there’s a feeling of certainty in your capability to perform.

Most fear and anxiety about public speaking is has no basis in reality. It’s just old programming that’s controlling you. Break through the fear and you can change your life as you impact their lives of countless others. All you have to do is break the barrier one time. Learn how to be a better speaker through practice and your self confidence will increase dramatically.

Suggested by: Janet Schlarbaum

 By Jack Flinters

Everyone will have to speak in public sooner or later. For a lot of people, this is easier said than done. Many of us are very scared of public speaking. As soon as they face the audience these people get so nervous that they just freeze. Because of this they may lose business opportunities or promotions and feel very embarrassed. Others however do not have any problems with speaking in public at all. Generally this is due to experience and lots of practice.

The most important thing you can do to improve your public speaking is prepare. Being well prepared will make you feel confident, something your audience will notice. Preparing may also mean making some notes to help you remember the most important points of your speech. Practicing in front of friends or relatives can also be helpful.

The first instructions most people receive when learning about public speaking are: prepare an introduction, a body and a conclusion. This advice is good, but incomplete. There is a lot more to giving a good speech than that.

Something else that may help when speaking in public is using illustrations. This not only helps you get your point across, it may also make you feel a bit more at ease by focusing the audience’s attention on something other than yourself.

One of the most important secrets to being a successful public speaker is being and acting confidently. People who are not good at it usually look nervous and uncomfortable. Experienced public speakers on the other hand always look calm and confident.

The key to becoming good at public speaking is practice. By doing it a lot you will naturally improve and enjoy the experience a lot more.