The Art of Public Speaking in Front of a Group
Making public speeches go from boring to exciting is done the same way a canvas goes from being blank to being art. How you present yourself, how you sculpt your speech, and how you paint pictures with your words will have your audience focused or falling asleep.
If you want to engage the crowd, you have to be charismatic and interesting. You cannot just stand behind a podium and talk in a monotone. The art of public speaking in front of a group requires public speaking skills that come easy for some, while for others they must be learned.
If you have a fear of public speaking, it will show in your level of speaking confidence. Your audience is there because they are interested in your topic and seeing you speaking in public. The instant your anxiety rears its ugly head, your audience will begin to lose interest in what you have to say.
You need to move around the stage, not just walking back and forth, but using your steps to add emphasis. Your hand motions and body language create visual appeal and punctuate your public speaking. Our eyes are drawn to movement, and if you aren’t moving and something else in the room is wiggling, you will lose your audience.
Use notes if you need to, but do not read from a script. If they wanted to hear you read about your topic, they could buy your book on tape. They want you to look at them in the eye and convey confidence in what you are saying. They want to catch your excitement, but they can’t if you don’t have any.
If you have tried everything on your own, and you still cannot speak well, or you have too much stage fright, consider public speaking school or classes. Experts don’t become experts by themselves. They get proper training. Learning new public speaking skills is always worth the cost of a class.
