Public Spaking Skills - Practice Pays Dividends

As with all skills, presentation and public speaking skills are improved by practice and doing. Many people do try and speak without practicing their speech and it normally results in a speech that is inferior to one that has been practiced.

The next 2 ways that a speech can be given and practiced are;

2. Memorized speech - the issues with a memorized speech are that it cuts down flexibility, again the delivery can be wooden and when delivering the speech it may be difficult to recall.

3. Delivering the speech from brief notes of the main points and ideas that you want to convey. The brief notes can be either written or memorized. In this way of delivery the words are formed as they are delivered.

Practicing presentation and public speaking skills will improve your effectiveness more than any other technique.

Public Speaking Skills - Reading

Effective public speaking skills requires you to give a speech in the way appropriate for the circumstances. Although reading your speech is not usually the best way to deliver it, there are times when it maybe the best - when delivering a highly technical paper or a political speech and where you need to be careful when every word will be scrutinized either by the press or lawyers or both.

To get the best from reading your speech, it is a good idea to practice the delivery of it. You want your voice to be as natural and interesting as you can. Practice also looking up from your speech to look out and up at the audience and to gesture and move also if possible. An example of a great ability to read a speech is Barack Obama's inaugural speech.

Public #speaking Skills - More Steps

More steps in the public speaking skills of preparation and practice are;-

9. Prepare a brief outline to use when practicing and giving your speech. This should include only the main points and ideas of your speech. They are their to help if you get stuck.

10. Practice your speech in the way you are to give your speech.

There are basically 3 ways that you can give a speech and practice them. There is a 4th way known as impromptu speaking where you speak off the cuff. (You can't practice this, although people do to give the appearance of impromptu speaking)

1. Read your speech - this is normally not the best way to give a speech because it is difficult to connect with the audience and most people are not good at reading aloud

Public Speaking Skills - Preparation

Further steps in the public speaking skills of preparation and practice are;

4. Choose how you will present - are you going to tell 'em (inform) or are you going to sell 'em (persuade or inspire)

5. Research your topic. The primary source of your information should be your own experiences, but any gaps should be filled with research. Looking for interesting stories, supporting facts, quotes etc.

6. Prepare an outline of your speech. This helps to you to "see" your speech with out too much detail. Write the main points on post-it notes so that you can organize and re-organize your content quickly.

7. Organize your materials into main points and sub points.

8. Write your speech and develop your visual aids including PowerPoint

Public Speaking Skills With Most Impact

The presentation public speaking skills that will have the most impact on the quality of your presentation are preparation and practice.

Preparation is the planning and research part of giving a speech. Practicing is the similar to actors rehearsing a play prior to their performance.

There are proven steps to being properly prepared:-

1. Know you objective - why are you speaking. Without a reason to speak you may end up wasting your time and your listeners

2. Who are your audience - what do they want to know. What is their level of experience? How old are they? Do they want to be informed, persuaded, entertained or inspired?

3. What are you going to speak about? What do you know and are interested in that you could also make interesting for your audience?

Public Speaking Skills And Nerves

The biggest problem to developing presentation and public speaking skills is too many presentation nerves. Some presentation nerves are useful. They can help to improve performance and act as incentive to do your best. Most of best speakers and presenters feel this way. They still feel presentation nerves but use them in a positive way and they do not let them get in the way of their performance.

The 2 public speaking skills that have the most impact on overcoming public speaking anxiety are preparation and practice. They help to build self confidence in yourself to be able to deliver the speech. There is more time and effort involved in being properly prepared and thoroughly practiced but the positive effect on nerves and the quality of the delivery make it worthwhile.

Public Speaking Skills Are Valuable

Presentation and public speaking skills are a valuable skill to possess for an individual to enhance career prospects, for their own business and it can be used as a source of income as a professional speaker. Presentation and public speaking skills are also important for most organizations because many of them suffer because of poor communication getting in the way of successful execution of their strategies.

Most people do not possess effective presentation and public speaking skills naturally. It is more usual to have a fear of public speaking. It is a very common fear as noted by studies into the subject of fears. The fear of public speaking can be overcome by most people it they want to. Effective presentation and public speaking skills are not difficult to acquire.