Any good public speaker will have spent lots of time honing their skills, and they may have even attended Train The Trainer Courses like the ones that are available from the College of Public Speaking. It is by learning the skills to be confident and project yourself that you will overcome the fear and anxiety that are often linked to speaking in public. Here are some skills that it is crucial for you to learn.
Accept your nerves as a good thing.
Every person experiences some physiological reactions during public speaking, such as pounding heartbeats and trembling hands. This does not mean that you are going to perform badly, and in fact, some nerves can be a good thing.
Audience
Take some time to understand who your audience is going to be so that you can craft your speech to be appropriate for them. This will help to reduce some of the anxiety around whether people will listen to what you have to say.
Organisation
Make sure that you have any note cards that you need in place, and make sure that you arrange your speech in such a way as to capture their attention within the first thirty seconds. You may also want to ensure that you recap on essential parts of your speech.
Personality
It is important to let your personality shine through whilst you are speaking. It is you that people have come to listen to, so let them get to know you through the personality that you display.
