6 tips on how to speak in public

Knowing how to speak in public is an increasingly required set of skills both in the context of training and in the professional context. Communication, in short, has come to be seen as a fundamental element of both learning and learning. work, and that is why giving talks, exhibitions or conferences is the usual way of demonstrating that you are fluent in that domain.

In this article we will see several tips on how to speak in public that go beyond techniques to not get too nervous when speaking in front of a crowd of people.

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How to speak well in public: 6 tips

In the following lines you will find various techniques to make the most of your skills and knowledge when speaking in public, without letting the situation overwhelm you, and expressing yourself with the fluency and naturalness with which you would do it in front of a single individual. Of course, you should keep in mind that these key ideas must be adapted to your case.

1. Learn the ideas, not the text

When preparing the content of the talk that you are going to give, a good way of not falling into nervousness extreme is to rule out, from the beginning, the possibility of literally learning the entire script you have written.

Instead of that, read the text over and over again and remember the idea that you imply in each line.

In practice, the way in which you will say it will be very similar to the formula with which you express yourself in the script (because for a reason you have chosen it as the best way of expressing yourself). explain what you mean), and also that way your attention will not be divided between the effort to remember and the concern for the image you are giving.

2. Bet on simplicity in the first sentences

At the beginning of a talk in which we speak in public, one of the main objectives is to capture the attention of the public, and this is something that is achieved using relatively simple phrases, easy to understand, and not too long.

This makes the session more bearable for the audience, but in fact It's also a good thing for you, as a speaker.. The reason for this is that it will be easier for you to speak during the first few sentences, something that will contribute to the "warm-up" of the muscles. you need to move to vocalize well, and it offers you plenty of footholds in the frequent pauses you'll find at the end of the phrases.

In addition, this advice also serves as a preventive measure to have a lower risk of being wrong during the first minute of a talk, something that in itself would not be catastrophic in the eyes of the public, but which can have a very stressful psychological effect on oneself as a speaker, since the fear of having caused a bad first appears impression.

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3. Do visualization exercises

Another tip on how to speak in public without getting nervous or nervous is to mentally train yourself for the kind of experience the talk is going to be.

To do this, close your eyes and imagine yourself speaking in public, having a very positive impact on your audience. Don't stop to recreate the content of your speech; instead of that, focus on the details of what surrounds you and on the reactions of the people, how they laugh at the joke you use, how they follow you with their eyes because of the interest they have in your message, etc.

This advice is to start thinking about the talk not only as a challenge, but also as a possible reward.

4. Do not fear the silences

Staying without speaking for a while is not bad in itself, it is something that even in the case of being a consequence of having gone blank, it can be concealed.

Therefore, prepare a small protocol about what you should do if on a certain occasion it costs you a bit remember what to say next: drink from a water bottle, show an expression of reflection etc Something as simple as that gives us greater self-confidence, since it acts as a mattress that protects us if we ever stumble.

5. Gesture to facilitate expressiveness

This advice has to do with not using the gestures of the arms and hands as an imposture when speaking, but as a way to enhance expressiveness.

It may seem silly, but make hand movements that are consistent with the tone and musicality of your way of speaking, in addition to giving visual clues to the meaning of what you are saying, makes it easier to speak in a more expressive way.

So to speak, the muscles responsible for speech are synchronized with the ones you move with the arms, and both muscle groups begin to work in a more fluid way, reinforcing each other. Yeah.

6. Go to a specialist

A very good way to quickly improve when it comes to speaking in public is to have a professional who designs and supervises training of this type.

In the city of Valencia, Nacho Coller is one of the most recommended psychologists who offer this kind of services, based on training in public speaking techniques and the supervision of real cases in which it is necessary to speak in front of others people. Here you can see it on video:

Bibliographic references:

• McCornack, S. and Ortiz, J. (2017). Choices & Connections: An Introduction to Communication.
• Ridgley, S. K. (2012). The Complete Guide to Business School Presenting: What your professors don't tell you... What you absolutely must know. Anthem Press.