Public speaking is a skill that eludes many. It is very common to find seemingly confident or educated people shunning a public speaking role, whether at work, in church, or at some social function. The ones who find the role forced upon them or who carelessly just accept it really waste people’s time by how badly they do the job. While certain aspects of public speaking are endowed naturally, to a large extent, public speaking skills can be acquired through training. It is possible to train yourself on how to speak like a leader and be great in front of any audience.
In today’s business, it is not possible to entirely avoid the need to speak to the public. This may be to just a small group of individuals, whether employees, customers, or business associates, or to a large crowd of members of the public. Presentations have become the de facto business communication tool. The success that one can achieve in today’s world largely depends on how well they present their ideas. Companies are started, products are launched, business deals are sealed, and leadership positions are attained—possibly based on the quality of the presentations. Likewise, ideas, endeavors, and even careers can be cut short due to ineffective communication. Peter Drucker said, ‘As soon as you move one step up from the bottom, your effectiveness depends on your ability to reach others through the spoken and written words.’ The sad reality is that out of millions of presentations delivered each day around the world, only a few are delivered well.
There are people around the world today who earn their whole living just by public speaking. People travel around the world to deliver presentations, and they make millions in the process. To do this you have got to be a magnetic pitchman who sells ideas with flair that turns your audience into ecstasy. You need to have charisma, which sets you apart from ordinary people once you take the stage.
Toastmasters International is probably the best breeding ground for grooming great public speakers. You will do yourself a great favour by joining a Toastmasters club near you. In Malawi there are clubs available in Blantyre and Lilongwe. Once you get exposed to these skills, you will begin to reconsider everything about your current presentations: what you say, how to say it, and what your audience sees when you say it. Toastmasters International had got modules to take you from basic to professional speaking levels using a speaker’s manual, magazines, resources, and practice sessions where you get a lot of feedback and tips from colleagues.
Here are a few tips for becoming a great speaker.
- Know your audience. A key skill is to listen to your audience. “First seek to understand, then to be understood.” How do you listen to an audience? Do your research. Find out who they are, what they need and want, and what they expect from you. When you step to the podium, pause and listen. Are they ready to hear you? During your speech, keep listening. Pay attention to them. Are they leaning forward, backward, or on each other? Be willing to depart from your prepared remarks to recover your rapport with them. Ask questions. Even something as simple as “Is that clear?” can reestablish contact.
Take time to know your audience. Who is going to be there? What do they expect to hear? What will they consider time as time well spent? There is nothing more distracting than discovering an intimidating audience or an audience that is a mismatch to your prepared speech.
- Mean what you say. Mean what you say and say what you mean. Aren’t these two phrases the same? No indeed: “Say what you mean” is about telling the truth, and “Mean what you say” is about making a commitment, keeping your promise, and honoring your word. Have something meaningful to say. Step to the lectern with the intention of making a difference to your audience. Speak from your heart and express sincerity. Sincerity is contagious, and your audience will detect it. It moves from you to them. If you do not speak from your heart, the audience will also detect the lack of sincerity. It is therefore important to develop a passion for the things you speak about, whether they are a business or just a matter.
- Watch the words you use. Most people believe that the use of bombastic words is impressive. Nothing can be far from the truth. In fact it is more effective to use clear, simple, vivid, and forceful words. Use short words, short sentences, and short paragraphs. Incorporate rhetoric devices such as similes, metaphors, alliterations, and triads. (Use a dictionary to fully understand these expressions of literature). They make your speech powerful. Remember that your audience does not have a chance to go back to try and understand what you mean as they would do with a written text. Say it correctly the first time.
- Connect with your audience. It is very important from the very start to establish a connection with your audience so that the audience feels you are emotionally part of them. This is done just to demonstrate that you empathize with them and you understand their needs. We may consider it our task to speak to the audience, but it is sometimes more important to speak for them. Express those thoughts and feelings that you share with them. Even if you think they are wrong and you are the advocate of sweeping change, you must first understand and articulate their feelings. Great leaders know that leadership begins with the pronoun we.
- Be specific. Use stories, anecdotes, parables, and examples rather than generalities and abstractions. This is a tough one for some people. They love to wander through a topic in the abstract, scattering generalities as they go. The great teachers and speakers pepper their talks with vivid, detailed examples. People attach different meanings to words. It is therefore easy to confuse the audience if you are not specific with relative words or words that have compound meanings. For example, ‘our leader’ may mean the president, the CEO, or the pastor. Better use the specific word of whom you are referring to.
- Suit the action to the word, the word to the action. Your body speaks. There, watch what your body is saying and let it speak together with you. Don’t say “I’m glad to be here” while looking at your wristwatch. Don’t say the cost of living is going up while pointing down or showing nobody’s expression. Be aware of your non-verbal communication. Your gestures, posture, movements, facial expressions, energy, tone of voice, and a thousand other tiny, unuttered elements actually carry the true and specific meaning of your communication.
- Structure your speech. One valuable way to make your talk memorable is to speak to a structure and make your listeners aware of it. Share with them the form of your thoughts as well as the content, and they will be able to follow more complex ideas. It will be easier for you to remember, too. People appreciate the scenery more with a glance at the road map every now and then.
- Speak to be understood. Have the courtesy to develop your voice so that all may hear you. You groom your appearance, so why not cultivate your voice? With a little effort it can be strong, crisp, clear, and various in texture, color, and range. It’s sad when speakers expend their energy to create a vivid, well-constructed talk and then whisper, mutter, or mumble. Use relevant vocal variety by controlling the pitch, quality, and rate of your voice. Some meaning can be expressed with a shout, a low voice, or a pause to enhance your message.
- Inspire your audience. Serve your audience well by keeping their interests foremost in your mind. This is the golden rule of speaking. As an audience member, you can easily tell when a speaker is self-serving. Nothing communicates more clearly than intention. Use the power of persuasion to appeal to the point of view of your audience and slowly persuade them to your own view. Aim to inspire and convince your audience by demonstrating knowledge and sincerity in the delivery of your speech.
- Rehearse. Practice, practice, and practice! All the greater speakers in the world have been known to be meticulous planners. They practice their speech to the last detail such that as they go to present, they exactly know how they will transition through their speech. To lead effectively requires a courageous, positive, optimistic view. This can be obtained through thoroughly rehearsing your speech. There is no substitution to rehearsing. You can speak in front of someone knowledgeable who can give you feedback, you can speak in front of a mirror, or you can record your speech and listen to it over.
Joining a Toastmasters (TM) club will probably be the most rewarding investment you will ever make. Toastmasters has been around for over 87 years and has trained millions of people in public speaking and effective leadership. The TM methodology has been tried, tested, and perfected over many years. Now you can be counted among the many people that TM will have developed.