You may run into occasions where you need to deliver speeches in front of a small or large audience. It could be addressing a group of co-workers, presenting a paper at a university, or giving a vote of thanks in a public meeting. Whatever the event may be, it’s natural for many of us to feel nervous and anxious before delivering a speech. You may feel even more worried when it’s about delivering a speech in a foreign language, such as English.
A recent study shows that only 10% of people enjoy public speaking, while the rest feel stressed and try to avoid it. Being a great public speaker in English will boost your confidence and open up endless opportunities in your career. Here are some tips you can follow to achieve public speaking perfection in the English language.
Just reading from your note or thinking about your presentation won’t count as practice. You will need to practice your speech loud with appropriate gestures. If needed, get training for speaking English fluently from an expert to pronounce the words correctly without making mistakes. Recording your practice is also an effective way to improve your presentation. It will help you get comfortable with your voice and fix things you’re not confident about, or you don’t know.
You may go through apprehensions like, “What if I bore the audience?” or “What if I make mistakes?” English is a foreign language, and becoming fluent in English takes time and practice. Learning some of the key phrases in English will help you connect with the audience personally and keep them engaged.
Don’t straight away begin the topic! You can warm up a bit by getting the full attention of your audience. Use the following phrases to keep them hooked to your presentation.
After a brief thanksgiving, it’s time to introduce your topic, and you can use any of the following phrases.
These key phrases will help you build a connection with your audience and make them follow you intensely.
Before closing your speech, use any of these phrases for effective public speaking.
A sweaty palm, a racing heartbeat, shivering fingers, or any other physical discomfort are signs of stage fear. It’s essential to overcome these physical signs to make your public speaking success. Take a deep breath to calm your mind and body. Use power poses to act confident and create a positive impression on the audience. Put your chin up and look at the audience directly to communicate efficiently. You need to believe in your opinions and ideas and let your belief come out strongly in the form of your gestures and eye contact.
Nothing works better than a story to keep your audience engrossed in your speech till the last moment. The listeners tend to get distracted or bored when you present facts and statistics throughout the session. Most landmark speeches by great personalities like Barack Obama, Abdul Kalam, Winston Churchill, or Mahatma Gandhi contain stories that move people emotionally.
The stories don’t have to be real, but they can have characters of real-life situations. You can use the characters to narrate a problem and provide a solution to it.
Your audience will appreciate you when they’re able to remember what you spoke. Therefore, make sure to keep your speech short and simple. Use active voice to make your presentation clearer and more emphatic.
Try not to use any references like ‘respectively’, ‘former’, and ‘latter’. Not every listener pays complete attention to your speech. It can be difficult for them to remember what you had said before. Avoiding such references will help you make your public speaking memorable.
Many people assume that speaking fast is a sign of intelligence and superior knowledge. In truth, speaking fast without any pauses and stresses can become a passable performance that no one remembers later. Pauses and stresses are important parts of public speaking that add more value to your speech. By applying pauses in necessary places, you allow your audience to process your ideas and opinions better. Here are the following situations where a pause is essential:
Pick videos of popular speeches by inspiring leaders and identify these elements. Take English fluency practice and make sure to add those pauses and stresses in relevant places to make your delivery convincing and astounding.
There are many ways to conclude a speech, and here are the popular methods.
You can also try other methods that you feel are appropriate for the closure. However, make sure not to open any arguments.
Achieving perfection in English public speaking requires incessant practice. Simple spoken English lessons will go a long way in helping you deliver effective speeches on different occasions. So primarily equip yourself with fluent English, and the rest will fall into place.
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