Speaking to a Crowd without Having a Panic Attack! A Quick Guide

Out of all the skills I have gained, public speaking has improved my daily life more than any other. No matter what you’re doing, if you’re able to do it with a strong and confident tone you’ll be more successful. Good public speaking skills will make people take you more seriously, sound more intelligent, and you will be more easily understood.

Here are some tips to improve your public speaking skills:

• Look into the non-profit organization Toastmasters. Toastmasters not only improved my public speaking skills, it also improved my people skills in general. It has made me a more well-rounded and likeable person. Or join a mock trial club/speech and debate/ forensics/ model UN/ JSA/ or DECA at your school. This will help you.
• Recognize what a filler word is and which one you use the most often. It can be well, um, so, etc. Think before you speak! After you recognize the filler words start trying to replace the filler words with silence. It makes you seem more intelligent, as if you are thinking of something incredible to say.
• Practice. Practice alone, practice with your friends, give small presentations in class, do what you can do to get more experience.
• To perfect the silence skill make eye contact, take a deep breath, articulate your next sentence, and continue on. That lingering moment will raise the expectation of your audience. This time also allows people to think over your words.
• Read “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. Once you have mastered that you can move on to more skills.
• Watch a Ted Talk on public speaking by Julian Treasure. He is an expert on public speaking and a joy to watch. If you find yourself uhming and ahing, don’t panic. Take a deep breath and recoup. There’s no shame in that.
• There’s a simple method to removing verbalized pauses, or the uhm and uhs. As you speak , take whatever time you need , to think of what you’re going to say next. It may feel unnatural to start but it sounds 100% better than saying “uhm” every other word. I learned this at a public speaking class and I need to get used to it myself.
• Slow down your speech in general. Think of the best speeches you’ve heard. Were they rushed? No. Good public speakers take their time and consider what they are going to say.

Now that you know these tips, start by making a conscious effort to improve and you will. It won’t happen over night but you will become markedly better as you give more thought to what you say. If you need extra support, ask a friend to point it out to you whenever you use a filler word.

The skill of public speaking will help you no matter what your career field or place in life. Give it a shot.