How to be an Effective Public Speaker
One of the great skills in life is to be a public speaker. However, speaking in public is not a natural skill for most, and for the average person is actually scarier than death. There are some ways that you can train to be a public speaker, and get the practice that you need to make speeches, and be confident as a public speaker. Whether you join a group, or just take some classes, you can become a polished public speaker in no time!
Toastmasters is a great organization to join if you want to learn to be a good speech maker. Basically it is a group that gets together and just makes speeches. It is a great place to hone your skills, and get some good advice as to how you can become a better speaker. Think of it as a Helium for speech making. A real great asset to becoming a better public speaker. Toastmasters.org is the website where you can get more info.
Taking classes is another good way to improve your public speaking. Whether you are a high school student, or an adult, you can always go back to school to take public speaking courses. I took quite a few of them when I was in college, and you will get a wealth of practice, and you will get great feedback from professors who really know what they are talking about, and usually give speeches themselves.
The biggest thing about making speeches is practice. Just because you aren't in a club, or taking a class doesn't mean that you can't be working on public speaking skills. The best thing you can do is just go out in public and speak. Whether it be simply debating a friend on an issue, or making impromptu speeches in front of a mirror, you can always find ways to make yourself do some speaking in front of others.
A great way to learn how to speak is watch others speak as well. Get a tape of a great speech, and see what these people are doing. What are they saying, and how are they saying it? How do they open the speech, and what do they do in closing? How do they connect with the audience, and pick up on body language as well. Projecting your body to match your speech is key, and is something you will catch on to just by watching others speak.
If you are wanting to improve your public speaking skills, or if you need to get ready for a big speech, these are methods that you can use. Take classes, talk to friends, but always get into spots where you can speak, and not be so shy doing so. Watch others speak, and pick up on what they are doing. Always obtain feedback, and just keeping talking until you get it right.
