If you are not a confident public speaker then when the time comes to speak to a large audience it can be an unsettling moment that leave you racked with nerves and dread. Maybe you have to speak at a wedding or present a project at work, whatever the situation may be it is important that if you lack confidence when speaking publicly that you do all that you can to improve it.
Some people are born with the gift of the gab and the confidence to speak in front of large groups of people. I was watching the enigmatic pastor TB Joshua the other day giving one of his weekly sermons, the man just knows how to captivate an audience, he shows passion and energy and he held the attention of his congregation for the duration of his sermon. If you want to be a great motivational and inspiring speaker like Joshua the here are some of the things that you need to be doing.
Engaging the Audience
This is the essence of speaking publicly, being able to engage with the audience that is in front of you. To do so you need to be passionate, charming, funny and you need to be able to interact with the crowd. You don’t need to directly interact with this that you are speaking to, a little bit of eye contact is enough, pick 7 or 8 members of the audience and focus on them when you make certain points.
Overcoming Fear
To overcome the fear that you may have as a public speaker you need to do everything that you can to feel confident. One of the best ways to do this is to plan and practice your material meticulously, you need to know inside out what you are going to say. Once you are fully prepared then you need to walk on to that stage with a positive attitude, a positive attitude and excellent preparation is the best way in overcoming any nerves that you may have.
Using Your Body
If you get up in front of a crowd and stand still for the entire duration of your speech then you are not going to be able to engage with the audience and you are going to feel more nervous. A far better option is to use body language, use your arms when making points, puff out your chest to breathe better and look more confident and walk around the space that you have available whilst making your points.
Don’t Hide Your Personality
When you are speaking publicly you do not all of a sudden become a different person, just because you have pre-rehearsed the material does not mean that you should be monotone in your delivery. It is important that you let your personality come out whilst giving the speech, if you want to go off script a little then do so, if you want to have a laugh or a joke, then do so, if you allow your personality to shine then this is an indication of your confidence and you’re far more likely to captivate your audience.