Through my coaching program I have seen two consistent challenges that my clients deal with when it comes to public speaking. The first one is a lack of confidence and the second is an inability to let their personality come through in their public speaking.
It takes time to attain true confidence when speaking in public. You have to speak as often as you possibly can so that you can become more comfortable and confident. One thing you can do, from the start, is focus on creating the perception of confidence. This can be done in many ways. It can be done by leveraging the tools that you have available in your Speaker’ Tool Box. In particular use your body language, gestures, facial expression and general posture to convey a sense of confidence. Don’t draw unnecessary attention to your nervousness by saying things like “I am really nervous” or “this is my first time speaking in public” and don’t apologize to the audience ie “I am sorry I am not very comfortable with this”. these types of statements only serve to draw attention to your nervousness. In these situations it is better to be like the duck; calm and collected on the surface and paddling like the devil underneath.
The second challenge is letting your personality come through in your speaking. I am always encouraging my coaching clients to let their personality show when they speak and I always will draw attention to the times and moments when they do so that the behaviour is reinforced. Some of the best ways to show personality is by using facial expression and vocal variety. Personality could be revealed in other ways. It could be that you have a unique sense of humour or just a sense of humour. If you do let that show. Don’t let it dominate, however leverage it to help develop your unique style.
Now go out and Make Your Voice Heard!
If you are dealing with a large audience then it is likely that vast majority of your audience’ communication will be at the non-verbal level.
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