10 Ways to Make Your Public Speaking More Engaging

Author: Waqas Rafiq

 

 

 

 

 

Public speaking can be terrifying, but it doesn’t have to be! By following these 10 tips on how to make your public speaking more engaging, you’ll make the experience easier and more fun for you and your audience. These techniques will help you not only become a better speaker, but also connect with your audience and sell yourself or your company in the process. Everyone benefits when you speak effectively!

 

1) Practice with Audience Participation

1. Understand where your listeners might be coming from. What are their demographics? What are their interests? The more you know about them, the better you can tailor your message.

2. Start with a bang. Get their attention right away with an interesting story, statistic, or joke.

3. Be energetic about your point. If you’re not interested in what you’re saying, chances are your audience won’t be either.

4. Utilize solid non-verbal communication. Stand up straight, make eye contact, and use gestures to emphasize your points.

5. Use visual aids judiciously. Too many PowerPoint slides can be overwhelming and distracting. Choose a few key images or charts that will enhance your message and help people remember what you’ve said.

6. Practice, practice, practice!

 

2) Slow Down and Use Pause

When you’re nervous, it’s easy to speak quickly in an effort to get through your material. But speaking too fast makes it difficult for your audience to understand you, and can make you seem frantic. Slow down and use pauses between ideas to give your audience time to process what you’re saying. You’ll come across as more confident and in control, and your audience will be more likely to remember your message.

 

3) Eye Contact – Look at Everyone

When you make eye contact with your audience, you are making a connection with them. It shows that you are interested in what they have to say and that you are paying attention. Eye contact also makes you appear more confident and sincere.

 

4) Deliver Your Message

1. Start with a strong opening.

2. Make sure your material is well-organized.

3. Use language that your audience will understand.

4. Use appropriate gestures and facial expressions.

5. Vary your vocal delivery throughout your presentation.

6. Look your crowd of individuals directly in the eyes.

7. End with serious areas of strength for a.

 

5) Look Confident and Feel Confident

If you want to give great speeches, you need to ooze confidence. Here are a few ways to make sure you look and feel confident when it comes time to take the stage: 

1. Know pretty much everything there is to know about your material. The more pre-arranged you are, the more certain you’ll feel.

2. Imagine yourself giving an incredible discourse. It may sound cheesy, but it works! 

3. Relax your body and breathe deeply before you start speaking. This will help calm your nerves and keep you from getting too tense. 

4. Make eye contact with as many people as possible throughout your speech. This will help engage your audience and make them feel like you’re speaking directly to them.

 

6) Relaxed Posture

The way you carry yourself when you speak can influence how your audience perceives you. If you appear relaxed and confident, your audience will be more likely to trust what you have to say. Here are a few tips for improving your posture: 

1. Stand straight with your shoulders back.

2. Relax your hands at your sides or in front of you. 

3. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and planted firmly on the ground. 

4. Use gestures sparingly – too much movement can be distracting. 

5. Maintain eye contact with your audience members throughout your presentation. 

6. Smile! A genuine smile will make you seem more approachable and trustworthy.

 

7) Lighten Up – Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously

No one wants to listen to a dry, monotone speaker who sounds like they’re reading from a textbook. So lighten up! Be passionate about your topic and let your personality shine through. It’ll make you more relatable and engaging, and your audience will be more likely to remember what you have to say.

 

8) Smile

When you smile, you not only appear more confident, but you also make your audience feel more comfortable. It sounds simple, but it is! Here are a few other tips to help you smile more during your next public speaking engagement: 

1. Practice in front of a mirror until you feel comfortable with the way you look when you smile. 

2. Take some time to relax and breathe deeply before your presentation. This will help ease any nerves and make it easier for you to smile naturally. 

3. If you’re feeling nervous, try thinking of something that makes you happy. This can help put a genuine smile on your face. 

4. Use positive body language throughout your presentation, including maintaining eye contact and standing up straight.

 

9) Stop Talking About the Topic

When it comes to public speaking, there are two types of people in the world: those who love it and those who hate it. And often, the reason people hate public speaking is because they’re not very good at it. The key to being a great public speaker is engaging your audience. Here are 10 ways to make sure you’re doing just that

 

10) Close Strong

Whether you’re giving a presentation in person or virtually, there are a few key things you can do to make sure your audience stays engaged. Here are 4  tips for speaking that will help you be more engaging: 

1) Share stories. If you want people to remember what you say, start by telling them about yourself and your experience with the topic before launching into it with facts and figures. 

2) Start strong. A good way to keep people interested is to introduce a relevant story at the beginning of your talk–the more relatable it is, the better! 

3) End strong too! You don’t want people walking away without knowing how they’ll put what they’ve learned into practice–so include some takeaways for them before finishing up. 

4) Use visuals–don’t rely on just words alone!