Preface
Public Speaking is often termed as a God given talent. I do not agree with this at all. Though, few of us may truly be talented by birth, yet one cannot and should not simply make this a reason to avoid speaking at any platform that they are not gifted and hence cannot address an audience.
Public Speaking is an art and just like any other art, it can be learned and be perfected with some hard work and dedication.
What is Public Speaking
Conveying your point of view and defending your ideas through dialogue and reasoning with confidence in front of an audience is public speaking. Public speaking can be further categorised as:-
- Free Style Speech
- Parliamentary Style Debate
The only major difference between two is that parliamentary debate is more based on facts and logic whereas free style speech has a bit of an emotional touch in it.
I am a 16 times National Champion in Free Style Speech category
Why Do People Face Problems in Public Speaking
Three words....Lack of Confidence..
Confidence is the heart and soul of Public Speaking. Normally, there are a lot of people who have valid points and sound reasons to support their logic, yet somehow they fail to deliver them confidently when facing an audience.
The sheer realisation that an entire group of people are holding their breath and are listening to you at once will give you nightmares. However, you can turn these nightmares into adrenaline. Nothing beats the rush you get when you address the public (at least thats the case for me).
So how can one become a better public speaker? The very question brings me to the subject of my post.
5 Tips on How to Become a Better Speaker
As a veteran speaker, I have found this to be the top most reason why people lose confidence upstage. Because when you start to directly look into people’s eyes, you are going to lose focus for sure. The realisation of “Oh My God, they are looking directly at me” is nothing short of an experience equivalent to getting a heart attack.
Solution : So instead of looking into their eyes, look at their foreheads and keep rotating your focus from left side of hall to right side. This is a a very neat trick specially for beginners. Thank me later..
I was always kind of a fiery speaker. I used to start slow and build momentum towards the climax while becoming louder and more ruthless.
I have also seen people not being able to do that, which usually took away the whole charisma from the speech itself. Why? They forget to breathe properly.
Just like Boxing, if you don’t breathe properly, you will get winded on stage and thus you will never achieve that fiery loud voice punch towards the climax and at end of your speech.
Aaah, thats your make or break point as a speaker. It is extremely important that you should always write your own material instead of picking up carcasses of famous speeches.
Remember: the power is not in words. Words are mere words but your voice feeds them the power, your style is what augments those words to become meaningful, your delivery is what makes those words sound beautiful. You will never be as confident speaking someone else’s words as you would be when speaking your own.
I have seen a lot of speakers who intentionally use difficult vocabulary in their speeches in hopes that it would make them look cool infront of the audience.
No.. just No… Unless you are taking part in a Shakespeare theatre, you have no business using heavy words in your material. Because, you get so much time to write them, understand their meanings and the essence of those heavy words. However, the audience is gonna hear them once and if they don’t understand some of the words in your sentences, they will lose interest in your speech. That look on their faces will be so obvious that you will feel it too and in turn, you will lose confidence..
Second guessing yourself upstage is the last thing you wanna do. You will wreck yourself with that kind of attitude. If you will start thinking that "what if my logic is not sound, what if people will make fun of me, what if they know more on the subject then I do", then trust me ladies and gentlemen, that is curtains down for you.
The solution is to always think that nobody amongst the audience knows better than you do on subject. Have some faith in yourself. You studied the topic, you spent so much time thinking about it with so many angles. Hence, you are the boss upstage.
Just to give you the idea, I was once part of a debate topic, “Democracy vs. Fascism”. I was chosen to defend Fascism and believe you me, I did it, and did it so well that I won that debate. Of course I was siding with evil forces there :D but I treated the audience like sheep and actually convinced them that Fascism is wayyy better than Democracy. :D
Conclusion
Public Speaking is not just an activity. Its an aspect of your life and though I am no longer a speaker ever since I entered into my professional life, that attitude and confidence never left my body. It is a big plus to have in yourself.
I surely left out a lot of points here due to scarcity of time, but these are some of the most important tips that you can follow to boost your confidence while addressing an audience. I am sure my good friend 
Good day to all of you
Best Regards
JBN
