Sharpen Your Public Speaking Skills
Public speaking is one of the most important skills you can have. It allows us to promote our ideas, get a job, stand up for what we believe in, and just about every other activity that takes place in a public setting. But it's not something we're born with — it's something we learn.
In this post from the blog Unfolding Ideas, you'll find tips and tricks that will help you master public speaking so your next big speech will flow like water.
"It's all in the intonation," says Paul Whalen, a teacher at the Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut and a guest on Steve's blog, Unfolding Ideas. "It's about how you speak and how you put your sounds together."
And as you might have guessed, intonation does not come naturally to most people. Here are three things that you can do to sharpen your public speaking skills.
1) Become an actor.
Intonation is all about speaking from the stomach, says Whalen and requires you to have an ear for tone. "You have to be able to hear your speech," he says. There are times that the words you've practiced and the words you intended to speak are slightly different. "I think it really helps a person become a good speaker if they can hear where their intonation is going," he explains.
2) Practice.
There is no substitute for practice when it comes to public speaking. "It's important to use your voice in the shower, in the car — as much as you can," he says. "It helps when you get used to hearing how your voice sounds." This will also prevent you from getting nervous and not knowing quite what to do with your hands or how to move around the stage, he adds. To become a powerful public speaker, practice is essential.
3) Exercise your body, too.
Our bodies are the tools we use to speak. Whalen recommends giving your vocal cords a workout before you give a speech. "When you're talking, your vocal cords get used up and they can get tired," he says. It's best to blow your voice out first thing in the morning and then every few hours throughout the day as well. "You're trying to find ways to keep them working." If you have dry throat, he suggests taking a hot shower or drinking warm water before putting on your clothes of that night.
"On the day of the speech if you feel like it's not coming out right, you should probably step away from the podium and go do something else," he adds. Your body will relax and your mind will clear so that you can give a speech that goes over well.
But don't neglect your mind — Whalen says how you hear yourself affects how you speak. It's a two-way street: "You're going to hear what people are saying because they are reflecting back on their own sound. And you're going to hear what you're saying by paying attention to what the audience is saying," he explains.
"So how do you become a good speaker? You get sharp ears, good lungs and the willingness to work. Then everything falls into place."
In this post from Steve Smothermon's blog, Unfolding Ideas, you will find three tips on how to sharpen your public speaking skills. Check it out!
Here's an interesting article if public speaking is one of your top fears. I hope it will help a lot!
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Public speaking is one of the most important skills you can have. It allows us to promote our ideas, get a job, stand up for what we believe in, and just about every other activity that takes place in a public setting. But it's not something we're born with — it's something we learn.
In this post from the blog Unfolding Ideas, you'll find tips and tricks that will help you master public speaking so your next big speech will flow like water.
"It's all in the intonation," says Paul Whalen, a teacher at the Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut and a guest on Steve's blog, Unfolding Ideas. "It's about how you speak and how you put your sounds together.
And as you might have guessed, intonation does not come naturally to most people. Here are three things that you can do to sharpen your public speaking skills.
1) Become an actor.
Intonation is all about speaking from the stomach, says Whalen and requires you to have an ear for tone. "You have to be able to hear your speech," he says. There are times that the words you've practiced and the words you intended to speak are slightly different. "I think it really helps a person become a good speaker if they can hear where their intonation is going," he explains.
2) Practice.
There is no substitute for practice when it comes to public speaking. "It's important to use your voice in the shower, in the car — as much as you can," he says. "It helps when you get used to hearing how your voice sounds.
Conclusion
This will also prevent you from getting nervous and not knowing quite what to do with your hands or how to move around the stage, he adds. To become a powerful public speaker, practice is essential.
3) Exercise your body, too.
Our bodies are the tools we use to speak. Whalen recommends giving your vocal cords a workout before you give a speech. "When you're talking, your vocal cords get used up and they can get tired," he says.