30 Crucial Skills You Need to Be an Amazing Speaker
Public speakers and business leaders must have these 30 essential
skills. How many of these techniques do you have?
It's
the business skill people dread the most--but once you get over the initial
jitters, being a good public speaker really isn't that hard.
Like
most skills, you can become competent, if not great, if you're willing to put
in the time for practice and planning.
Here
are 30 essential skills you must have to be an amazing speaker:
1.
Know
your audience.
Unless you already know them well, you
should plan to spend time researching and understanding your audience as well
as your topic.
2.
Pick
your topic carefully.
If you're in a situation in which you
have the freedom to choose your topic, make sure to consider its timeliness and
relevance along with your level of knowledge and the audience's likely
interest.
3.
Practice
makes perfect.
Even in an informal setting, you want
to sound polished, with everything flowing naturally. That means lots of
practice. Great speakers rehearse, and they do it many, many times.
4.
Stay
focused.
Stick to the points you've planned to
make, and don't let things wander off course.
5.
Treat
it as a journey.
Set the context, prepare the audience,
and then lead them where you want them to go.
6.
Catch
their attention.
Open the speech with something striking
and catchy. It's a good time for humor. Make eye contact, and let the audience
know you see them from the start.
7.
Empower
and energize.
Your audience will follow your cue, so
be passionate and energetic and empowering. If you don't feel empowered by what
you're saying, you can't expect your audience to be excited.
8.
Be
respectful.
Treat your audience with respect. Don't
talk down to them or become hostile, but be respectful in all you do and say.
9.
Tell
a story.
A good presenter is a great
storyteller. Your audience doesn't want to be lectured; they want to be
moved. Tell the story in such a way that people feel like they are living it.
10.
Avoid
acting.
Speaking isn't acting! You are not
there to play a role but to speak and be yourself. Artificiality creates
distance between you and your audience.
11.
Be
(appropriately) funny.
A sense of humor and the timing to
deliver a funny line go far in making you a great speaker. Just be careful to
think your jokes through, rehearse your delivery, and not overuse them.
12.
Tune
in.
Modulate your voice: Change up the
tone, loudness, and pace to keep your audience engaged.
13.
Pay
attention to your body language.
You can reinforce your points and
connect with the audience with your posture and gestures.
14.
Don't
forget to breathe.
Pause before and after important ideas.
Don't be afraid of the silence, which will feel much longer to you than to the
audience. A pause gives people time to fully take in what you're saying.
15.
Make
eye contact.
Don't stare, but look around the room
and scan people in the audience, making brief eye contact with people in all
areas of the space.
16.
Use
visuals wisely.
Use images that support your message,
but don't let them become the whole story. Never read a slide to the audience.
17.
Show
confidence and poise.
Even if you're faking it, keep your
voice confident and poised, neither nervous nor arrogant.
18.
Convey
character.
Let your sincerity, conviction, and
enthusiasm shine through.
19.
Be
your genuine self.
Don't try to copy someone else or
create a better version of yourself. Be the same person you are away from the
podium.
20.
Don't
brag.
It's fine to highlight your expertise
or offer stories to connect with the audience, but humility will give you much
more authority than bragging.
21.
Talk
from the heart.
Speak to your audience as if they were
your friends. Be sincere, authentic, positive.
22.
Show
vulnerability.
Allow yourself to be human. When people
can see that you're subject to mistakes and missteps, they'll connect with you
more deeply.
23.
Don't
talk down.
Keep your style conversational; speak
to your audience, not at them.
24.
Sound
powerful.
Use short, simple sentences. Don't
rush, but speak slowly and clearly.
25.
Leave
them wanting more.
Stop well before people start fidgeting
and looking at their watches.
26.
Close
strong.
Close the speech with a striking,
impressive remark. Remember that a great beginning and ending are the most
important elements.
27.
Be
accessible.
Be available after you speak so people
can share what is on their mind, and they'll take you and your ideas more
seriously.
28.
Be
memorable.
Being an average speaker--or even a good
one--won't get you the notice you deserve. Be memorable. Do everything you can
for what you say to live on in the hearts and minds of those who hear you.
29.
Seek
feedback.
Get candid feedback from as many people
as you can, both in rehearsal and after the talk itself. Then you can build on
what you do well and work on your weak points.
30.
Listen
and learn.
Pay attention to other speakers--at
conferences and events, on political shows, and within your community.
BY LOLLY
DASKAL
http://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/30-must-have-skills-you-need-to-be-an-amazing-speaker.html?cid=em01016week06a
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