How to learn to speak in public?
Public speaking can make us tremble.
What will they think of my performance? Am I prepared enough? What if I start to stutter or forget what I want to say?
Every day, we exchange with our relatives or with strangers. Why does speaking in front of an attentive and formalized audience scare us so much?
Two big reasons for this: fear of audience judgment and lack of self-confidence.
- Why learn to speak in public?
- How to prepare well for speaking?
- How to manage stress during oral communication?
- How is visualization used for oral presentation?
- Why learn to speak in public?
Whether you like it or not, whether you are shy or eloquent, you are bound to practice public speaking throughout your life.
As a student, the oral presentation is a very popular exercise: oral presentation, oral baccalaureate, end-of-study dissertation, thesis or doctorate Defense, selection interviews in certain specific sectors, etc.
As a young graduate, looking for a job leads you to express yourself orally: job interviews, exchanges with recruitment firms, etc.
As a professional, you produce "pitches": presentation of your company to investors, report to your superiors on your daily actions, vehicle of your innovative ideas during work meetings...
As an adult, in general, you need to know how to express yourself orally: debate with friends on sensitive subjects, affirmation of an idea, pronunciation of wedding vows, education of children...
On a personal and professional level, the quality of your speaking out allows you to make a difference and make an impression.
- How to prepare well for speaking?
The most valuable advice is to practice speaking in public. For this, you can record your voice or film yourself. By listening to your production, you easily find the elements to correct. You judge the quality of your intonation of voice and your gestures.
In order to respect the time, set for your speech, time yourself during your training.
If allowed, you can take notes to help you express yourself. Note only keywords, no phrases. It is strongly discouraged to simply read his notes.
Do not memorize your speech. You are not being asked to recite a poem. Moreover, it can make you lose your means if you are interrupted.
Finally, plan for appropriate and comfortable clothing. Feeling comfortable is essential to be able to focus on your speech and not on your outfit.
- How to manage stress during oral communication?
You begin your oral presentation and you feel your cheeks flush, unease sets in and your voice quivers. How to calm your stress in the middle of your oral? Assume your state and remain yourself.
The more you try to control your stress, the more it invades you. On the contrary, accept it and it will go away. You can certainly tell your audience: œI feel stressed for this exercise but I will do my best. This little magic phrase allows you to show your audience that you are working to overcome your stage fright. She invites the audience to reassure you and give you the confidence that you lack at this moment. Finally, paradoxically, it makes the stress disappear.
So be yourself.
Then, to avoid stress in the event of discovery of plagiarism in your presentation, it is essential to cite your sources. Be sure of your presentation and prove your academic integrity.
- How is visualization used for oral presentation?
œBefore a championship competition, high-level athletes practice this trick which is effective for any type of performance. With our eyes closed, we project ourselves into the heart of the virtual meeting, conference or other event where we will have to express ourselves publicly. You imagine yourself completely at ease, in control, and everything is going wonderfully. Our brain will be conditioned to associate the event with a positive emotion rather than stress. And if we have the opportunity to do a location scouting beforehand or sound and internet connection tests upstream, so much the better! Visualization will only be easier and it will be one less strange to manage one Day.
