Presence Training

To many people, public speaking presents the number one fear in the world. They rank it as the worst thing they can go through. And the fact that many people believe that a good public speaker can only be born and never made doesn’t help one bit. 

The reality of things is that everyone has the potential to become good at public speaking. No matter how much anxiety you get at the idea and how stressed you are, there are ways to help you overcome this fear and allow you to learn the skills that good public speakers possess. There are several things you can consider in regards to learning public speaking skills: 

• A public speaking course – the first thing you can do, to become a more confident and capable speaker is to take public speaking courses. There are many benefits to doing that. First, you get access to a wide range of experts, who can teach you all sorts of valuable skills and tricks that can help you get your message across. Second, by working with professionals, you will learn to manage your fear and gain much-needed confidence for a good performance. Last, but most definitely not least, there are online public speaking courses that you can take advantage of, which are very convenient and easy on your schedule. 

• You can watch other public speakers – learning by watching others is a good way to spot what skills they have and what makes them good at public speaking. There are many famous speakers out there, whose speeches have left a mark in history. Check them out and see what sort of words they use for the occasion and how they resonate with the audience. Also, see some videos of famous speakers, to catch a glimpse of their body language and how they use that to emphasise their own words and reinforce their beliefs. Mind their style and how you can use them as a prime example to develop your speaking methods that serve your needs. 

• Practice with others – if you truly wish to hone your public speaking skills, you need to practice more. Thankfully, there are plenty of opportunities for that. For example, you can try doing public speaking with your closest friends and family members. Once you feel more comfortable, engage in such activities with your co-workers and during other social interactions. The more you speak to others, the more confidence you gain in your abilities. It won’t be long before you feel prepared to speak to any group and in any situation. 

• Record yourself on video – this is a strategy that many public speakers use as part of their preparation process for a big speech. They rehearse by recording themselves on video and then watching it closely. This allows them to catch on certain mistakes they are making in their speech or body language. You may think this is strange, but a simple recording can reveal details like where you look during your speech, and how much you wave your hands around. These details only seem minor, but in reality, they are an important part of the speech/presentation that you cannot afford to neglect. 

As you can see, there are quite a few ways to practice your public speaking skills and become better at it. It is up to you to pick the one method that works best for what you want to achieve. It is better yet if you can combine a few of them, to reap the best rewards. 

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