Presentation “world” will always have something to do with public speaking. If you want to be an expert presenter, or at least be a good and effective presenter, you need to have public speaking technique.
The main ability you must have to master public speaking is of course communication ability or the ability to speak. It means that you can speak clearly and intelligible.
So, it is important to have a good vocal ability. Vocal ability here means the ability to speak with precise volume and clear articulation. Volume and articulation are factors that make your voice can be heard clearly by the audience.
If the audience cannot hear your voice clearly, their attention to your presentation decreases. It could make your presentation less interesting. Besides, there are other things that support your public speaking, such as gestures, material and tools you use. The most important thing of all is self confidence. There are some ways you should do to improve your public speaking.
1. Improving your self confidence
There are some things that make your voice indistinct, and a lack of confidence is one of them. You can’t rely on a microphone to throw your voice – you need to do that yourself. Feeling nervous or anxious will prevent you from doing this, as will self-consciousness.
Nervousness can lessen your voice. You become shaky, and it affects your voice volume. To increase the power of your voice, you have to have faith in yourself.
You have to believe in yourself that you can give the best. To improve your self-confidence, you can practice delivering a speech in front of your relatives or friends. Make sure you’re also wearing comfortable clothes, and make time in the morning to look your best. If there’s a part of you that you’re particularly self-conscious of, take steps to lessen their impact on you. If you’re conscious of your hands, for example, hold on to something to stop them from moving around. Similarly, if you’re conscious of your teeth, visit a Herndon dentists or similar dentist closer to you to get them professionally cleaned and polished. They’ll also be able to straighten your teeth over time, so if you have to present often, straightening your teeth might be worth investing some time in.
2. Improving your voice
When you are speaking in front of public, you must control your voice power. Someone’s voice power will be worse if he does not use chest and belt voice properly. Belt voice is produced by pressing an abdomen, not a neck. If you use belt voice, your voice will sound more clear and good. This voice could be trained by practicing breathing technique. Practice your breathing regularly by taking breath using diaphragm. If you are used to breathing this way, you will have a good belt voice.
Besides, you should also notice voice resonance. Resonance is a factor that can strengthen your voice. This resonance technique can be trained by closing your mouth, then saying “Hmmmmmmm” using your chest voice. After doing so, try to speak by combining your chest and belt voices. You can practice also by reading loudly. When you can read loudly, although sometimes you make mistakes, you have enough resources to speak in front of public. Practicing reading loudly can make you learn how to articulate words properly.
3. Practicing by telling stories to children
Reading tales to children can help improving your public speaking skill. Telling tales needs some sort of skill in order to make the story more amusing to children. When telling tales, you need volume, good articulation and rhythm that suits to the story. Sometimes, you have to whisper, sometimes you have to scream while telling tales to children. You have to express the emotion that the characters show in the story. It will be useful for you when you deliver a presentation. In front of the audience, playing voice volume and rhythm are required when you deliver a speech. Sometimes, you have to speak slowly, but sometimes fast, suit to the material you deliver in your presentation.
4. Watching presentation videos
There are many presentation videos shared freely in the internet. You can watch them on TED.com. There you can learn how presenters in the whole world deliver their presentations. Chose a suitable presenter and then learn his/her style in delivering presentations. Notice and learn the gesture he/she uses when speaking in front of public. Notice also the material he/she deliver and how he/she deliver it. After that, adjust his/her style to you style and personality. Don’t force to use another people’s style if it doesn’t suit you.
Besides doing things above, you can also ask for help from professionals or attend presentation or public speaking workshops. By practicing to deliver presentation or public speaking, you will find the proper way to improve your skill.
