You've probably heard that the number one fear is speaking in public. Number two is the fear of death. Which means more people would rather be the subject of the eulogy instead of the one delivering it!
As an educator, you're often called on to speak, whether it's teaching a class, delivering a presentation to fellow faculty members or introducing a guest (ahem....Making It Count, of course) speaker at a school assembly. So, maybe this is a fear that you've had to overcome...or maybe you're still working on it.
Regardless of your level of public speaking expertise, or comfort level, every speaker can be made better by improving on their basic speaking techniques. Since Making It Count is the largest speaking company in the country, with over 250 speakers delivering our programs in high schools and colleges across the country, we have a few tricks up our sleeve that will help you take your public speaking from good to great. These exercises have been used to train Making It Count speakers, and we hope they will help you as well.
PROJECTION
Without a doubt, the number one technique any speaker can build upon is projection. When you project, you immediately build confidence and energy into your delivery.
Projection is not as easy as it may sound. It's not about simply being LOUD! It's not SHOUTING! It's about projecting from your diaphragm and finding the level of projection that is right for you.
To work on your projection, try this. Grab a book or magazine (we recommend Dr. Seuss) and pick a page at random. Stand at the front of the room and read that page aloud as you normally would if you were speaking in front of a group.
Now, lie on the floor and read that same page. Do you notice the difference? You should be able to feel how you project from your diaphragm. Do this a few times, reading different passages, to figure out what level of projection works best for you. You might even want to grab a colleague and have them do this exercise with you.
Projection draws your audience in and keeps them focused. You'll be more energetic and excited about your presentation and the end result is a more confident delivery.
EYE CONTACT
Let's talk about eye contact and how you can use it to draw your audience into what you're saying. Most speakers tend to favor a particular side of a room or the floor. And some speakers will find a buddy in the audience to look at to calm themselves down. The key is to make sure every member of your audience feels like you are speaking to them directly. Try this exercise to improve your eye contact.
For this exercise, you'll need some help from three friends or colleagues. Have them sit in different areas of the room and tell each of them to hold up a hand. Instruct each of them that, as you make eye contact with them, they should silently count to three and then put their hand down. Do this for each person until you've made eye contact with all three people in your "audience."
Focusing on one person for a three-second count will make that person feel singled out. So when speaking, you should expand your focus to areas instead of people. By dividing up the room, each person in that area will feel as if you are speaking to them directly.
MOVEMENT
A good speaker is able to deliver his or her message and incorporate movement into the presentation. It's another way to engage your audience and build energy into your delivery.
As speakers develop the art of movement, they usually fall into 2 categories:
1 - They pace....and pace and pace and pace. The result is a speaker who comes across as extremely nervous and unfocused.
2- They stand in one spot the entire time. And when they do move, it's unnatural.
Here's a great way to help you work on improving how well you move as you speak.
First step: Determine where you are....we use a system called Paper Training.
Grab a book or magazine and choose a page or passage to read. Now, put down sheets of paper on the floor (if you have rolls of wrapping paper or packing paper, those work really well). Stand on the paper and read the page or passage you have chosen. As you are doing this, take note of how much sound you make. If you don't make any sound at all, you're not moving enough. If you're making too much sound, you're moving too much. Your goal is to get a good balance of sound as you speak.
Second Step: Move with Purpose
The best speakers will practice their presentation, and they will "script" out their movements to correspond with what they are saying. At Making It Count, we call that Moving with Purpose.
The best reasons to move are:
- When you are changing a subject
- When you are changing an emotion
- When you've been in one place for the entire time
As you are practicing your presentation, decide when and where you should move. But don't think about it too much. You want your movement to be organic and flow with your presentation.
PAUSES
Silence Is Golden! Experienced speakers are not afraid of silence. The use of pauses can make the difference between a good speaker and a great speaker!
Finding places to pause can be a great way to break up your speaking pattern.
Great places to pause:
- After you give a Number
- Making It Count has spoken to over 20 million (pause) students
- When you're about to make an eye-opening statement
- Every student we spoke to received a scholarship (pause)
- Repetition makes it that much stronger...
- EVERY STUDENT!
Now, two of those statements aren't true, but they illustrate how important pauses can be. Remember...the greater the statement, the longer the pause!
INFLECTION
Another way to take your presentation from good to great is through vocal inflection. It adds variety to your presentation and it adds definition. When practicing your speech, pay attention to where and how you are inflecting words. Try choosing a sentence, like "I didn't say you stole the money," and make the statement change meaning by inflecting a different word each time. Then, choose a sentence from your presentation or lesson plan and do the same. Maybe try it out on colleagues or friends to see how they react to the different ways you are saying the statement to see what works best.
Public speaking is scary. Even professional speakers who do hundreds of presentations a year feel the familiar sensation of butterflies in their stomach before a presentation. But by consistently working on these techniques, you will see a significant difference in your speaking skills. But don't strive to be too perfect. You'll make a far better connection with your audience if they think you're real.
