Have you ever heard a presentation, a lecture, or an acceptance speech that just left you in awe? Did it make you wonder how they did it? How did they make public speaking seem so easy? Even though it may seem like an innate trait, you can learn to become a better, more powerful public speaker.
Public speaking is a skill that is very important to develop. Regardless of the field you work in, you will be interacting with people or groups. By learning to engage the other party, you will have a better time getting through to them and be able to establish yourself as knowledgeable and powerful.
Whether it is in a small conversation or a large presentation, three key elements of public speaking are:
- Message content
- Audience connection
- Message impact
Here, we will discuss the message impact and message content.
First, let’s understand what message impact means. When you are giving a speech, what do you want your audience to take away?
Often times in a company, you may be asked to give a status update on a project or explain a new idea. When doing so, start by writing down what you want to have happen after you give the speech. How do you want them to act- whether that is to support your initiative or help coordinate future actions?
Use those questions to guide the speech. Word it so that it pushes your message.
The next element that we will discuss is message content.
I guarantee that you have sat through a speech that either has gone over your head or became very boring. Often times, it is very technical speech that you cannot fully process.
Yes, having facts in a speech is good- it shows that you are knowledgeable about your presentation- but a good speech is about more than just numbers and charts and data.
If there is a lot of information that you must get across, try breaking it up into different segments, with an engaging break in the middle, or sending out the data sheets afterwards, via email.
The key here is to not bore the audience and ensure that they can process what they are told.
Learning to become a good public speaking will help you get your message across in a more efficient manner. Use these three elements and see how it changes the way people pay attention to your presentations!