THE STUDENT'S GUIDE TO PUBLIC SPEAKING: DEVELOPING THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

Public speaking is almost inevitable as a student. At one time or the other, I’m pretty sure you’ve had to speak to an audience directly or indirectly. A perfect instance is where a lecturer asks you to come to the front of the class and explain all that he has been saying since he started teaching. Half the time, this is usually a flop because the better percentage of people think public speaking is hard for one reason or the other.

Public speaking is the art of communicating effectively to a live audience, whether small or large. It involves delivering a speech or presentation to an audience, aiming to persuade, inform, entertain or motivate. Public speaking can significantly impact a student's academic and professional journey. examples of public speaking are: speaking in debates, presenting in class and other avenues that allow for it.

HERE ARE SOME WAYS TO DEVELOP YOUR PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS:

1. Constant practice:

   One of the major ways to hack the art of public speaking is to practice regularly. This can be in the most informal way possible. nothing stops you from Picking up your hairbrush to symbolize a microphone and speaking on anything and everything in front of your mirror. This little gesture might seem so insignificant, but overtime, it helps to build your confidence in yourself, improve your vocabulary and articulation and it helps your composure.

   
   

   

   
   

2. Find a public speaking community:

   This is a very important step in developing the art of public speaking. You can join debating societies or clubs, where your skill can be harnessed and developed properly. This is because they are a supportive environment and they usually offer constructive criticisms and helpful feedback.

   
   

   

   
   

3. Manage your anxiety:

   You are not the first person to feel nervous or jittery before any presentation and you definitely won't be the last. Snap out of it. Find a way to make yourself comfortable and calm and stick to it. A perfect example is by imagining yourself to be in front of your mirror. You have to consciously and intentionally maintain eye contact, adjust your posture and use gestures reasonably.

   
   
   
   

   

   
   

4. Prepare and organize yourself:

   Except if it is an impromptu speech, you have to prepare, research and understand the topic you"ll be speaking on. You would agree with me that a well structured speech is easier to follow so, make use of bullet points where necessary to coordinate your speech.

   
   

   

   
   

5. Seek feedback:

   After every presentation, make sure to ask for feedback from your peers, instructors and even strangers. Constructive criticism helps a lot in identifying areas that need improvement.

6. Watch and learn from others:

   To improve your skill,you have to observe skilled speakers, whether physically or online and try to learn a thing or two from their techniques, delivery styles, composure and how they interact with their audience. online platforms like TED Talks are a perfect example under here.

   
   

   

   
   

At this juncture, it is important for me to add that this may take some time and definitely a lot of effort before you become a pro speaker, but the end result is usually worth it all.