MY CONFIDANT

Speaking with Poise and Assurance.

Public speaking is a way of sharing your ideas with the public or a means of communication and not a performance. It’s a skill that can be learnt by almost everyone.

When preparing to speak, we have got to be at our best physically and mentally. Have enough rest, do not stay up till late. Dress smart and comfortable.

Public speaking is a skill everyone needs to take on because you never know when you will make use of it. Growing up I was very fearful, shy and timid. We all know that those qualities don’t suit a remarkable public speaker. I never ever thought that one day I would stand before the public and speak. It was far from my dreams, desires and passions. Worse still I was never interested in speaking before people.

I have learnt that one has to be confident to command attention and authority even as you speak. Stage fright is one of the challenges that stand in the way when one is faced with an idea of public speech. Almost everyone encounters this fear especially in the early stages of speaking publicly. Feelings of nervousness and tension overwhelm you and if not well tamed you can almost forget your train of thought. However we should all know that nervousness is faced by even the best of speakers.

 One needs to develop a positive attitude towards the subject and confidence in their abilities to make it as a speaker. You have got to be enthusiastic about your topic and prepare the content of your speech ahead of time and do it well. Prepare your introduction to help have a smooth take off, once you go through the introduction you will find smoother sailing the rest of the way. Conclusions should also end on a strong note.

I have realized that when I rehearse my speech orally, I get confident with the idea of delivering it. Then I am also able to turn the negative thoughts about my speech to positive ones. As a speaker I am always confident that nervousness is not visible to my audience and that I should focus on communicating to my audience and make eye contact rather than worrying. You have to act cool and confident even though your palms are sweating and your heart is pounding.

The best part about confidence is that it nurtures itself. After you triumph in your first speech, you will be that much more confident the next time. As you become confident in this area you will pretty much become more confident in other areas of your life.

Public speaking is however different from conversation. Whereas both involve speaking, the former is before a multitude of people and the latter is between two or more people. The tone used in conversations is usually soft and calm whereas when you are speaking to a multitude of people there’s need to amplify your voice and make it audible, firm and bold.

In conclusion, here are some of the positive reflections you need to say out loud always.

1.       This speech is a chance for me to share my ideas and gain experience as speaker.

2.       I am getting better with each speech I give.

3.       I have a good topic and of course they will love it.