5 Public Speaking Tips from a Communications Professional

Did you know that public speaking is the world’s number one phobia? Coming from someone who used to be terrified of speaking in public, I completely understand this fear.

Once I decided that I wanted to face my fear of speaking in public, I started taking every opportunity to practice my speaking skills.

I’ve now spoken in front of over 200 people at a conference in New York City, given a speech at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, and given multiple presentations to upper management in various jobs I’ve had.

I’ve learned the ins and outs of successful public speaking from my professors, colleagues, and speakers I admire. Now I’m ready to share the best tips I’ve learned to become a confident public speaker.

5 Public Speaking Tips from a Communications Professional

1. The end goal of a speech is… 

“The end goal of a speech is to create a lasting moment in someone’s mind.”

My university professor once said this in class and I’ll never forget it.

So if you want to be a better public speaker, you need to make your speech memorable. No matter who you’re talking to or what your content is, none of that will matter unless the message you’re trying to evoke sticks with the listener way beyond the end of your speech.

How do you make your speech memorable?

Tell a story: Share a story that will keep your audience engaged. Make sure to keep the story evolving throughout your presentation, and to tie it all up in a nice bow at the end.

Be humorous: depending on the tone and subject of your speech, humour can be a great tool to make your speech memorable and enjoyable.

Be relatable: by connecting to your audience and relating to their stories or struggles, you can make yourself more memorable and get better reactions from your audience.

Comms&Me Tip: Never be afraid to think outside the box when public speaking. Most people copy the same speaking format they see others do, but the secret to being a great public speaker is to make it your own and to find little ways to make your speech memorable.

2. Audience, audience, audience

If you want to be a great public speaker, you NEED to know who your audience is. 

By understanding your audience, you can create a speech/presentation tailored to them and their needs. The audience will dictate the tone of your speech, the information you share, and the reception of your message.

To figure out who your audience is, ask yourself the following questions:

• What are the key traits of my audience?
• What is my audience hoping to gain from my speech?
• What is the audience’s age range?
• Is my audience more formal or informal?
• Would my audience react better to a humorous or serious tone?

3. Work with your jitters, not against them

Many people (including myself) who get nervous speaking in public might get jitters while speaking. This can include physical symptoms like:

• Shaky and sweaty hands
• Dry mouth
• Tripping over your words and excessive stuttering
• Using filler words like “um”, “ah”, “you know”

These are usually subconscious effects that cannot be resolved overnight. 

The best way to manage these effects is to learn which ones you have and figure out the best way to prevent them while speaking. Some solutions include:

• Shaky and sweaty hands = move and gesture your hands regularly while speaking. Don’t hold onto thin pieces of paper that could emphasize your jitters.
• Dry mouth = keep a bottle of water close by
• Tripping over your words = practice speaking slowly and enunciating your words
• Using filler words = practice using pauses instead of filler words

4. Don’t give too much power to PowerPoint

When giving a speech or presenting, the speaker will all too often rely heavily on visual supports, like PowerPoint, and forget to focus on other key elements of their speech.

Jim Endicott, author of The Presentation Survival Skills Guide, describes the key to public speaking as the three-legged stool theory. The three-legged stool consists of:

1. Speech content
2. Delivery
3. Visual presentation

Visual presentation is only one of THREE elements needed for a great speech/presentation. If you’re giving a speech with a visual support, make sure to only use visuals that will enhance your content and delivery, instead of relying on them.

Comms&Me Tip: When using a visual support like PowerPoint, make sure to use short and digestible text like bullet points. No one wants to feel like they’re reading a textbook when viewing your presentation.

5. Practice makes progress

Practice is the only true way to become a better public speaker. By practicing either on your own or in front of others, you’ll gain more confidence in your public speaking skills.

Here are some tips to practice your public speaking skills:

• Record yourself while speaking: listen to your voice and gestures to make sure that you’re an engaging speaker.
• Don’t be hard on yourself to memorize your speech word for word. It’s easier to remember the key points of your speech and let your words flow naturally when presenting.
• Practice your speech without your visual support to enhance your memory

Any other public speaking tips?

Those are my top 5 public speaking tips. Have any tips that have helped you improve your public speaking? Comment down below!