The Seven Habits of a Confident Public Speaker


You've made the first step on the road to becoming a confident
public speaker. By following the steps outlined below and adopting
the 'Seven Habits of a Confident Public Speaker' I'm sure you will
enjoy giving speeches and making presentations. Instead of seeing
them as a chore you will begin to truly enjoy standing up in front of
audiences and talking to them.

So what are the 'Seven Habits of a Confident Public Speaker'?

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HABIT 1
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Be yourself. Don't try to be a 'speaker'. Don't try to emulate other
speakers. Simply be yourself. The best and most confident
speakers are those who are no different 'on the stage' as they are
at home or in the bar. They are 'themselves' the whole time; never
pretending to be anyone else.

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HABIT 2
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Prepare. Confident public speakers are those who have spent a
great deal of time preparing what to say. This doesn't mean endless
hours in front of PowerPoint or researching facts on the Internet.
Instead, it means going over in your mind what you want to say.
You can do this in the car, on the train, in the shower. In other
words, confident speakers think carefully and make plenty of
mental preparation for their talk.

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HABIT 3
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Make it simple. Confident public speakers are those with very
straightforward and simple messages. They do not complicate their
talks with several different strands of ideas or a multitude of
messages. The simpler the talk, the easier it is for the audience,
but the easier it is for the speaker because they can remember
what to say so much more readily.

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HABIT 4
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Practice. Confident public speakers are well rehearsed. They
actually say out loud their talk several times in advance. They may
wander round their office or bedroom, talking to themselves. Saying
it out loud really helps them get to grips with what to say and it
boosts their confidence greatly.

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HABIT 5
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Activity. Confident speakers are people who are active. They do not
sit and 'stew' over their talk. They go for walks, as they think of
what to say. They may go swimming or down the gym. Physical
activity helps them lower the hormones which cause the stress of
public speaking.

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HABIT 6
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Eating. If you eat properly in advance of a talk you will feel much
better and more confident. Lack of food can reduce your
confidence. Public speakers are confident have usually eaten
properly in advance of their talk. If you avoid food because of
'nerves' you will be increasing your fear of speaking and making
yourself more anxious.

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HABIT 7
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Connecting with the audience. Confident public speakers make lots
of connections with their audience when speaking. They have
plenty of eye contact, they ask questions and they even get
discussions going. Audiences love it and it also makes speakers
more confident as they realise they are of interest to their audience.
Facing the screen or a computer to read your slides will drastically
reduce your confidence, not enhance it. The 'support' provided by
visual aids is actually making speakers less confident rather than
helping them.

I hope these Seven Habits of a Confident Public Speaker have been
of use to you. Don't forget, the manual, 'Stop Public Speaking Fear'
has much more in-depth detailed information, as well as plenty of
hints and tips on boosting your confidence as a speaker.