How to speak in public effortlessly?

How do you feel when someone asks you to deliver a talk in front of a group ?What's your initial reaction ? Obviously, like most people , you feel terrified. This is rather unfortunate. For, public speaking does not necessarily mean that you have to deliver a speech in front of a massive audience.Indeed, there are millions of people who have little aspiration for achieving greatness on the podium. On the contrary, they are required to, by virtue of their profession, talk to small groups of 10 or 15 people who work under them. If you are a business executive, a supervisor in a factory, an office manager, you are bound to overcome your shyness and speak to the people in your group and guide them because you are their team leader.yes, you too can overcome your shyness and be an effective public speaker. In fact anyone can do that. All you have to do is to learn how. Here are some useful tips for you to follow if you want to shed your clumsiness and shyness and be a good public speaker.

1) Choose the right subject.It should be a topic about which you have strong feelings.The only way to be comfortable while delivering a speech is to know what you are talking about. And you must believe in what you have to say. You must choose a subject that will automatically draw your audience to you. Suppose that you have come up with an idea to improve sales of a particular product. If you are called upon to sell your proposal to the board of directors, elaborate the point clearly and let them know how much profit it is going to bring. Again, if you are required to present this proposal to your sales team, stress how it is going to benefit all the team members and how their careers will receive a boost because of this new sales strategy. Surely, eveyone, wants to know : what is there in it for me ?

2)Organize your points logically.You need a beginning--usually a brief introduction to what you intend to speak;a middle that elaborates the main points under focus, and an end that summarizes your entire presentation. There is and old rule about public speaking :" Tell them what you are going to tell them; then tell them, and finally tell them what you have just told them."

3) Rehearse in private what you have to say.After you have planned your presentation, you need to practise delivering it. It is better if you do this in private and not in front of your spouse or close friend.Remember, you are rehearsing a speech to a group, not initiating a one-to-one discussion. Try to visualise the audience. "See" and "hear" the positive responses you are going to get from your audience.

4) Keep your notes to a bare minimum.The worst thing to do here is to read out a pre-written speech. It is indeed impossible to make a read-out speech sound spontaneous. If necessary, list your major headings on index cards --with only a few words on each card. A quick glance at the short notes will trigger your thoughts. The less you refer to notes, the more lucid and spontaneous will your speech become.Public speaking is essentially a matter of communication between you and your audience. Hence, for most speakers elaborate notes are more of a hindrance than help.

5) Make friends with your audience and feel at home.Don't forget that you are not here to make a display of your oratorial skills or pyrotechnics. Feel at home, be yourself, use short and simple sentences, and you will never go wrong. Instead of being formal and stuffy, try to maintain a conversational style, and if your speech is properly interspersed with wit and humour, it is surely going to be a big hit. Examples and anecdotes also help build a bridge with the audience and they will respond favourably. Find out the friendly faces and ignore those who are not.However, for real expert speech-makers, humour is a must, but for the average person, it is not essential. Yet, if you make use of humour , use it well and in the right place.. Don't begin a speech saying, "Let me start with a joke." Such things can destroy your effectiveness as a speaker.

6) Never apologize to the audience.If you feel any shortcomings, hide it. If you are embarrassed, don't show it. If you have a bad cold, don't mention it. In order to be confident, you have to exude confidence. If you have forgotten what you were about to say, you don't need to tell that to your listeners. After all. they will hardly know unless you tell them. Instead, you can repeat your last point to buy some time, or you can switch off to some point else, and come back to it later when you remember it. Why disappoint the audience by offering an abject apology ?

7)Bring your speech to a climaxThere should be a purpose to your talk. Aim towards it throughout your speech.Then urge and exhort your listeners to a course of action. Impress them with your pep talk and skilfully wind up your speech with a few memorable words or quotes, so that they continue to ring in their ears even after your speech is finished. But don't wait too long to finish your speech. Make sure that you stop speaking before your listeners stop listening to you.Indeed, always leave them wanting more.

The old adage "Practice makes perfect" is applicable to public speaking as well. So, whenever you get an opportunity to deliver a talk, grab the opportunity. For, the rewards can be enormous.Indeed, as you practise your oratorial skills, the more accomplished you become. Indeed, your speaking power will increase gradually, and a day will come when you will be able to speak smartly, charmingly, wisely and, last but not least, effortlessly.If you follow my above tips, there is no doubt that you will understand how to speak in public and, thanks to your new-found confidence, you will be able to lead a more satisfying life.