14 Tips for Improving Your Public Speaking Skills

Snakes? Fine. Flying? No problem. Public speaking? Yikes! Just thinking about public speaking—routinely described as one of the greatest (and most common) fears—can make your palms sweat. But there are many ways to tackle this anxiety and learn to deliver a memorable speech.

In part one of this series, Mastering the Basics of Communication, I shared strategies to improve how you communicate. In part two, I examined how to apply these techniques as you interact with colleagues and supervisors in the workplace. For the third and final part of this series, I’m providing you with public speaking tips that will help reduce your anxiety, dispel myths, and improve your performance.

Some people seem to glow when they’re given a microphone and are asked to give a toast or a speech, while others of us would much rather sprint as fast as possible in the opposite direction.

The important lesson here is nervousness is actually perfectly normal, Marjorie L. North, a speech pathologist and lecturer at Harvard University, tells NBC News BETTER. (And that person who looks totally at ease is likely going through — or has at some point previously — felt the same exact way.)

“When your heart starts pounding, you’re sweating, your hands are shaking, your knees are shaking, and you feel like you’re going to pass out — that’s the way everybody feels,” says North, who has been teaching public speaking courses for more than 35 years.

Speaking in front of a large crowd is not a natural activity for anyone; to get better at it, you need to learn how to do it, prepare and practice, she explains. “It’s a skill, not a talent.”

Your personality of course has something to do with how you approach speaking in front of people — whether that’s a crowd of thousands or a boardroom full of your bosses and colleagues. People who are more introverted tend to keep a lot of ideas in their heads and on top of mind to keep their brain from getting bored, rather than relying on other people or activities to keep their minds occupied, Jadzia Jagiellowicz, PhD (Psch), a cognitive psychologist, told NBC — “they have an exciting ‘inner life.’” And that’s why too much stimulation and excitement (for example a full room of people whose eyes and attention are all focused on you) can be overwhelming for people who are more introverted, she says.

The brains of people who are more extroverted work the opposite way. Excitement and stimulation — like engaging in a spirited conversation or giving a presentation — energizes people who are extroverted, rather than being overwhelming, Jagiellowicz says.

It may be more likely that extroverts will feel comfortable in front of a crowd, but it still takes skill and practice to speak effectively in a way that engages your audience, North says. Even in smaller, less formal situations you can train yourself to be a better communicator, she adds.

There’s no one checklist that will turn you into a great public speaker overnight. It takes practice, preparation and it helps to get feedback, North says. But remembering these key principles is a good place to start in terms of becoming a better communicator in any situation.

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