Seven Tips for How to Become a Good Public Speaker
In her job at Babson, Sharon Sinnott has seen firsthand how anxious the idea of public speaking can make people.
She’s the director of the College’s Speech Center, which helps students strengthen their public speaking skills for all sorts of situations: presentations, speeches, class participation, job interviews, networking. “They get nervous just talking about the speech they have to give,” says Sinnott, who has worked at Babson for 40 years. “Some people have difficulty unzipping their coats they’re so nervous.”
For those who struggle with how to improve their public speaking skills, Sinnott offers the following seven tips. She believes that everyone can not only flourish in their public speaking, moving others with their words, but actually come to enjoy it.
“I just want people to have fun,” she says. “If you keep working at it, there will come a time when you do.”
To put it simply, improving one’s public speaking skills takes a focus on confidence (practice helps build it), content (it must be tailored to the audience), and delivery (think about how you say your words and how they will be perceived).
1. Know Your Audience and Purpose
The first of the public speaking tips focuses on your early preparation. Before you even craft a speech or presentation, you need to understand two related things.
First, know your audience. Is it friendly or indifferent? What are the basic demographics (age, gender, education) of those in the crowd? “Don’t assume people have your point of view,” Sinnott says. “We do that way too often.”
Second, know your purpose. Are you supposed to inform or persuade the audience? Or maybe entertainment is your mission? “How do you want to make your audience feel?” Sinnott says. “Do you want them to feel conflicted, inspired, motivated?”
2. Tell a Story
As you figure out what to say in your speech, don’t treat it like a data dump. If you’re an entrepreneur pitching your new venture, for instance, you don’t need to go on and on about the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis that you did. “I expect you to do a SWOT analysis,” Sinnott says. “Sit back and think, ‘What does it mean?’ ”
Instead of regurgitating data, tell a story with your words. Is there a conflict? Is there a main character or hero? What is the core of your message? “You speak from the heart,” Sinnott says.
3. Practice, Practice, Practice
To prepare for a presentation, you need to practice. That’s one of the most obvious tips for better public speaking, but it’s a true one nonetheless, no matter how much experience one has speaking in front of others. “We all need practice,” Sinnott says. “It is a continuous process.”
That process takes time. At the Speech Center, students sometimes show up at 5 p.m. to discuss a speech they’re giving early the next morning. That won’t suffice for prep. “Proper planning prevents poor performance,” she says, reciting an oft-repeated mantra.
One effective way to practice is to record yourself giving the speech and then review it. Sinnott suggests listening to, not watching, the speech, so you really focus on your words. “Are you clear?” Sinnott says. “Are you conveying emotion?”
4. Fine-Tune the Delivery
As you practice and grow more comfortable with the presentation, you can fine-tune your delivery. Are you making eye contact with the audience? Are you using your hands to gesture and emphasize a point? How is the tone and volume level of your voice? “All of those coupled together make a stronger presentation,” Sinnott says.
Eventually, the more you practice, the more you can focus on individual words and phrases. Do you need to speed up or slow down the reading of a sentence? Do you need to punch up a word or add a pause for effect? “We want our voice to convey how we feel about a topic,” she says.
Sinnott says speakers should think of themselves as conductors, who make their speeches ebb and flow, build and abate, roar and soften, like a symphony.
5. Take a Breath
You may have practiced and fine-tuned your presentation, but public speaking anxiety can still strike as you stand in front of the audience.
In that moment, Sinnott says to slow down. Speak short sentences. Take a breath. Allow those nerves to settle. “That little bit will help harness and control,” she says. “Don’t rush. Look around. Take in the moment.”
If you make a mistake, don’t worry about it. Keep going. “Allow yourself to make a mistake,” she says. “There is no such thing as a perfect speech.”
“The building of confidence is at the root of being a good speaker.”
Sharon Sinnott, director of Babson’s Speech Center
6. Keep Slides Simple
If you’re using visual aids, remember that they are just that: an aid. Don’t stuff PowerPoint slides full of too many words and images. Keep things simple. If using text, have no more than four lines to a slide and no more than four words to a line. “You don’t want information overload,” she says. “If there’s too much information, no one knows where to look.”
Speakers must not forget that PowerPoint slides are merely the “supporting actor” of their presentations. “You are the star,” she says.
7. Build Confidence
For the last of the public speaking tips, remember that presentation skills ultimately come down to confidence. “The building of confidence is at the root of being a good speaker,” Sinnott says.
So, work on it. Don’t wait until you’re forced to give a talk. Take opportunities to speak out. Students who are shy about class participation, for instance, should raise their hands and try to answer questions. “Let your professor know you are working on that,” Sinnott says.
Confidence takes time to build, and as it does, so will your oration skills. “It is a journey,” Sinnott says.
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