AN ORIENTATION

ON
PUBLIC
SPEAKING
PRESENTED BY: Rebat Kumar Dhakal
Birendra Sainik Awasiya
Mahavidyalaya, Sallaghari,
Bhaktapr
19 June 2009
 Public Speaking Skills
qSpeaking in public, in front of
groups and conducting
presentations are commonly
agreed as the least favorite
activities that anyone can
perform.
qHowever, if we are well
prepared, well equipped and
well supported, we will find that
speaking in public really can be
quite enjoyable.
Nervous about talking to a group
of people?
Don’t worry, you are in very
good company! Many people –
including celebrities and
politicians - admit to being dead
of having to speak in public and
suffer the same symptoms as you
might: tongue-tied, blushing,
damp hands, the shakes!
Here are a few tips on how
you might cope with nerves
and on how to deal with
situations that may arise
during the course of your
presentation.
 1. Relaxation Techniques
Take yourself off somewhere you
won’t be disturbed and do the
following:
Take a long deep breath, count to
four, relax and then repeat four or
five times
Extend your arms and contract
your muscles for a short time and
release
Yawn to relax your vocal chords
 2. Voice Techniques
Speak clearly and with enough
emphasis to keep your audience
interested.
Vary the pitch and tone of your voice,
let it rise and fall, make it louder or
softer; a monotonous voice lulls us to
sleep, no matter how interesting the
topic is!
Vary the pace, speaking slower or even
using silence to emphasize key points
Speak in the accent and way that is
 3. Posture and Gestures
“One cannot not communicate.” Even if we don’t
speak, we communicate through our appearance
and body language. Body language consists of
eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, body
posture, and movement.
Stand straight, don’t slouch with one shoulder
lower than the other. Get the right sort of
balance
Keep your chin roughly parallel to the floor
Don't just stand there, with your arms by the
side of you! ACT CONFIDENTLY and you will
FEEL CONFIDENT!
 4. Audience Skills

Smile (but don’t grin) : Smile and the world

smiles with you
Give them time to get what you are saying to
them
Acknowledge mistakes and announce positive
measures that should avoid future problems
Remember the audience’s attention will start at
a low point, climb to a peak, then decline
Keep to time. Do not make the audience feel
you have gone on longer than you expected by
saying, “I’ve nearly finished” or “Bear with me”
 5. Delivery
 You can deliver confident and powerful
presentations! All it takes is a little
preparation, some practice, and a winning
mindset. Congratulations! This is your
chance to shine.
Know that you were asked to present,
because you can do it-you wouldn't have been
asked otherwise.
 The style and pace of delivery should be
what is most natural to you but there are
some important “don’ts”
 Avoid seeming hesitant or nervous
and too many “ums” or “ahs”
Avoid mumbling or gabbling too
quickly
Avoid using the same phrases
repeatedly – watch out for “actually”, “in
fact”, “the point is”, “and so on”, – your
audience will be counting
Avoid looking at just one or two
individuals or just the front few rows
 6. The Non-Verbal Impression
Remember that only 7% of understanding
comes from what is said, that 38% comes from
the tone of voice and 55% from non-verbal
signals!
Make positive eye contact by scanning the
whole audience
Avoid defensive postures: folded arms,
shuffling, fiddling about
Use your hands to emphasize points but don’t
overdo it
Be aware of personal mannerisms that may be
distracting and work to avoid them
 CONT.
Don’t wag your finger or pen at anyone
Don’t pace around
Don’t stand with your back to the
audience while you are speaking; if you
have to write something on a flip chart,
do so and then turn back to the audience
and speak.
Do not stand facing the screen, reading
your slides to the audience.
7. Reviewing your performance

If you can find someone to

comment on your
presentation, it will help you
review your performance so
that you can notice areas for
improvement before you
speak in public.
 THE 6 “BEs”
OF
EFFECTIVE
PUBLIC SPEAKING:
 1. Be Organized!
Being prepared breeds
confidence.
Write down key ideas on a
note card to keep your
thoughts straight.
Research. Don’t just fake
it!
 2. Be Clear! (Words)
Simple is best!
If you don’t understand it, neither will
your audience.
Avoid fillers: uh, um, like, mmm…
Avoid repetitive phrases: “let’s see…,” “let
me think,” “another thing”
Silence is not your enemy! Pausing to
collect your thoughts or take a deep
breath is okay.
 3. Be Direct! (Eyes)
Make eye contact.
Don’t be afraid to look down
to collect your thoughts but be
confident. You know the
material
Make your audience believe!
4. Be Open! (Body Language)
Posture. Standing up straight
makes you look like you are in
control.
Open arms.
Using your hands can be very
effective!
Chin up!
 5. Be Vocal! (Voice)

… VOLUME…
Volume
VOLUME
Enunciate
Speak TO your audience!
No mumbling!
Slow down!
 6. Be Yourself!
Your audience will forgive your
nervousness, but they will be
turned off by fake modesty or
bravado(BOLDNESS /
COURAGE).

FAKE IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT!

 15 Ways to Overcome Your STAGE
FRIGHT!
1. Be well prepared. Rehearse several
times
2. Co-operate with your body - rest, eat
and sleep well beforehand
3. Dress in clothes that make you feel
good
4. Take several deep breaths to relax
your body
5. Concentrate on the messages you want to
get over to your audience
6. Move around and release your nervous
energy.
7. Visualize yourself doing well
8. Remember that your audience want you to
do well
9. Think of a similar occasion in the past when
you did it before and did it
well. Think about it for a moment.
10. Make no negative confessions "I'm so
nervous"
11. Put the situation into perspective
12. If you get nerves during your talk,
move around or do something
different to get into a different "state"
13. Pick out some friendly faces and make
eye contact with them
14. If you make a mistake you make a
mistake, laugh at it and the
audience with laugh with you. Make a
joke out of it.
15. The more you do it the better you will
become. Practice makes perfect.
CONGRATULATIONS