As an entrepreneur it is almost inevitable that you will need to do some public speaking. It may be to convince companies to fund you or to buy your product. It may even be to talk about your journey to inspire others. No matter what your profession it is usually a nerve-racking experience fraught with concerns about messing up or not being able to answer a question.
In fact, with a little preparation public speaking is a very simple thing that anyone can do. The following five tips will assist in this preparation and help ensure you seize every chance to sell your company or expertise.
Practice
It is essential to practice, practice and then practice some more. Record yourself to see how you appear to an audience and what, if any, annoying tendencies you have – like bouncing around the room when talking. If you have family or friends who are willing, practice your speech on them and ask for honest feedback.
Practice will also ensure you are familiar with your material and do not need to read from a script. This is essential in a public speaking scenario. No script means you have the ability to make eye contact and engage your audience. You are showing the audience that you know what you are talking about and you will be better able to relax if someone or something throws you a curve ball.
Your space
It can help to settle nerves by knowing where you will be speaking and what facilities are there. Even simple things like whether there are steps to the stage will reassure you when it comes to making the speech. Knowing where you need to be and what is around you means that your entire attention can be focused on your speech.
Your audience
If you are speaking at an event then it is advisable to look at what sort of talks have been done and well received in the past. If it is a smaller group, research the people you will be presenting to as thoroughly as possible. You need to understand why your audience is there and what they hope to get from the encounter. You can then adjust the pitch of your speech both to their expectations and to their level of understanding. People need to connect to you to trust the material and they need to connect to the material to learn from it.
An additional aspect to consider in today’s modern world is whether the event will be live over the internet. You need to be aware of how any live feed is going out and which sites are receiving it. This will allow you to adjust your approach to ensure you engage this audience as well.
Balancing your speech
Different scenarios call for different approaches. You may be speaking in order to raise the profile of your company but it may not always be obvious how your company connects to the topic of the speech. It is essential to find a balance so as not to come across as a salesman. This is guaranteed to lose your audience. One of the best approaches in these cases is to introduce yourself and talk for a few moments on your background and your company to explain the connection between this and your speech and justify your expertise.
The second approach is to ensure there is plenty of literature available for the audience to take away afterwards. This literature should have your contact details to allow them to look at what you are offering further. Provided you have given a good speech they will want to know more about you.
Breathe
Nerves can get the better of you and sentence speed will pick up. In these times you may well forget to breathe and only realize when you are red in the face and gasping for air. This is not the impression you want to give your audience. Remember to breathe and speak slowly, then the audience will listen to your message.
Before engaging in a public speech, you should master the 5 tips mentioned above. This way you will be able to overcome your nerves and seal the deal. For more assistance, Speaker Bureau can help out. Are you ready to become an experienced entrepreneur?
In fact, with a little preparation public speaking is a very simple thing that anyone can do. The following five tips will assist in this preparation and help ensure you seize every chance to sell your company or expertise.
Practice
It is essential to practice, practice and then practice some more. Record yourself to see how you appear to an audience and what, if any, annoying tendencies you have – like bouncing around the room when talking. If you have family or friends who are willing, practice your speech on them and ask for honest feedback.
Practice will also ensure you are familiar with your material and do not need to read from a script. This is essential in a public speaking scenario. No script means you have the ability to make eye contact and engage your audience. You are showing the audience that you know what you are talking about and you will be better able to relax if someone or something throws you a curve ball.
Your space
It can help to settle nerves by knowing where you will be speaking and what facilities are there. Even simple things like whether there are steps to the stage will reassure you when it comes to making the speech. Knowing where you need to be and what is around you means that your entire attention can be focused on your speech.
Your audience
If you are speaking at an event then it is advisable to look at what sort of talks have been done and well received in the past. If it is a smaller group, research the people you will be presenting to as thoroughly as possible. You need to understand why your audience is there and what they hope to get from the encounter. You can then adjust the pitch of your speech both to their expectations and to their level of understanding. People need to connect to you to trust the material and they need to connect to the material to learn from it.
An additional aspect to consider in today’s modern world is whether the event will be live over the internet. You need to be aware of how any live feed is going out and which sites are receiving it. This will allow you to adjust your approach to ensure you engage this audience as well.
Balancing your speech
Different scenarios call for different approaches. You may be speaking in order to raise the profile of your company but it may not always be obvious how your company connects to the topic of the speech. It is essential to find a balance so as not to come across as a salesman. This is guaranteed to lose your audience. One of the best approaches in these cases is to introduce yourself and talk for a few moments on your background and your company to explain the connection between this and your speech and justify your expertise.
The second approach is to ensure there is plenty of literature available for the audience to take away afterwards. This literature should have your contact details to allow them to look at what you are offering further. Provided you have given a good speech they will want to know more about you.
Breathe
Nerves can get the better of you and sentence speed will pick up. In these times you may well forget to breathe and only realize when you are red in the face and gasping for air. This is not the impression you want to give your audience. Remember to breathe and speak slowly, then the audience will listen to your message.
Before engaging in a public speech, you should master the 5 tips mentioned above. This way you will be able to overcome your nerves and seal the deal. For more assistance, Speaker Bureau can help out. Are you ready to become an experienced entrepreneur?