Interpersonal communication skills are the most important skills that you need to focus on as a large segment of your life involves interacting with people whether they are colleagues, friends, family relations or your boss. It may seem like a simple and natural thing to do, but gaining confidence in public speaking can actually be quite challenging.
It becomes even more difficult when you don’t know how the other person will react. No matter who you are talking to, you want them to listen to you carefully, understand clearly what you are saying and remember the most important ideas throughout the discussion.
I’m sure we’ll all agree on this. Your voice plays a big role. So whether the tone of your voice is quiet with hesitancy or strong with integrity it can reveal a lot about your personal history. Speaking strong is sounding powerful, commanding respect and getting the desired attention.
If you like to be one of those individuals from whom people instantly fall quiet and really listen, follow these 7 rules below.
1. Just BREATHE
Remember that unpleasant feeling you get when you’re feeling blue, but you can’t cry it out? That “lump” in the throat. Our voice is responsive to emotions and when that “lump” occurs you get nervous. As a result, your voice gets squeaky and high. Learn to cope with tense situations by just… Breathing. Breathing deeply and rhythmically has a therapeutic effect, releases tension and promotes relaxation. Also using full lung capacity while breathing will support your voice and make it sound fuller and stronger.
2. MOTIVATION is your support
When in self doubt, always find a way to cheer and motivate yourself. Listen to some of your favourite great speakers that inspire you. Observe their ways of movement, their speaking style, the way they reach out to people. But never imitate. Just enjoy their speech. The influence will come subconsciously.
3. PRACTICE makes perfect
No matter how many presentations and speeches you’ve given as a part of your job or your daily life occasions, nothing is more stressful than the moment when you are required to make the speech. However, with great organization and preparation, everything is possible. Concentrate on the main structure of your presentation. Put the accent on the important headings and let them lead the way. Trying to memorize every word will get you lost and will also make you sound unnatural.
4. Don’t hide your EMOTIONS
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” The same goes out for every little segment of your life. Pick a topic that you are passionate about. Not only you’ll enjoy the process of creating something that is important to you, but the final result of sharing your work with somebody else will give you the biggest satisfaction. Express your feelings. Speak outside of the draft speech. Most importantly, speak honestly.
5. Maintain EYE CONTACT
This is my life motto and I’m sticking to it. Always look people in the eyes while you are speaking. It gives a hint of sincerity and integrity to the person on the other side. Sustained, focused eye contact makes you feel more confident and act more assertively. If there is one thing that will enhance your impact on your audience and make you a powerful speaker, it is a purposeful eye contact with one person at a time.
6. BODY LANGUAGE is essential
80% of our everyday communication consists of non-verbal action, body talk. Good performance is based on combining all of the crucial elements in a perfect synchronicity. True powerful speaking comes from balancing (harmonizing) your movement, gesture, and words as you deliver the message.
7. It all depends on the TONE of your voice
Want to be able to control your audience? To prevent the crowd from falling asleep, remember the “four P’s” of vocal variety. Maintain the perfect pace. Not too slow, not too fast. Control the pitch of your voice. Speak too high and you’ll sound nervous and irritating. Carefully pick your pauses. Well-timed pause creates a sense of intrigue and curiosity. Last but not least, be passionate about your topic.
Following these 7 tips will help you master the art of powerful public speaking.
Source: Success
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.
