Does the idea of public speaking instil a sense of terror? Do you get nervous about the AGM or perhaps its a looming conference address? Maybe you need some pointers or a complete overhaul in your stage etiquette?
Public speaking and addressing large crowds is no mean feat. It can be highly stressful and, often, demands a huge amount of preparation and energy. Whether it involves speaking to ten people or several hundred, an inexperienced speaker can be paralyzed at the mere idea of it.
Career website ‘Mind Tools’ (http://www.mindtools.com/) points out that ‘being a good public speaker can enhance your reputation, boost your self-confidence, and open up countless opportunities’. If you cast your mind back to some of the most effective speeches, whether that by a famous politician or that hilarious best man speech, we can probably guarantee that that it was many of the following:
- Clear: their speech was concise and it was simple to follow. Their articulation and projection was also of a high quality. They were calm and consistent in their delivery.
- Engaging: the speaker held the room’s attention with humour and empathy, connecting to the audience
- Relevant: the content was informed and well-researched. Their audience learned something from them.
- Memorable: we bet that there are lines or moments that you remember from their address; punchlines and carefully exaggerated points.
- Confident: without self-assuredness or directness a speech loses its point. A good speech will be delivered by a vibrant, vehement person.
Most of the time, it is the unknown and the fear of stalling, being difficult to understand or boring that worries many. There are ways of facing these issues and dealing with them head on. With our help, an experienced voice & stage coach will take you and/ or a group through a series of intensive steps to achieve a higher quality in public speaking.
In just one session you and/ or your fellow colleagues will learn to:
- Deal with nerves successfully and use them for the better.
- Project the voice.
- Articulate. Countless people have no idea just much they mumble or lack articulation. It is key to an informative, fresh and clear address.
- Improve body language, encouraging your audience to fully engage.
- Regulate breathing, therefore, improving the quality of the voice.
- Improve sight reading. There are tricks to successful sight reading and they are here to be learned.
- Enjoy the experience of public speaking. Practise is key; we bring participants through a series of exercises and opportunities to show what they have achieved.
