I am by no means a great public speaker, but I’ve definitely improved over the past few years. One of the biggest breakthroughs for me wasn’t some easy “hack.” It is a strategy that is difficult and takes time to figure out.
If you can master this strategy, it will solve most problems that people have with public speaking.
The key is to be present. If you can truly be present in the moment, you will naturally speak at a good speed.
Most of the time when we get in front of a crowd, we panic and talk fast, trying to rush through the presentation. It’s a biological tendency to feel threatened when standing in front of a group of people and that is why we panic.
When you’re public speaking, you have to resist this temptation to panic, but simply realizing that it’s going to happen. Take deep breaths. Stand in front of the crowd, look them in the eyes and know that they aren’t scary. Speak each sentence to only one person, just like a conversation. Then, with your next sentence, move on to a new person in a different area of the audience.
Like I said at the beginning, this is hard to do. I still forget and go into auto-pilot and speed through a presentation some times. That is why it is key to work on building up an awareness of the moment so you can catch yourself when this happens.
The answer to how to become a better public speaker is merits hundreds of books, but I’ve tried to condense the lesson that has impacted me the most. It’s going to take steady effort to implement this strategy. A mindfulness meditation practice will certainly help improve your present moment awareness.
Good luck out there and when in doubt, take a deep breath.
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