No matter how great you look when you stand at the podium, as soon as you open your mouth to address the crowd, their attitude towards you can shift in an instant. In most cases, it boils down to confidence. Having the right amount of confidence together with the following tips can make you go places. Here are a couple of pointers to get you winning hearts and minds every time you step up to speak:
1. HOW YOU SPEAK: Looks at your basic tool of delivery; your voice, how do you sound, how you piece your words together as stipulated below:
a) Diction - Ensure that you chose your words and phrases right. This can be well accomplished by being aware of your audience in advance. The most common phrase is the one used by former US president Barrack Obama in his campaign, 'Yes we can'. You can adopt a catchy phrase and custom made it to suit your audience.
b) Pace - Always ensure that nerves do not get the best out of you. Learn to take deep breaths before you speak, and as you breathe you will also be able to pause and think as you speak. Natural pause gives the audience time to digest what you have said.
c) Articulation - It is important that you observe clarity and distinction in speech. By being able to clearly pronounce words can improve your articulation. If the audience can clearly hear and understand your message, then it does not matter which language you use.
2. WHAT YOU SAY: This will guide you on how best to package your speech into a compelling and memorable speech.
a) Storytelling - The main reason for introducing a story is to drive the point home in a humorous and enjoyable manner. You can tell a story about yourself or take the opportunity to touch on an important social issue close to heart as you reinforce it to your point.
b) Know your audience - Ensure you break down your point to the standard that your audience can understand. Strong speakers make boring and complex topics interesting.
c) Vulnerability and candor - It is good to admit once in a while that you made a fault where you really made a fault. Even notable motivational speakers openly admit to fault and failure. Audience best relate to someone who failed like them and succeed despite the odds. Aim to inspire your audience, not chest thump as this intimidates audiences by depicting a sense of invincibility.
d) Be true to yourself - Be unique by being your authentic self. Some speakers tend to joke a lot, some are stoic while others like to walk the audience through their story. Everyone has their personal style, find yours, make sure you understand your audience really needs, be vulnerable as you tell your story and mind how you speak. That is all you need to be the best speaker you can be.