If you generally avoid situations where you need to speak in public then just sit down and think for a minute and consider that at some point in your life you will have to do some sort of public speaking..

It may be a presentation you have to give at work, a toast at a party, a workshop at a conference, or a best man’s speech at a wedding.

Whatever the “public speaking gig”, without arming yourself with the relevant public speaking skills, you are going to have to face it head on

First of all, if you do have a fear of public speaking, it might help you to know you are not alone.

According to the US National Statistics for Mental Health, 75% of women and 73% of men have an anxiety about speaking, and further, when asked to rank their biggest fears they rank public speaking as a bigger fear than death!

The fear of public speaking is called “Glossophobia” and it is something most of us dread

Another way of looking at public speaking is to consider that many people make a living out of public speaking.

Motivational speaking, after dinner speaking, running conferences that sort of thing

And there is a whole new world which could be open to you if you get really good at public speaking, not to mention the benefits that it would bring to your self-confidence and to your prospects at work and in your career

But there is no getting away from the fact that for many people the thought of having to speak in public can make them feel like a nervous wreck.

Part of the fear is that in order to deliver a successful speech, so many things need to come together

And different people will have different anxieties.

I tend to sweat a lot and my biggest fear is simply being up on stage and sweating uncontrollably

Some people will be more bothered about their delivery, and others will have fears related to self-esteem and self-confidence

The good news is that with a few simple tips – specifically geared towards improving your public speaking skills – you can learn how to overcome these fears and deliver your next speech with confidence.

So here we go with 21 Public Speaking Tips – nicely arranged across

• Research
• Preparation
• Delivery
• Review

Why Should You Listen to Me?

Good question – glad you asked

First of all I should stress that I am by no means a “public speaking expert”

I don’t go out there and deliver rousing speeches a la Anthony Robbins, or have my audience in stitches with my after dinner repartee

I am just an ordinary person who has had to do a number of speeches and presentations over the years.

Nothing particularly out of the ordinary –  weddings, toasts, work presentations that sort of thing

I did suffer from my own public speaking anxiety – and I have picked up some tricks and tips along the way which have really helped, so that I can say (quite honestly now) that I am a competent public speaker.

I certainly don’t suffer from the same nerves now.

But the only reason I don’t suffer from those nerves is that I always make sure I prepare for any speech I am going to do

And that is the key.

Preparation.

Learning how to prepare for a speech (or presentation) has helped me develop my public speaking skills in both my business and my personal life, and they can help you no matter how old you are and how much public speaking experience you have had.

Whether you are looking to pick up public speaking skills in high school, or looking to improve your presentation skills at work

I’m really just an ordinary person who set out to improve his public speaking skills

And I have (improved them)

And this is what I learnt on the way.

Let’s get started