Public Speaking Training: How to Make a Meal Out of Your Next Speech

Every day we are presented with opportunities to create public speaking training for ourselves and improve and master our public speaking abilities. They happen so often that most of us don’t even recognize them anymore. It happens at home, at work, at the store, on the telephone, and every place you open your mouth. When you learn to recognize these opportunities, it is a simple adjustment to incorporate them into your next public speaking engagement.

The Appetizer

The first thing in dealing with a new client, a new audience, or any new situation, is to present yourself and your qualifications. Yes, the client or audience may know a little about you or they may know nothing, but that is beside the point. You need to create a warm inviting greeting and then justify their attention in you by reassuring their decision. You do this by telling them about yourself and your qualifications.

This doesn’t mean your life story; it is basically information that creates a connection and reassures them as to why they should be listening to you. With a new client it’s telling them about some of your past clients and projects. If it’s a bank it is as simple as explaining that you are a current customer. If it’s an audience it’s basically what qualifies you to be on the stage speaking to them, your successes and achievement. It just needs to be poignant enough to put them at ease while grabbing their attention.

The Main Course

Part of your public speaking training is to you get your audience to sit up and take note. After that you can put your material to work. Make sure that you are aware of what your ultimate goal for that presentation. If it’s a seminar it may be promoting your services, at a bank it may be getting a loan, and if it’s a doctor’s office, it may be saving your life. So be sure that you are rehearsed enough to stay on task even when interrupted by questions or distractions. Not many of us have the improve abilities of Robin Williams so plan ahead, know your material, and know the direction you want to take your presentation.

It is no good to jump around because you will surely lose your audience. If you are speaking to your doctor you are not going to start asking about a course of treatment before telling them about your symptoms and receiving a diagnosis. If you do, you and your doctor will both end up frustrated and worse, you will still be no closer to solving what ails you.

The Dessert

Now that you have wowed your audience, it’s time to wrap things up. Here is where you bring everything together while leaving your door open to future connections and success. Bear in mind, the material has become part of you but it is new to your audience so you need to summarize. You need to summarize everything you have been saying while stressing the most important pieces; end on a high note and leave them wanting more. Remember the brief and concise Introduction, the progressive and organized Body, and your summary Conclusion. This summary will help them remember you the same way they remember that devilishly decadent triple layer chocolate cake drizzled with chocolate fudge sauce with a scoop of chocolate chocolate-chunk ice-cream.