Public Speaking Tips: What To Do Before And After You Open Your Mouth

Use the following public speaking tips to feel confident with every presentation you make and snatch the attention of your listeners with a great introduction.

The Minute Before

In the minute before you are introduced or invited to speak, take three deep breaths. Breathe in deeply through the nose, hold it for 2 or 3 seconds, and exhale slowly through the mouth.

The easy breathing exercise can have a dramatic effect on you as a speaker. You will feel more relaxed and your opening words will hit the audience with maximum impact.

Wait For Attention

If when you get up to speak there is still a lot of noise or distraction among the audience WAIT!

Keep controlled with a relaxed expression on your face without a hint of impatience or irritation. Look around the room with a smile until everyone gets the message that you are ready to start. If the noise continues, you may want to speak with increased volume to tell everyone you are happy to see them and encourage everyone to find their seats.

You could tactfully say something like this: “As soon as everyone is settled we can begin the program.”

The First Words

If you use this public speaking tip, you are likely to gain much more respect from the audience and their attention will be 100 percent focused on you and your message.

As the first words you speak act like a funnel to channel the attention of your listeners into the subject you are presenting, make sure you give them a lot of thought.

Write out the first 1-3 sentences of your presentation and fine tune the exact wording. Learn them by heart so the launch into your subject is confident and unfaltering.

Use A Variety Of Openers

Get skilled at using multiple kinds of opening sentences to snatch your audience’s attention. As your first few words can set the tone of your whole speech, it pays to give them very careful thought.

You might use:

A series of questions, perhaps on angles of the subject your audience may not have considered before

Quoting a prominent figure or authority or including statements from a press release

A true life story that ties in well with the main theme your are developing in your speech

Length Of Introduction

It is important that the length of the introduction is in proportion to the whole time allotted for your speech.

An introduction lasting three or four minutes is probably a reasonable length if you are allotted half an hour for the whole presentation. However, if you are only speaking for ten minutes then your introduction will need to consist of a few simple sentences lasting 30 to 60 seconds, just enough to capture the attention of your audience.

You don’t want the scenario where the tail wags the dog! Be sure your introduction is in proper relation to the body of your speech.

Newer public speakers often launch into their presentation without giving thought to the public speaking tips noted above. Nervousness often causes that. If only serves to highlight their lack of confidence and speaking anxiety. Discipline yourself to follow these steps and you can be sure your next presentation will appear confident, relaxed, and a pleasure to listen to!

Michael has compiled an excellent coaching manual complete with Analysis Questionnaire: Tips On Public Speaking Do you know the six ways to avoid alienating your audience? Click Here: Public Speaking Training