Public speaking skill is one of the most valuable skills anyone can have, especially for leaders. But when you think about expertise in public speaking, what do you see? Do you see it as an impossible feat? Or perhaps you think its exclusively reserved for selected few. I urge you to think again.

There are a lot of people who initially feared public speaking but improved when they approached it the right way.

Effective public speaking has many moving parts. But the following are eight areas that you can focus on to improve your public speaking skills 

1. Know your audience

Good knowledge of your audience is vitally important in public speaking. When you know your audience, you can structure your message to be appropriate for that audience. You know what to say and what not to say. It may include saying the appropriate joke, telling the right story, avoiding or using technical terms, and so on. You should know the following: age group, gender distribution, educational level, and experience level, religion, culture, and any other possible data you can gather.

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2. Create a persuasive speech structure.

No matter how confident you are or how long you’ve been speaking in public, if your message is not well structured, it will lose to potency. When you are preparing your speech, think very carefully about the introduction, the body, and the conclusion of your speech. The introduction should grab the attention of your audience. Keep attention by providing valuable points. Don’t let your points stand in isolation. Find credible supports for your points. When you’ve made all your points, crown your speech up with a standing-ovation-worthy-conclusion      

3. Practice.

If you want your speech to be exceptional and powerful, you must practice it. Practicing gives you a deeper relationship with your material. And having a good knowledge of your material reduces your public speaking anxiety, reduces the likelihood of fumbling or missing points and increases your overall performance. Practice saying your speech out loud until you can give it over fluidly and comfortably.

4. Tell stories

When you start telling a story, the natural inclination of any human kicks in; we want to know how it ends. So, telling stories is a very effective way to grab the attention of your audience and boost the persuasive power of your speech. You can start your speech with a story, you can end your speech with a story, and you can use stories within your speech as a support for your points or claims.   

5. Body language

Your body speaks. Never forget that. You could be saying one thing with your voice, and your body could be saying something completely different. So, it is important to align your body with your message. It involves the use of a facial expression, hand gestures, movement, body posture, head and neck signals, etc. for example, if I am watching a video of your speech, I should be able to tell that you are expressing anger or excitement or you are sober even when the video on mute.      

6. Engage your audience

One way to measure the experience of a speaker is the ability to engage the audience. As a speaker, you want to physically and mentally engage your audience. You want them to stay with you from the beginning of your speech to the end. Make this possible by actively engaging them. You can engage your audience by telling stories, asking questions, using visuals, taking them on a mental trip, and much more.

7. Delivery

No matter how important your speech is, or the value of your content, if it is delivered poorly, it automatically loses importance and value. Just imagine you go to a nice restaurant and order an expensive meal. Then when they serve the meal, you notice a strand of human hair in the food and scum on the dish. No matter how nice the food looks, you most likely will reject it. The same goes for speech delivery. If the delivery is poor, the message acceptance is low. So, when giving a speech, speak with clarity, use pause effectively, avoid “ums” and “ahs,” use of vocals variety, project your voice appropriately.            

8. Maximize your strengths

One of the most effective ways to quickly improve your public speaking skills is to know your strengths and then maximize them. If you are a good storyteller, then shine with stories. Maybe you know how to communicate with facial expressions, elevate your speeches with it. If your strength is the use of eye contact, then let’s see you. I know someone who wasn’t a very good public speaker, but he was funny. When he started practicing improving his public speaking skills, his attention was in other areas. Although he made progress, he struggled. But when he started using his strength, by incorporating humor into the process; he began to excel.

These are eight important areas to work on if you want to improve your public speaking skills. If you are a beginner in public speaking, do not attempt to take on all areas at once. Approach them gradually and consistently. If you do, be assured that you are on your way to becoming an exceptional public speaker.