Many would rather do something else than stand in front of an audience.
This is natural, since speaking in front of a number of people can be a nerve-wracking exercise.
That’s why public speaking is an art that requires constant effort in order for mastery to be achieved and stage fright to be conquered.
In other words, practicing is a must, especially for speakers that truly want to become the best in this craft.
You see, effective speakers don’t just wing their performances; they dig deep into proven techniques, rehearse their delivery in front of a mirror, and refine their style through trial runs with trusted friends or an actual test audience.
While this holds true for the most part, you don’t always have to turn to solo rehearsals nor trial runs to apply the public speaking insights you’ve learned and improve your skills as a speaker.
Why?
It’s because you can practice your public speaking skills to work in your everyday interactions!
The Power of Everyday Interactions
Dale Carnegie, in his book, “The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking,” emphasized that even though a speaker isn’t planning to make a speech for public consumption, he or she can apply the techniques associated with public speaking in everyday situations.
Carnegie added that there’s a similarity between daily speaking and public speaking.
In fact, he argued that daily speaking trends to be fluid, and at one moment, you may find yourself in a friendly chat then suddenly shift into a manner of speaking where you’re using the public speaking insights you’ve learned to sell a product or persuade someone to pursue a particular course of action.
That said, how can you further practice your public speaking skills in your everyday interactions?
Carnegie offers us a couple of answers to this question:
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Be specific.
Carnegie said that you can add specific details into your everyday conversation in the same way that you do for your talks.
He argued that detail is just as important in everyday conversations, since the most captivating conversationalists tend to fill their conversations with details.
This is also a great way of building both your confidence and conversational skills, since being detail-oriented in how you converse enables you to practice your skills in informing others, exchanging ideas, and talking in a clear, logical, and coherent manner.
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Use the public speaking techniques you know in your job.
Effective communication, persuasion, and clarity of thought are all aspects usually associated with public speaking.
The same principles apply to jobs as well.
Salesmen, managers, clerks, department heads, executives, doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, and a great deal of professionals in various industries need to be great at speaking not only to communicate well, but also to inform and persuade.
… and you know what?
Public speaking techniques and insights lend themselves well to those situations because speaking in front of an audience is almost the same as speaking to someone you’re working with, as there will be times where you’ll need to persuade and inform your peers.
See?
There are ways for you to improve as a speaker without having to rely on solo rehearsals or dry runs.
All you need to do is apply the public speaking techniques you’ve learned to your everyday life when applicable (especially those that you learned from this article and other issues of “Speak on the Shoulders of Giants”)!
Once you do, you’ll see improvements in your public speaking prowess because you’re constantly practicing your skills!
What’s more?
These improvements will not only show when you take to the stage, but also in your everyday life!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Thursdays: Speak on the Shoulders of Giants”
In a meeting with one person…
… a boardroom with five people…
… or a huge venue with hundreds of people…
—whatever the situation or setting, it’s very important to learn and eventually master the art of public speaking.
No matter what, you always need to effectively get your message across.
What good is a presentation with awesome content if you don’t deliver it properly?
Every Thursday, we publish different tips, insights, and secrets on how you can improve your presentation skills to captivate your audience and lead interesting discussions.
The need for great presentation skills applies EVERYWHERE.
(Small meetings with your team, big meetings with your boss, an important marketing pitch, speaking engagements for events with a big audience, etc.)
Learning these skills is not just for the corporate world. Being in other industries such as the Arts, Information Technology, Medicine, and Education while knowing how to communicate and present well will definitely give you an edge.
Have that advantage.
Hope you find this week’s public speaking tip interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Thursday’s “Speak on the Shoulders of Giants!”
Cheers,
Henry Desai
Managing Director
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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