How to Develop Self Confidence and Influence People by Public Speaking
Have a strong and persistent desire to speak in public., Find a topic., Assemble and arrange your ideas., Structure your talk., Rehearse your talk.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Have a strong and persistent desire to speak in public.
You need to have a positive attitude toward speaking in public instead of trying to avoid any assignments, requests or invitations that involve some sort of public speaking, such as speaking at birthdays, employee gatherings or the like.
Start with the strong belief that you have what it takes to speak in public, and look forward to achieving more confidence after every public speaking engagement. -
Step 2: Find a topic.
Dale Carnegie in his book “The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking” encourages us to: “Talk about something you have earned the right to talk about through experience or study.” Dig inside yourself to find the topic you want to talk about.
It is the one that you know thoroughly, inside out.
It includes your experiences, your hobbies, your expertise, and things that you have been studying deeply.
These are the right topics for you. , Many times, the topic you choose (or are assigned) is too general.
You need to narrow it to become an appropriate base for your talk.
For example, if your topic is automotive, you can narrow it to one of many aspects related to this topic: car design, fuel consumption, machine power, potential markets, potential buyers, or how to sell a car.
Which aspect is suitable for you depends on your experience, training, education, and your background.
Collect all the ideas that you want to talk about and put them on index cards.
This will make it easier for you to arrange and organize your thoughts. , Once you decide what you want to talk about, you need to arrange or structure your thoughts in easy to understand flows of thought.
When organizing your message, think in threes.
Such as: “Three Steps to…”, “Three Keys of …” or “Three ideas on…”.
It makes your talk concise, interesting and memorable.
Can we talk more than three ideas? Yes, we can.
But it will be easier for us to remember three points, instead of five, for instance. , Dale Carnegie suggests a very simple way to rehearse: use the ideas you have selected for your talk in everyday conversation with your friends or business associates.
Instead of talking about last night game or latest movie during lunch, you can start of the conversation by saying, “Do you know that there are three steps to…?” if your friend is interested to listen to you, most probably your audience will too.
Watch his reaction, listen to his responses.
He may ask you something you do not think about or he may give you interesting ideas that will be valuable to improve your talk.
You can even rehearse a story you want to talk with him, and see if he understand it, or if he laugh at your joke.
Again, if he did not get your story or your joke, you need to improve the way you say it so your future audience can get it. -
Step 3: Assemble and arrange your ideas.
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Step 4: Structure your talk.
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Step 5: Rehearse your talk.
Detailed Guide
You need to have a positive attitude toward speaking in public instead of trying to avoid any assignments, requests or invitations that involve some sort of public speaking, such as speaking at birthdays, employee gatherings or the like.
Start with the strong belief that you have what it takes to speak in public, and look forward to achieving more confidence after every public speaking engagement.
Dale Carnegie in his book “The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking” encourages us to: “Talk about something you have earned the right to talk about through experience or study.” Dig inside yourself to find the topic you want to talk about.
It is the one that you know thoroughly, inside out.
It includes your experiences, your hobbies, your expertise, and things that you have been studying deeply.
These are the right topics for you. , Many times, the topic you choose (or are assigned) is too general.
You need to narrow it to become an appropriate base for your talk.
For example, if your topic is automotive, you can narrow it to one of many aspects related to this topic: car design, fuel consumption, machine power, potential markets, potential buyers, or how to sell a car.
Which aspect is suitable for you depends on your experience, training, education, and your background.
Collect all the ideas that you want to talk about and put them on index cards.
This will make it easier for you to arrange and organize your thoughts. , Once you decide what you want to talk about, you need to arrange or structure your thoughts in easy to understand flows of thought.
When organizing your message, think in threes.
Such as: “Three Steps to…”, “Three Keys of …” or “Three ideas on…”.
It makes your talk concise, interesting and memorable.
Can we talk more than three ideas? Yes, we can.
But it will be easier for us to remember three points, instead of five, for instance. , Dale Carnegie suggests a very simple way to rehearse: use the ideas you have selected for your talk in everyday conversation with your friends or business associates.
Instead of talking about last night game or latest movie during lunch, you can start of the conversation by saying, “Do you know that there are three steps to…?” if your friend is interested to listen to you, most probably your audience will too.
Watch his reaction, listen to his responses.
He may ask you something you do not think about or he may give you interesting ideas that will be valuable to improve your talk.
You can even rehearse a story you want to talk with him, and see if he understand it, or if he laugh at your joke.
Again, if he did not get your story or your joke, you need to improve the way you say it so your future audience can get it.
About the Author
Adam Myers
A seasoned expert in education and learning, Adam Myers combines 8 years of experience with a passion for teaching. Adam's guides are known for their clarity and practical value.
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