Public Speaking Practice: 7 Tips to Do It The Right Way

Don’t we all get a little nervous when we hear the word public speaking? Many people struggle with the art of public speaking, including professionals, at times.

To become successful as a public speaker, you must practice regularly. However, it will require dedication, time, and resources. Eighty percent of what you will say on stage will leave a lasting impact if you excel as a public speaker.

Speaking to an audience is one of the ways to advance in public speaking skills; however, there is a limited window for that.

Thankfully, there are some other ways you can achieve that and many other things that will improve and hone your skills. Check out some solid tips for your public speaking practice.

How To Do Public Speaking Practice

1. Include It in Your Everyday Activity

Making it a part of your regular activity is the greatest method of practicing. If you set aside some time daily to practice your public speaking persistently, you will see results in a short time.

You must create a routine you must work with, no matter the circumstances. A simple way is to take out a video camera/mobile phone, and start speaking into it.

Another solution: Join a Toastmasters club. All they do is practice public speaking and leadership skills.

2. Practice in Front of a Mirror

Practicing with a mirror has been one of the most common and effective ways to practice. Many public speakers who are famous today have practiced before a mirror.

Practicing before a mirror will help build your self-esteem, reduce nervousness, and build eye contact. Furthermore, this method helps you observe and build your body language, giving you an idea of what the audience will see.

While you practice how to deliver a nice speech, you will also see areas where your presentation itself needs improvement.

3. Make Eye Contact

Gaining and maintaining eye contact is one of the most crucial behavioral gestures you may display while speaking publicly. When you gaze directly at the audience members, it enables them to give you their attention as they listen more attentively to the things you say.

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Picture the mayor or sheriff addressing the people on some critical issues. The sheriff must make and keep eye contact with the people to show them that he is sure of what he is saying and is convincing enough.

As per human psychology, if the central person fails to make or keep eye contact, automatically, the audience will assume that there are some lies being told. Similarly, averting the gaze or easily getting distracted will lead to the same assumption.

When preparing your speech, consider the most relaxing moment to glance at the audience. If your quotation is long, you will most likely have to read it.

Related: How to Speak With Conviction

4. Draft Your Own Speech

Crafting speeches is a great way to practice public speaking. It enables you to look at things from another perspective.

As a politician or a business person, you might one day use the service of a speech writer. In other cases, you might ask a friend or family member to help you craft a speech.

Regardless of who writes it, you will be the one delivering it. Hence, you must read the speech many times and make changes as you see fit.

The best option is that you draft your own speech and practice however it is more suitable for you. This method will make you more confident and knowledgeable about what you’re delivering. Also, it will save you the hassle of memorizing a speech.

Check out how this pro delivers a captivating speech while explaining how to practice public speaking:

5. Practice in the Shower

It’s easy to get more practice done inside the bathroom. This way, you won’t need to take time out of your daily schedule.

Also, it can prepare you to talk clearly and loudly because you will have to elevate your voice in order to be heard.

6. Record Yourself

Another thing to do is to video record yourself and review the clip.

This provides the same advantage as a mirror, with the extra benefit of allowing you to devote your complete focus to the playback rather than attempting to focus on both analyzing and presenting your speech simultaneously.

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7. Work on Your On-Stage Movements

Another significant part of the public speaking practice is the way you move when speaking. Some speakers love to stand behind a podium while speaking, and some walk around while speaking.

Whichever style you may want to use, you must practice your style of movement. If you would love to walk around while speaking, don’t walk in a circular motion, and you will make the audience feel dizzy and uncomfortable.

How Do You Choose a Topic for Public Speaking Practice?

Pick a topic you are knowledgeable of or are interested in. This will help you include some individual perspectives as an additional perk to your presentation.

Understand your target audience. Your subject should always be related to your audience’s interests; otherwise, they may become bored with it. You will be wasting both your time and theirs in this situation.

Choose a trending topic that defines a recent event, location, or process.

Characteristics You Need to Become a Successful Public Speaker

Passion

To properly communicate any speech, you must be passionate about the topic. If the topic does not interest you, it is unlikely to interest your audience. Your message is pointless if you lack passion.

Emotions that arise naturally are produced by passion. These very emotions captivate an audience and successfully communicate a message.

Being True to Yourself

Never imitate someone else; always be who you are. Nobody can duplicate you more accurately than you.

Regardless of how well you have practiced your speech, your listeners may think you aren’t real if you fail to act real. They may believe that your entire goal is to attract attention by impersonating or replacing a renowned person.

Interaction With Your Audiences

A great speech ought to be conversational in tone. It should keep the crowd as interested as possible. It will help in removing the factor of boredom.

This ensures that your audience is not looking at their phones or laptops while you speak. Encourage people to put down their phones by providing an engaging environment.

This can be accomplished by telling stories, having fun, or engaging in frequent body-relaxing exercises.

Conclusion: How to Practice Public Speaking

We have reached the end of the public speaking practice, and it’s time to practice what you have read today. You are welcome to experiment with each of the strategies we’ve discussed to determine what helps and doesn’t.

Understand that each individual is unique, so what suits one person may not be suitable for another. This is why we have provided a variety of suggestions, so you may test them out one at a time and then stay with whichever way works better for you.

Outstanding public speakers don’t fall from the sky; they are nurtured. Public speakers get closer to achieving perfection due to their drive to improve their public speaking ability.

Beyond using cue cards, public speaking is an art. Fortunately, knowing about a great speaker’s fundamental characteristics is a terrific approach to becoming one if you’ve got the drive.

Rise up and take your place in the life of your audiences. Good luck.