Good speakers are aware of their body and voice, think about their audience, keep their message fresh and clear, stay brave, and speak in a natural way. A simple way to improve is to practise a short speech, listen back, cut out extra words, and try one small brave change each time.Β A bit more detail below.
Notice what your body is doing:
Are you speaking too fast?
Are you breathing?
Are you making eye contact?
Try this:
Record a 1-minute talk and listen back
Choose one thing to improve next time
Common mistake:
Rushing because you feel nervous
Think about the people listening:
What do they already know?
What do they want to hear?
What might confuse them?
Try this:
Before you speak, write down:
1 thing your audience needs
1 thing they may worry about
Common mistake:
Using too many hard words or too much detail
Make your talk feel alive and real:
Use a short story
Give a clear example
Start in a new way
Try this:
Practise your opening in 3 ways:
a question
a story
a surprising fact
Common mistake:
Starting the same old way every time
Give enough information, but not too much:
Keep your main point clear
Use only a few important ideas
Do not overload people
Try this:
Limit yourself to 3 main points
Common mistake:
Trying to say everything
Be brave enough to take small risks:
Pause
Look at people
Speak with a little more energy
Try this:
Choose one brave thing for each talk
Common mistake:
Hiding behind notes or looking down
Be yourself:
Speak in your normal voice
Use your own words
Tell real stories
Try this:
Ask, βDoes this sound like me?β
Common mistake:
Trying to sound like another speaker
π€ Record one short speech
π Listen back once
βοΈ Remove extra words
ποΈ Practise eye contact
π Try one brave change
Remember
You do not need to be perfect. You only need to be clear, real, and kind to your audience.
