How many speeches, seminars, political performances, debates have we listened to? But on each of them it was quite easy to recognize the one who speaks well, and even easier the one who is bad at it.
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But what exactly are the characteristics that show what makes a good speaker?
Analyzing many successful speakers, we can extract some characteristics that all those who seem good in their performances carry. Self-confidence, good content, good structure of speaking, tone of voice, good memory, along with practice and the right length of performance is what separates the good from the bad.
Be Confident
Self-confidence is something that is necessary for any public performance. This characteristic is something that requires a lot of inner strength because it is not easy to appear in front of others who are listening carefully to what you are saying and can't wait for your next sentence. Without confidence, it's easy to start stuttering or start to forget the train of thought you want to convey to your listeners.
A good content of a speech or performance is also extremely important. The content must hit the essence of the story, and at the same time it must follow the thoughts of the speaker, and convey his opinions and views on a topic to the audience listening to him. Talking about anything and everything at length and at length will not help create an interesting speech. Some humor, simple jokes, small anecdotes and quoting famous people as well as using popular phrases and words can help you with this.
A good structure of a speech or performance also brings the listener's attention. Every speech must have a short introduction, an interesting body and a good ending.
Master Your Voice
The tone of voice should not be monotonous and flat because it will put the audience to sleep. This is perhaps the biggest problem with most of the speeches or lectures we hear in our lives. Especially if your turn to speak at a seminar or event comes right after lunch. Variations in speech and tone can wake up an audience that is on the verge of sleep, typing on their phones or looking out the hall window. The performance can always be made better if a dialogue is established with the audience with questions about some topics related to the speech, which also gives the speaker a chance to take a short break.
A good memory is very important for a good speaker. You must never forget what you wanted to say to your listeners. Writing little hints on paper can help keep you on the path your story needs to take. But constantly looking at papers or reading the entire speech will not entertain and engage the audience.
Practice makes perfect
Practice is necessary to create a sufficient amount of focus on the story, the right speed at which you speak, good tone and its changes, as well as good body language. Use your mirror, stand in front of it and practice. Follow what your body is saying. Don't be frozen. Record yourself and review what you've been doing. Write down the mistakes and fix them.
And don't be too long but also not too short. Stick to the agreed time, and do not deviate from the topic. If you notice during the performance that your time has gone too quickly, try to summarize the next part of the story to finish as agreed. If you run out of time, ask the audience if you can extend your speech.
While these aren't all the secrets that can help you be a great public speaker, they can help you get more attention from an audience the second time around. And maybe a longer and more convincing applause.
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