By Atunlute Isaac
Almost everyone has struggled with anxiety before speaking. More often than not, experience shows us that this fear only exaggerates our insecurities. No one is born confident—neither is timidity an inborn trait.
It follows that anyone can build confidence and express their ideas eloquently in a group setting or even before a crowd. Below is a smart guide to cultivate a commanding presence and speak self-assuredly.
Get a Complete Grasp of your Material
Being prepared is the first step towards confidence. Naturally, you’ll feel more confident if you’ve digested your material. Ensure to organise your points clearly, avoiding ambiguities. To help you, start with a strong introduction, continue with a concise body and sum up your points with a memorable conclusion. With this fashion, this means you can always continue even if you forget a line in the text.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Try to record yourself while speaking or practice in front of your friends or family or even in front of a mirror. You’ll become more at ease the more you practice. If possible, practice in the environment where you’ll be speaking. This will expel all nervous energy that you feel.
Concentrate on Small Starts
Perhaps you are new to public speaking. Consider offering to speakn at events, facilitate conversations in small gatherings, or even give speeches at meetings. Over time, your anxiety will fade off as your confidence grows.
Work on Your Body Language
Your body will communicate more effectively than your words; try to maintain eye contact, stand erect and make open body gestures. Fidgeting or piercing can divert your audience’s attention. A word of advice: smile! It instantly calms you down and draws in your audience.
Don’t Try to Get Rid of Your Nerves
One thing you should know is that even the best speakers experience anxiety, the sole purpose is that you must use that energy as enthusiasm, take deep breaths, pause when necessary and keep in mind that your audience is not your adversary. The majority of the people wish you well and want you to succeed, so be excited rather than being worried or scared.
Engage with Your Audience
Confident speakers engage their audience, ask questions, and gauge the group mood in order to keep the conversation lively. People react favourably when they feel included, and that reaction helps to increase your self-assurance.
Acknowledge your mistakes
Every speaker makes mistakes. Don’t worry if you mispronounce a word or get lost while speaking. Pause, take a breath, and move on. More often, people don’t take notice of the things we fret over. The method you use to correct the error is more crucial than the error itself.
Conclusion
Confidence in public speaking takes time, experience, and self-awareness to develop. You can become a powerful, self-assured speaker by practicing frequently. Keep in mind that you and your words have power, it doesn’t matter where you speak, the world is listening, so speak up.
Almost everyone experiences anxiety before public speaking, but confidence can be built through preparation and practice. Begin by thoroughly understanding and organizing your material, starting with a strong introduction and end with a memorable conclusion. Practice regularly, even recording yourself or speaking in front of friends, and if possible, in the same environment where you’ll present.
Start small by speaking at meetings or small events to gradually diminish anxiety. Focus on positive body language by maintaining eye contact and smiling, which also engages the audience. Don’t aim to eliminate nerves; instead, channel that energy into enthusiasm, recognizing the audience supports you. Engage your audience by asking questions to keep them involved.
Acknowledge that mistakes happen to everyone, and it’s more important how you recover rather than the mistake itself. Overall, becoming a confident speaker requires time and self-awareness, but with persistent practice, your words can have a powerful impact wherever you speak.
