Tips to Improve Your Public Speaking

My Friend Jarle Thorsen publicly speaking
during a recent Crypto888 seminar

In network marketing, I often find myself having to get up in front of a room full of people and deliver an inspiring talk that gets the whole room pumped and ready to take action. I’ve been doing it for many years, and I can now do it without getting the sweaty palms, dry mouth and lurching stomach that I used to get when I first started in this business.

Yes, practice made me more perfect, that’s for sure, but I also studied tips on how to improve my technique, and that’s what I’d like to share with you. I believe in using the best, and I know there are plenty of public speaking websites around, but personally I go the big guys when I want help and that is Toastmasters International or TI as I shall refer to them here.

Giving a Sales Pitch

These are always a bit nerve-wracking because often so much depends on doing it well. You want to persuade people to hire you, buy your product or something similar. TI suggests that you take an inverted pyramid approach. This means delivering your most important point in the first few sentences, e.g. the main benefits of the product. Then, supply the evidence for your claim and, finally, end with a summary and call to action.  Success depends on how well you deliver your initial proposal, although, as TI points out, if they don’t, you may find that they are persuaded by your evidence.

To reinforce your words, make sure you use the two following tools:

• Clear and well designed visual aids
• Offer a Q&A period after your talk

The best way to handle a Q&A is this:

• Anticipate some questions and rehears your answers
• Make sure your answers support what you’ve said in the pitch
• Be polite and patient with questions that are irrelevant or are designed to trip you up deliberately.
• Break down complicated questions in a series of parts and answer them one by one.
• Don’t let yourself be panicked in making hasty and muddled replies.

 Managing your body language

We all have distinctive ways of using gestures when we’re talking. Some people wave their glasses in the air and some people can’t say a sentence without flinging both hands around. Others keep pushing their hair back and so on. When you’re in a public speaking situation you should try to use gestures to your advantage and not let them distract from what you’re saying.  Here’s how:

•  Make good eye contact with individuals in your audience. This is more effective than gazing across the entire audience
• Be aware of your mannerisms, such as crossing your arms, sticking your hands in your pockets, and stop yourself from doing them.
• Use your body and facial expressions to emphasise certain verbs – it creates a feeling of action.
• Move around the stage to talk about different topics and get closer to the audience during the question period.

Of course, there are many other public speaking situations, especially if you are involved in a good MLM business, but these general tips are good for many of them. Good luck with your public speaking, I hope these tips from TI help.