How to Practice Public Speaking

I think you just have to get out there and do it. Write a speech and find open mike nights in your area.

Become a member of associations connected to what you're speaking about. Then go to universities, saying your a public speaker and a member of this and this association. Offer a free speech. Then go to companys and say your a public speaker and a member of this and this association, and you've performed for this and this university. Offer them a free speech.

Get reviews from all your gigs and bam, you're ready to get paid to speak.

Good luck

The first place to start is your mind. Rather than having a behavioral approach, try psycho-cybernethics, hypnosis or NLP which would easily get you on track.

Hello. I agree with aresh when he says that you need to start in your mind. Get yourself a book about nlp, it really helps a lot. Personally, I had a nlp coaching session and then I went to practice, taking the iniciative in my uni when public events were held... That was the way I started to feel more confident about public speaking
hope that helps.

Yeah sure, starting in the mind would be helpful if he where experiencing so much fear of public speaking that he couldn't get in front of a crowd. But it sounds to me like he just wanted to become a better speaker, and didn't have much anxiety at the thought of getting up there and doing it. And if so the advice starting in his own mind is horrible, he will never become a better speaker without practicing in front of an actual audience and getting actual feedback. Sure, hypnosis and nlp is great but it wont help you learn a new skill. If it's not hypnosis or nlp, of course

Thanks for the advice everyone! I guess it all just comes down to practice. The hypnosis stuff seems interesting but it sounds a bit...weird? Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but I don't think I need therapy or anything. Or do a lot of people actually use this stuff?

It sounds like you want to be a better speaker.

The good news is that most great public speakers started as poor public speakers.

How to become great?

Learn the fundamentals
Practice
Review your preformance
Get expert feedback or coaching
Repeat

good luck

George Torok wrote:It sounds like you want to be a better speaker.

The good news is that most great public speakers started as poor public speakers.

How to become great?

Learn the fundamentals
Practice
Review your preformance
Get expert feedback or coaching
Repeat

good luck

Second

I definitely agree with Martin on this one... experience is your best ally if you want to improve! Other things you can do:

Write down some signature stories you can tell in almost any context, and work on perfecting them -- think of pace, comic timing, inflection, even the order in which you tell the story!

Think of the sound of your voice. Record it speaking in a variety of emotional registers, and listen very carefully. Change it where you think it should be changed, and try speaking from the diaphragm for better projection and tone.

Film yourself performing a variety of gestures while telling a story (you can actually do this at the same time as you record your voice), and inspect them to see how they look. Practice in front of the mirror! This also applies for facial expressions.

When you write a speech, try to build in an overall story arc or message, but be sure to include moments of laughter, tears, inspiration and everything in between! Audiences enjoy properly-done emotional rollercoaster rides. Craft your speeches lovingly.

There are so many things to learn! Try looking into some professional coaches who can help you get that extra spark, then get out there and practice! Good luck.

Thanks for the all the tips! I find filming myself especially helpful, although I do have trouble changing my voice. Unfortunately, my voice is a bit nasally and have trouble changing it. Got any advice for this?

William

"I'm looking for activities/exercises that are useful for practicing public speaking skills".

This was your actual question, and although it sounds pretty basic, one way to practice public speaking skills is to take every opportunity to practice reading out loud. There is of course more to good public speaking than just reading, but both share common skills, all of which improve with practice - the more you do the better you'll get. If you play golf for example, you will know that there is more to a winning round than just driving the ball, but successful golfers spend hours on the driving range!

Im driving back to the Bugs, leaving Vancouver Aug 7 sat around noon. If anybody wants to share gas and driving give me a call no email please, I have only intermittent email access.

chris

604 222 zero four nine niiine

thanks for the tips

as I'm a professional presentation skills trainer, but don't forget that training is the fastest way to learn.

Then practice... in public!

One specific tip I have for you is this... if you have trouble changing your voice (after you've spoken to a professional to make sure that it's not medical etc.) is to read children's books out loud... imagine you're reading to a class full of very young kids and do the silly voices, going over the top and so on. Quite apart from anything else, it's a lot of fun!

S

I'm afraid I must, respectfully, disagree with something you said. As a professional I can tell you that for most people (there are exceptions but fewer than think they are) working with a mirror is a very confusing experience. While it can help in terms of becoming more self-aware, it will almost always result in becoming more self-conscious.

There are advantages to the former but in my experience they're usually out-weighted by the latter.