Dr. Gurpreet Kaur Chhabra
Dr. Gurpreet Kaur Chhabra is an Associate Professor, Program Coordinator- MBA at MERI College
Council member(WICCI-NPWC) & on panel G 100. External mentor for NEC, E- Cell, IIT-B . Winner of ‘Iconic Women Creating a Better World for All’ by WEF at their annual conference in London, October 2023. Winner of ‘The Exceptional Women of Excellence’ award by WEF, India, 2022. An author, published researcher and reviewer with Emerald Journal . One among the top 150 women selected for India’s first women entrepreneurship mentoring program jointly organized by IIMB, NCW & ISF. An expert with SLAP program of AICTE. Guest Professor& Subject matter expert with ‘Bada Business’ initiative of Dr. Vivek Bindra Expert speaker with PCC, New Jersey. Honorary mentoring expert for PMP- 2022& 2023 of XLRI, Jamshedpur. ‘Certificated Global Trainer’ by International Internship University, Australia.
f you firmly believe that public speaking is a rocket science and requires lot of skills and strong command over language then this article is not for you. This article is only for those who strongly believe that they can learn the art and a little science of public speaking. Today we would be learning the simple yet very effective public speaking techniques, that can help anyone between 7 to 70, to acquire the art of professional speaking. So, whether you are an academician or an entrepreneur or a student or even a professional or a corporate leader, this article will give you some effective public speaking tips and tricks, which , if followed religiously can completely change your ability to face audience, be it any type of audience, whether online or offline. There are a lot of Public Speaking courses being offered by various institutions
Some of them even charge a hefty amount of money but what anyone needs to understand is, that these skills can’t be taught or acquired; this skill needs to be inculcated with passion, persistence and perseverance. These three qualities are mostly lacking in people and that’s why despite of enrolling into various courses or sessions, they are not able to develop the public speaking skills. The essence therefore is not in learning but, in practicing. If we take some public speaking examples, we find ordinary people like housewives, students and oppressed individuals, with almost no command over language or pronunciation skills turning out to be seasoned orators, under extraordinary or even adverse circumstances.
You all must be wondering as to whether I will tell you about some talisman or some secret mantra that will help you develop public speaking abilities. The answer is ‘Yes’. You read it right, Yes! I am going to give you a secret mantra, this mantra is applicable to different types of public speaking. So, whether you wish to deliver a presentation in your office or wish to speak at a public gathering or deliver a talk to a group of learned men and women or any other form of public speaking in business, you can think off, this mantra is going to be the sure shot success for you. Don’t believe me? You will, if you read on till the end. Trust me, you will be glad that you did. The mantra is very simple, ‘Be a confident and passionate, short and sweet story-teller, who creates an imagery in listener’s mind that stays there for a long time.’ Is that all? Yes, that’s it. The secret mantra unveiled so quickly
Now, you must be wondering as to how to implement this mantra. For this you require some ingredients. The 7 elements of public speaking are: Speaker, Message, Channel, listener, Feedback, Interference, Situation. Let’s understand these elements one by one:
The speaker
Is the one who is addressing the audience, he/she has some information, knowledge or even a news to share with the audience wherein each member of the audience is known as a listener. The success of public speaking depends upon the ability of a speaker to impress and influence majority of listeners, if not all.
Tip for first timers – Prepare your content, understand it, memorize it (if possible), rehearse it in front of the full- length mirror(pay special attention to your facial expression while speaking) at least 3 times before taking the final plunge on podium.
The message
The above-mentioned ability is reflected in the way he/she chooses the write words, phrases, examples and stories that form the part of message being delivered.
Tip for first timers – To begin with your journey as a public speaker, the choice of right topic for public speaking is very crucial. One can use public speaking resources for reference or start the discussion with general topics such as secrets of time management, secrets of communication, secrets of leadership etc. to begin with. These topics are of interest to a wider audience and can be prepared easily.
The channel
Or the medium such as offline or online mode, form of presentation, use of multimedia options, improves the efficiency and effectiveness of your speech. Therefore, right choice depending upon the type of audience, is a must.
Tip for first timers– As a beginner always try to use a simple PPT with visuals or videos, that you can easily manage. Curb the desire to impress the first time. You may end up cutting a sorry figure by your inability to handle complex multimedia presentation as well as your speech.
The Listener
Each member of the audience group is your listener. They perceive you and your speaking style, your appearance, your body language, your communication skills etc. all in form of an overall package. They are the one’s who decide whether you are successful as a speaker or not.
Tip for first timers – assume that every individual in the audience in front you is listening to you (this is actually not true at all) but you assume this in your mind and modulate your talk if required, try to maintain a roving eye-contact with as many members of audience as possible for you.
The Feedback
Audience will give you (the speaker) feedback both in vocal and non-vocal form. Try to focus on both, especially the non-vocal feedback in form of body language of the audience group is the first sign of whether they are listening to you or not. Respond to questions raised by audience, neither panic, nor show disgust. Wear your smile always. Answer if you know it, otherwise don’t bluff. Admit you don’t know the answer. People respect honest submissions.
Tip for first timers – pay attention to details, if people start shifting weight while sitting in their chair or start fidgeting or fumbling with their belongings, are engaging in cross talks, take this as the sign that they are disinterested. Either don’t beat around the bush or move on to some other interesting part of your speech.
The interference
There would be all sorts of noises in and around you as a speaker and also in and around audience as listener. It is bound to be there, you can neither avoid nor get away from it. So, the best solution is to accept it and find ways to keep it at a distance for yourself. If you are impressive enough to hold audience interest, they will do so for themselves too. Interference is also likely to creep into your message, in form of stammering or stuttering here and there. Also, in channel selected by you either in form of technical glitches or power failure (say your prayers, keep your fingers crossed before you start, luck favours the brave). To a great extent the feedback that you receive is also influenced by this element. Therefore, while pondering upon the feedback received, keep in mind this perspective.
Tips for first timers- As far as possible remove all sources from where interference can creep in, during your speech. Check for systems, wires, cables, LCD projectors or any other technical or non-technical devices you would be using for your speech. To do so, reach the venue of your speech/talk at least half an hour before the scheduled time.
The situation
The physical environment as well as the kind of relationship that the speaker shares with the audience, plays a crucial role in removing or creating interference and hence these two influences each other. Try to create a happy, if possible informal, chirpy and interactive environment during your talk. Be comfortable and also keep your audience at easy. This will not only serve as an ice breaking activity but will also earn audience trust. The situation created during the public speaking conditions, largely depends upon the talent and tactic of the speaker.
Tips for first timers – Start off your talk with a broad smile. Ask a few interesting and general questions from the audience. You may start with a story/ an example/ an anecdote/something about a famous personality etc. so as to build a rapport with the audience and make them come to a common platform.
So here you have your mantra or talisman, whatever you wish to call it. I promised it, I gave it you. Now it is up to you to garbage it in some back chambers of your brain or to keep on refreshing it in your short -term memory.
So, gear up yourself. I remember a famous quote made by Rob Brown in 2013, “If you can speak, you can influence. If you can influence, you can change lives.”
