Many people are “afraid” of public speaking, but one thing that a lot of these people fail to realize is that they are more frightened of the unknown than they are of public speaking itself; if you have a situation coming up in which you will have to do some public speaking (either a presentation for work, a speech at a wedding, or just about anything else that requires you to stand in front of lots of people and give a prepared speech), you should know that it is actually quite easy to speak in front of people – as long as you know how to be a better public speaker!

When it comes to public speaking, one of the big things you want to realize is that silence is a powerful tool that you can use to your advantage; understand the “power of pause,” as pausing will give people a moment to chew on what you just said, and will give you a moment to compose yourself before you continue forward.

It is also important that you make the beginning of your speech impactful; there is nothing worse than standing in front of a group of people and realizing that you have lost their attention, but when you lead off with something that is attention-grabbing and worth their time to listen (that is, not starting with pleasantries or with introducing yourself, but connecting with the audience right way), you will find that it is much easier for you to keep their attention throughout the duration of your speech.

And as you prepare for your speech, you will want to ask yourself the question “what’s my point,” as too many people stand up to speak in front of a group of people and try to hit on lots of different points, which leaves their audience remembering none, but when you have a single point and you stick with that point throughout your entire speech, you will be far more likely to make an impact on your audience’s thinking.

And of course, the best thing of all you can do in order to prepare for public speaking is to practice, practice, practice; the more you practice, the less “new” it will be when you have to stand up to speak, and the more comfortable you will feel!

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