Public Speaking Skills - Essay Example

Public Speaking Skills in Business Presentations Speaking in public is an art for sure. For me, it was a journey that has changed my usual self with the passage of time. I used to be a frightened cat when it came to speaking in the public. I, somehow or the other, tried my best to avoid making my points open for criticism let alone come anywhere close to being in the direct eyes of the public so that they could judge me, grumble upon my attire, the posture I used to adopt since I was in a complete pressure cooker situation and lastly just rude comments which were there for no reason whatsoever. In fact, these were the ‘fillers’ just like the air time which goes dead right in front of a mike when no one is speaking. Similar used to be my case when this filler was changed into a long pause. I had to get over this problem of mine and I tried my best time and time again. But there was something missing. I tried speaking to my close friends and acquaintances and told them of my stage fright. All of them were pretty easy going with me and suggested one thing or the other, from drinking water at the onset to wearing the tie in a lose fashion. Some even suggested that I should show more wit whilst speaking in public, but perhaps these people forgot that I could not speak in the first place, talk about wit and humor. But all said and done, I had decided for myself that I have to instill the much needed confidence within me no matter what happened. Hence, to start off I approached one of my closest buddies who had simply no trouble whatsoever conversing with the mass audiences. I told him of my fears and anxieties that arose once I was on the stage or right in front of the podium. He suggested me a few tips which literally changed my thinking perspective. My chum told me that the best way to counter the fright within is to think of the people sitting and listening to you as the fools. Now this means that the people are being insulted but if taken from my own personal perspective, it worked. It narrated the fact that people will do what they can to avoid listening to boring speeches and presentations in the business domain hence what they want is something different. This something needs to be witty, natural and out of the ordinary and not just another usual exercise coming under the formal presentation umbrella. I understood what he said and noted down the points and left. However, there were some questions within me which were still left unanswered and I wanted to explore on this tangent (of calling all the people present as fools) than asking my friend for other suggestions or possible short cut tips. I explored the fact that if the people are fools, how come they will actually get my idea right down to their minds? Now this was a question that left me bewildered. I thought again and again for an answer but was unable to arrive at a conclusion. It was only after some serious thinking and endless cups of coffee that I realized calling them as fools is just a tactic that would ward off my inner demons and it did not mean the people were actually fools or something. My questions were answered immediately. I had achieved some ground in this problematic situation that had taken the better out of me for years and if I had not taken the help of my friend, it would have just lingered on for years and years. However, a significant point here was to execute what I had learned and that required some real guts. I made up my mind I will not stray from what I had planned and thus success would be my end result. The same actually happened and that too quickly. The Day of Judgment arrived, well at least for me it was nothing short of it. I had to actually deliver a presentation under the new code of deliverance, as I might call it now. I got ready and wore the best of my suits since I always believed in the fact that when you look good, you feel good. Therefore I wore a smell which I had never tried before. I also hair gelled myself and arrived at the conference room. I looked eye in eye of the audience just before I was to give the presentation. This really helped since I understood that they seemed interested in what I had to tell them. They were not sleepy heads and it was heart warming to notice that. I moved ahead and stood in front of the microphone. I took a deep breath and started on my journey to apprise the audience towards the subject of my speech. I really thought of all the people present as fools yet I did not do something which would make them feel as such. I made use of wit and humor and the audience laughed mid way through. It was encouraging nonetheless and I was applauded when I got off stage. It was a new chapter that had dawned in my life. I had known to control the audience and more so control my internal fears. I had mastered the art of speaking to the public and that day I believed in myself more than ever. Furthermore, I patted myself on the back for this endeavor and more so an effort that was initiated by my own thinking. I believe every man or woman must find out what are the areas where his or her shortcomings lie in abundance and then it is the duty of this person to defeat these weaknesses and make them the points of strength. Experience surely makes one learn new things in life and my case is no different. Effective business communication requires the tact of handling people who are there to listen to you. If a presenter fails in this activity, he or she must not present the subject at hand in the first place since grabbing attention of the people present is very significant more so when the subject is of a critical nature and has direct bearing on the organization’s short term or long term revenues, goals or objectives. More than anything else, business presentations teach one and all the art of public speaking and getting up close and personal on a one to one level with the audience. It is a feeling unmatched when a person can literally manipulate the thinking of so many others. He has so much going for him that he cannot even imagine. The same thus has to be seen in the positive vein rather than groaning on the aspects related with stage fright and public speaking troubles, which surely was not my piece of cake before. However all this changed as has been discussed above in this paper. In all fairness, I have found myself at ease with handling the audiences ever since I undertook the step of reforming my own self and in the process doing wonders for the overall building up of my personality. Lastly, public speaking is one aspect that can only be learned if there is a desire within the speaker and it cannot be forced into someone who is just not interested to make a difference within him or her. Word Count: 1,257 Read More