Speak With Confidence For some people, speaking with confidence comes naturally. For them, it’s easy to give presentations to groups of people. For the rest of us, however, speaking with confidence is something that is learned — and fought for. If you can’t “fake it ‘til you make it” when it comes to giving public presentations, here are a few tips to help you learn how to speak with confidence: 1. Know your material Knowing your presentation material inside and out is a good way to get rid of presentation jitters, and to help you give a presentation that shows you as both confident and knowledgeable. When learning your material, don’t just think about what you know, think about things your audience members may ask. That way they will be less likely to surprise you and shake your confidence. 2. Practice – a lot In just about everything, practice makes perfect, and it’s no different when it comes to learning how to speak with confidence. For those of us who are not natural presenters, practicing is probably the most important thing we can do to increase our chances of giving good presentations. Practicing public speaking can help someone find their voice, their rhythm, and their rhetorical blind spots. 3. Take baby steps If speaking with confidence isn’t your strength, ease into confident speaking by building up to it. Start by giving toasts with large groups of friends, then graduate to short professional presentations. If you’re worried about embarrassing yourself at work, join a public speaking group like Toastmasters before you go “live” at the office. We offer a terrific 2 day workshop called Think On Your Feet® that will give you dynamic structures to strategically position your message giving you the spit and polish your delivery deserves. It really is the art of impromtu speaking. Click here for more information. Next Public Workshop dates are 19th and 20th November 2013 Central London.      ]]>