Good communication is key to success, whether you're speaking in front of a large number of people or trying to get a new friend across an idea. If you want to know how to speak well and confidently, you must believe in yourself, speak slowly and carefully, and be very convinced of what you say. If you want to know how to sound smart and polite while speaking, then take a look at the first step of this article and get started.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Speak Confidently
Step 1. State your opinions with conviction
Before you speak, you must make sure you actually believe what you say, regardless of whether it is that Kanye's new album is great or that the growing inequality gap in the United States should be the government's first concern. When expressing an idea, you should not sound arrogant, but like someone who really believes what they are saying (rather than someone who hopes to change other people to get their validation and approval).
Tip:
It's all the way you say it If you start a sentence by saying "I don't think …" or "But, maybe …", then nothing you can say afterward will sound as forceful as it would have been if you had just said it.
Step 2. Make eye contact
On the one hand, doing so is polite to other people. Also, eye contact will help other people listen to your opinions carefully. Find a few friendly faces that you can focus on, this way you will increase your confidence as you speak and communicate your message, even more clearly. On the other hand, you will not look safe if you look at the ground and, if you look elsewhere while you are talking, people may think that you are distracted or looking for something better to do.
- Look people in the eye while talking to them. To achieve balance, you can look away for a second or two, but generally remember to stay focused on the eyes of the people you are speaking to.
- If you notice someone looking confused or concerned while you're talking, you may even be wondering whether or not you're being clear enough. However, you shouldn't allow a confused person to divert you from your path.
- If you are talking to a large group of people and where it is really difficult to make eye contact, focus on looking only at a small group of people in the audience.
Step 3. Use the fast method to be able to speak better
You may need to speak in public at times as part of your role. Although this may seem intimidating, the benefits of being able to speak well outweigh any fear you feel. To become a better speaker, remember these methods (they have been intentionally kept short, to make them easy to remember):
- Plan properly.
- Practice.
- Interact with your audience.
- Pay attention to body language.
- Think and speak positively.
- Fight your nerves.
- Watch the recordings of your speeches. This will help you get better and better.
Step 4. Know the place
Get there early, walk around the area where you are going to speak, and practice using the microphone and any other visual aids. Without a doubt, knowing what you are going to face, having a sense of where you are going to stand, how the audience is going to look and how you are going to feel moving while you speak are things that can ease your nerves. It is much better to know what you are going to face than to take a big surprise and a blow to your confidence on the day of the big event.
If you really want to know the place, you can also go the day before your presentation to get an idea of what it looks like
Step 5. Visualize your success
Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine speaking with a strong, clear, and confident voice. Visualize your audience applauding you, this will boost your confidence. Close your eyes and imagine the most confident and well-spoken version of yourself in front of your audience, dazzling them with your words. On the other hand, if you are nervous about having to speak in a smaller social setting, imagine captivating your small group of friends with your words. Imagining the scenario you want to recreate can help you a lot to achieve success
In this way, when it is your big moment, remember what you have visualized, how can you get there?
Step 6. Know your audience
Knowing who you are speaking to can go a long way toward helping you speak confidently. If you are going to address a large audience, it is important to know where they come from, what their ages and general knowledge of your subject are. This can help you craft your speech accordingly. If you are talking to a handful of people, knowing as much as possible about them (their political beliefs, sense of humor, etc.) can help you say the right things (and avoid saying the wrong things).
One of the reasons people get nervous while talking is because they don't like strangers. Because of this, you should gather as much information as possible about your audience
Step 7. Have confident body language
Body language can go a long way in making you look and feel confident. If you want to have a confident body language, this is what you should do:
- Have good posture.
- Avoid slouching.
- Don't fiddle with your hands.
- Avoid walking a lot from one place to another.
- Look in front of you, instead of looking down at the ground.
- Keep your face and body relaxed.
Step 8. Know your material
Choose a topic of your interest. Learn more about it than you are going to include in your speech or conversation. If you know a lot about your topic, you will feel much more confident when it comes to talking about it. If you only prepared for what you are going to say the night before and are afraid of being asked questions that you don't know how to answer, then your confidence may not be at an all-time high. Knowing five times more about your topic than what you are going to say will help you feel ready for the big day.
If after your speech you are leaving a short time for questions, you can practice giving them to a friend beforehand. Ask him to ask you some tough questions to help you prepare for what may come
Step 9. Praise yourself every day
This will increase your own confidence, which is important when speaking. If you are more confident, people will take your opinions more seriously. You should not think that you are perfect to be able to honestly praise yourself, but feel like the amazing person that you are. Remember all the great things you have accomplished and worked so hard for. Look at yourself in front of a mirror and say at least three things about yourself or make a list of all the great things that make you who you are.
If you can't think of something you would like to praise yourself for, then you will need to work on increasing your confidence. Build your self-esteem by focusing on something you're good at, dealing with your flaws, and spending time with people who actually care about you and make you feel good about yourself
Part 2 of 3: Speak Right
Step 1. Speak in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear you
While you don't want to yell, you should speak loud enough so that people don't have to ask you to repeat what you say. Talking quietly will make people think that you are shy, that you don't have confidence in what you say, and that you don't really want to be heard anyway.
- If you speak in a low voice, not only will others not be able to hear what you say, but you will also play the role of a person with a submissive attitude, which implies the opposite to a person with confidence.
- On the other hand, you don't want to speak so loud that it sounds like you are speaking to people just to be heard. Your words should attract the public's attention by themselves.
Step 2. Expand your vocabulary
Read as much as you can, from online magazines (like Slate or Salon.com) to serious literary works (like Ana Karénina). You will know more the more you read, in the same way, your vocabulary will also expand. Without even knowing it, you will learn new words and understand new phrases and soon you will be using the words you read while you are speaking. If you really want to speak correctly, having a large vocabulary is a must.
- This does not mean that every time you should use fifty hundred dollar words in your speeches or daily conversations. Just use a few fancy keywords that can make your speech sound smarter, but not like you're trying too hard.
- Keep a vocabulary journal. Write down all the new ones you find as you read and define them.
Step 3. Avoid using too much jargon
If you want to sound good, then don't go around using jargon or too many informal phrases. Of course, if your audience is young and modern, you don't want to sound too formal or use fancy language; however, you should avoid saying things like "Hey guys", "Come on man", "You hit the nail on the head" or any other phrase that is used in your culture today.
Of course, if you are only talking to a few friends, then jargon is fine, but if you are addressing a more mature audience and want to speak correctly then you should avoid it
Step 4. Don't be afraid to stop
Some people see pauses as a sign of weakness, but this is not the case at all. It's okay to pause to gather your thoughts and think about what to say next. It is far worse to speak too fast and sound like you are rambling, agitated, or even saying something that you will immediately regret. Part of calming down and speaking carefully means that pauses in your speech will sound more natural.
If you use verbal pauses (like "eh" or "ah") while speaking, don't worry too much about doing it. This is just a natural way to get our minds running, even the President of the United States, Barack Obama, uses them often. If you think you use them too much, you can try lowering the tone of your voice, but don't think that you should avoid them altogether
Step 5. Use gestures only when necessary
Gesturing while speaking is a great way to make a point and emphasize your words. However, try not to use your hands or gestures too much while speaking, otherwise you will look a bit agitated, as if you are trying to use your gestures to compensate for your speech because your words are not enough. Instead, keeping your hands to your sides and using them for only a few key moments while you are speaking are things that will help you get an idea across.
Step 6. Be more concise
Another aspect of speaking correctly is knowing what not to say. Maybe you think that you should give ten examples to prove a point, but in reality, you may only need one or two, and then your ideas will give better results, because you chose the best points, instead of having thrown a thousand and one examples. to the audience you are addressing. If you are going to give a speech, then every word will count; If you're only going to talk to a few friends, it's even better to avoid being incoherent.
If you are giving a speech, then write it down and then say it out loud. Reading your own words can help you know where you are repetitive and what things you would like to eliminate from your speech
Step 7. Repeat your main ideas
You may think that getting your main ideas across just once is enough and that your audience will understand the most important thing about what you have to say. If you have a few main ideas that you really want to get across, regardless of whether you are addressing a crowd or trying to express an idea during a discussion with a friend, state your main ideas again (perhaps at the end of your conversation or speech). it will help define your message and even make your idea clearer.
Consider writing an essay. In doing so, you should repeat your central ideas at the end of each paragraph and in your conclusion, right? Well, talking is not that different
Step 8. Use concrete examples to win over your audience
Concrete examples are the bread and butter of any speech or conversation. Regardless of whether you want to convince your audience to go renewable energy or your best friend to ditch her losing boyfriend, you'll need a few cold, hard facts to get people's attention. Take the statistics, anecdotes or stories, as these will make your idea understood more effectively. It's about using a few key points that they already remember.
Tell a story or two. If you're giving a speech, a story at the beginning or end can help you get your ideas across in a more humane way
Part 3 of 3: Take it to the Next Level
Step 1. Create a relaxing routine
Start by facing the audience, this will allow you to buy time and calm your nerves. Pause, smile, and count to three before saying anything (one, two, three, pause, start!). Transform the energies of your nervousness into enthusiasm. This whole thing is about finding whatever works for you, maybe drinking a glass of peppermint tea before speaking or a little water every five minutes. Once you find what works for you, keep doing it.
In addition, you can create a routine to talk with your friends. Find something that can calm you down when you're nervous about having to talk, whether it's grabbing a Koosh ball in your jacket pocket or smiling a little more
Step 2. Practice and practice
Rehearse out loud and with all the equipment you plan to use. If necessary, check it out. Work to control filler words: practice, pause, and breathe. Practice with a stopwatch and allow some time for the unexpected. The more you practice, the more natural and cultured you will sound. Also, the more you know what to say, the more confident you will be, and that's what counts.
Step 3. Don't apologize
If you are nervous or have spoken the wrong way by accident, do not attract people's attention by apologizing for it; If not, just keep saying what you had planned and people will forget everything you said. Saying "Excuse me guys, I'm very nervous" or "Sorry, that was inconvenient" will only make the situation more uncomfortable and inopportune. We all make mistakes and there is no need to acknowledge them, unless you are really good at making jokes about yourself.
Step 4. Focus on the message, not the middle
Don't focus your attention on your own anxieties, remember to focus on your message and your audience. The most important thing is to get your point across, not look like Steve Jobs when you do it. If you focus less on yourself, you will feel less self-conscious and more like a messenger, and that will take a lot of the pressure off you. Before you speak, remember how important the message you have to convey is and why it is important that you do so. This will stop you from worrying regardless of whether you speak too fast or sweat a lot.
Step 5. Get experience
Mainly, your speech should represent you as an authority or a person. Experience builds trust, which is key to speaking effectively. A Toastmasters club can give you the experience you need in a safe and friendly environment. Just having the habit of giving speeches or speaking publicly will also help you achieve success, even if you just want to speak confidently in front of a group of friends or strangers. The more you do it, the better you will be, as with any other talent.
Step 6. Know that people want you to be successful
Your audience will want you to be interesting, enthusiastic, informative, and entertaining. They will support you. Before you start, think about what you have to do in a positive way and remember that no one wants you to stumble, stop talking or forget what you were going to say. Everyone wants the best for you and you should want it too. Talking can be scary, whether you speak in front of a crowded soccer stadium or just in front of your class, everyone expects you to do your best!
WikiHow Video: How to Speak Well and Confidently
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Advice
- Practice actually makes perfect. If you're giving a speech, then rehearsing it ahead of time will help you hear yourself clearly and confidently on the big day.
- Pauses can make you seem forgetful or don't know what to say while speaking, but they can actually be used to grab the audience's attention. If people are losing interest in your speech or if you need to emphasize something, just pause!
- If you are shy or uncomfortable making eye contact, don't look people directly in the eye. You could lose focus! Instead, look at them over their heads, but keep your eyes moving so it doesn't seem like you're focusing on something else, as it will cause people to lose their attention.
- If you are in a room with people you don't know, think about the people you love and imagine that they are encouraging you.
- If you are speaking to a group of people and are afraid to make eye contact, just look over their heads. It will seem that you look them in the eye. However, make sure they have nice hair.
- It is important to dress appropriately. Always wear clothes that suit your body type. Don't be afraid to dress a little fancy.
Warnings
- Remember that there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Don't show an inordinate amount of confidence; otherwise, you will come across as arrogant and overconfident. There is nothing worse than giving the impression that your ideas are better than those of others.
- In addition to talking about your own ideas, don't forget to hear from others too! Otherwise, others may view you as a selfish person, thereby losing the benefit of their valuable opinions.