Speaking to a Live Audience - Effective Public Speaking

Why is public speaking important? An effective public speaker is recognised as a leader, and leadership is required in all kinds of scenarios today. These scenarios could be a conclave, a company meeting, a political campaign or a revolution. 

Public speakers radiate confidence and vision. These are two sought-after qualities in anyone.

In this segment, you will learn how to address large audiences. 

In the context of addressing large audiences, a common experience is stage fright, which is a form of anxiety that you feel, especially if you are not habituated to speaking in front of a large live audience. In the next video, David will share some tips for acing public speaking and overcoming stage fright. 

As you learnt from David, only you have the advantage of communicating your thoughts to a large audience, as you are the master of your message. To be more effective in public speaking, you can follow the guidelines given below:

1. Research or study your audience in advance.
2. Use your arms to envelop your audience in virtual arcs or triangles.

Using such arm movements, you can communicate to the audience your current area of focus non-verbally. Let’s hear David's thoughts on how you can effectively engage the audience using non-verbal communication.

As demonstrated by David, the proper use of your arms, eyes and voice can make even a mediocre speech more engaging and interesting.

Other modes of non-verbal communication include eye contact, gestures and mobility on the stage. Let’s hear David's thoughts on how such modes of non-verbal communication can make you a more effective public speaker.

As David explained, maintaining appropriate eye contact helps your audience concentrate on what you are saying. While it is good to be mobile on stage, the extent of mobility has to be controlled, as there are differing schools of thought that support both extremes.

Using the optimum mix of non-verbal communication skills, you can guide your audience towards what you are trying to achieve with your speech. However, it is important to note that excellent non-verbal communication alone does not make for a good public speaker. This is because a change in the venue setting would force you not just to adjust your speech but also to adjust to the venue.

In the coming segments, David will enunciate the importance of verbal communication when speaking to a large audience and explain how you can prepare for such a task, through a detailed case study.