Vision 2021 – 3 Public Speaking Tips to Start Your New Year!
A fresh, “new normal” is starting with 2021, and with it, a brand-new set of resolutions as you begin the new year ahead. Resolutions come in many different forms – from exercising, losing weight to even financial goals. Most of us find resolutions challenging as we struggle to create a positive habit structure to commit to our goals. We begin the new year with plenty of energy and vigour to accomplish our objectives. This slowly tapers off as it becomes too complicated to maintain the same energetic push for your resolutions.
Building from this, why not start the new year by choosing a unique resolution that is both interesting and relevant in the modern decade ahead? Public speaking and communication skills (such as persuasion) are likely to increase in relevance in the modern decade, especially with automation in many industries. These skills will form the best starting point to begin your 2021 with confidence. As a skill to learn, communication is a varied and wide field you can tailor to your own learning needs. The journey to becoming an effective communicator might be one of the easier resolutions you can aim to achieve!
To help you along this journey, here are three simple public speaking tips you can use to ignite your communication journey for the new decade!
Say “Yes!” to Stage Opportunities
Speaking scenarios in the modern workplace is unlikely going to involve a typical speech before an audience. Instead, your communication opportunities will come in the form of various settings, such as a business presentation before your boss or a tough sales negotiation with a difficult client. It is tempting to say a resolute “No!” to these opportunities when offered. Some of us prefer to work in the background instead of standing in the spotlight and receiving all the attention. Your new year resolution can take the form of a commitment to say “Yes!” instead!
From our experience, some of the refusal to accept these opportunities stem from what I term as premature anxiety. This is an anxiety that stems from imagining the worst outcome before one even accepts or try the speaking opportunity. Instead, try adopting positive visualisation exercises by mentally going through a successful presentation. In doing so, engage all of your senses and go through every specific detail of the presentation task from start to finish. As your body and mind get comfortable over the prospect of presenting, you can start accepting stage opportunities with a confident and clear “Yes!”
Postpone Your Procrastination
Even after accepting the speaking opportunity, some of us may be tempted to keep the preparation for the opportunity as a low priority task. We may start to think (erroneously) that we can simply prepare the week before and set an unrealistic timeline. After all, everything is all right if we have the content to present, right? Definitely not! A speaking task requires ample planning not just for your content but to ensure that your mindset and presentation structure is ready. In short, postpone your procrastination!
One method of ensuring that you start your planning early (and avoid procrastinating) is to focus on both the general and bite-sized timeline. On the general front, focus on the objectives of the presentation to set out the appropriate general direction for your presentation. This will set a clear and specified direction for your presentation. The general planning can be divided into further bite-sized goals, such as focussing on ideation or sequencing of the script. Beyond facilitating the planning, this will also ensure a manageable workload for your presentation. Your aim is to make the planning phase as smooth and easy as possible so that it becomes less tempting to procrastinate!
View the New You Through Different Lenses
One of the tougher public speaking tips that our students tend to baulk at is video recording. While a powerful tool, a large number of our students (young and adult alike), often find the idea of recording themselves speaking as a fearsome concept. Some do not enjoy watching themselves on video; others simply refuse to keep a record of their presentation completely! These reservations aside, video recording is a powerful tool that most proficient speakers utilise to improve.
By recording your speech or presentation, you allow yourself the opportunity to view your presentation content and style through a different lens. The recorded video will also act as a speech audit or rehearsal for your presentation before your actual time in the spotlight. You can use the video to study your vocal tones, assess your body language, and even monitor the logical flow of your content. The video is the most accurate measure of your presentation and is likely to differ from what you had in mind while preparing your script. By opening yourself up to a different perspective, you too can start 2021 on the right foot as a public speaker!
Stop Waiting, Start Speaking!
Most resolutions suffer from neglect – we lose sight of the goals we set for ourselves and slowly, but surely, the resolution disappears. The key to igniting your speaking journey is the first step. By saying “yes!” to opportunities, planning your presentations early, and reviewing your practice sessions, you can start your public speaking journey in 2021 with aplomb!
By The Way…
If you are keen to take your public speaking skills & presentation skills (either business/corporate presentation / training for presentation to clients / kids in-class presentation) to the next level so that you may communicate and deliver speeches with greater flair and charisma, feel free to check out our public speaking course for adults and public speaking course for kids below!
For more about our (weekly group classes) Public Speaking Courses for Adults :
https://publicspeakingacademy.com.sg/courses-and-programs/group-classes-for-adults/
If you are looking for a 2-day intensive public speaking/ presentation course for adults instead (for our adult learners who can’t do weekends), learn more about our Presentation Skills Training Course here: https://publicspeakingacademy.com.sg/presentation-skills-training-course-by-world-champion/
If you are looking for Public Speaking Course for Kids / Children:
https://publicspeakingacademy.com.sg/group-classes-students-age-7-18/
If you are a human resources manager/ business owner in your company…
We want to help you bring out the best in your team, organization, and company. Public speaking and communication skills for the workplace, such as persuasion, remain a priority for most corporate training out there. We believe in staying ahead of the curve in sharing the contemporary communication skills to help you and your team remain relevant, competitive and nimble. Through our customized corporate training programmes, your team will benefit from an in-depth, hands-on, and potential-maximising public speaking training programme!
Feel free to reach out to us to curate your own public speaking corporate training programme for your team, company, or organization! Let us help you develop them into highly effective public speakers at work, empowered with effective presentation skills & storytelling skills – them giving speeches with charisma, influence and impact is something you can look forward to!
For effective presentation skills & public speaking skills training for corporates/ employees: https://publicspeakingacademy.com.sg/corporate-public-speaking-training-workshop/