The art of public speaking

Unlike typical articles on public speaking that suggest readers about the elementary things on public speaking, this article is for the advanced public speakers. The following tactics are for those speakers who have passes the elementary level of public speaking and now looking to make own presentation skills to the stage of art. Here are some simple yet effective tactics for them:
Tactic #1—Utilize the long lasting impact of Humility and Humor.

When a person has found own style communicating through public speaking, the task in hand at this stage will be starting to use some simple yet effective maneuvers. Two vital maneuvers among these are humility and humor. These two maneuvers are very effective in going a long way to make the presentation feel more enjoyable and entertaining for the audience.

The unique side of humor is- it is well understood by most people. This way, if the speaker has an inherent talent of humorous delivery, (providing the speaker is confident that he or she understands whether the humor fits the situation), there is every reason the speaker should use humor in the public speaking. Even more interesting is- humor almost always works, even if speaker blunders while using it.
Using humility calls for a thorough understanding of the use of it. In plain words, the whole idea of humility is centered on candor acts like standing up before the audience and sharing some own human weaknesses, and mistakes. There would probably be no one without weaknesses.

So when the speaker is honest enough to stand up in front of others and show that s/he is not afraid to admit own pitfalls, this not only lowers the level of high expectations but also helps the speaker to be accepted by audience. This makes the speaker more credible, more believable, and paradoxically more respected. This all of a sudden, makes the speaker one among the audience.
Tactic #2—Being aware of the worst that can happen- nothing! When it comes to the fear of speaking in public, there is one thing in common. The presenters are in most case worried about is One thing that adds to the fear of public speaking is the dread people have that something awful, terrible, or publicly humiliating will happen to them.

Here is a list of the fearsome questions that make the public speaker nervous:
• “What if I pass out from nervous exhaustion?”
• “What if I forget everything I intended to say and am left standing there, totally speechless?”
• “What if the audience hates me and begins throwing things at me?”
• “What if they all get up and leave after the first ten minutes?”
• “What if they snipe at me with harsh questions or comments once I'm done?”
• “What if someone in the audience tries to turn the group against me?”

There is no doubt about the fact that these are all very very embarrassing things to experience. But the facts is- fortunately none of these things actually happen in real life. And for the sake of caution, lets take if for granted that one of those disasters would happen (by chance). If some disaster does happen, the public speaker can have some back-up strategy to turn out the situation perfect.

The greatest public speakers of all times would all admit that whatever "negative" things that happen while speaking in public, can essentially be handled by keeping this one simple, yet powerful, principle in mind: Everything that happens can be used to my advantage.
For another instance, say the audience starts getting up and head for the door. Though this seems horrible, the task in hand for the speaker is simple- the speaker can stop and simply ask for feedback. Or the presenter can ask a very reasonable question like “was there something about my topic, my style, or my manner of presentation that was offensive to you?”

There could be very logical answer to the audience’s leaving the venue, like- they were simply in the wrong room at the start and didn't know it or they were misinformed about them about what my talk was going to cover? Regardless of what was the real situation, the presenter can always handle it with full command over the situation- with the help of two universal tools: Humility and Honesty.

Tactic #3—It is not the job of the speaker to control the behavior of the audience
There is one wrong conception among public speakers that the speaker will have to necessarily control the behavior of the. This is fortunately not true. Nevertheless, there are actually certain things the speaker must control:
• Speaker’s own thoughts,
• Speaker’s preparation,
• Efficient arrangements for audio-visual aids,
• Well meditated arrangements of room layout.

Again fortunately, the audience is not one of the things that the presenter or public speaker must control. but one thing you don't have to control is your audience. They will do whatever they do, and whatever they do will usually be "perfect."
If people are fidgety or restless, don't try to control this. If someone is talking to a neighbor, or reading the newspaper, or falling asleep, leave them alone. If people look like they aren't paying attention, refrain from chastising them. Unless someone is being intentionally disruptive, there is very little you need to control.

Tactic #4—Avoid too much preparation
Though may sound odd but the truth is that the more you prepare, the worse you will do. Preparation is handy for any public appearance. But the reality is, too much preparation and effort to make the public speaking session error free, ends up with more and more blunders and nervousness.
The core objective of the presentation is knowing the subject well. This way, if the speaker has spoken about it couple of times before then s/he may only need a few minutes to prepare sufficiently. When the presenter or speaker knows the subjects by heart, the simple task left in hand is to remind yourself of the two or three key points you want to make, along with several good examples and supporting facts.

Tactic #5—Be conscious that audience always wants the speaker to succeed
The tactic here is to just remember a truth. Most people form the audience are scared to death of public speaking, just like you. Most of them are aware of the risk of embarrassment, humiliation, and failure that come with the public speaking for the speaker. In most of the cases the audience feels for the speaker. If the speaker can show some courage, the audience will admire it. If not physically or by conscious minds, the audience are by the side of the speaker.