Before I start this article on “Public Speaking Tips”, I want to take you back to your school days. Remember the good old days? Lovely friends and teachers!

Everybody has their favourite teacher. So, did I. I was a good observer, just like you. I minutely observed that there is a reason why I like some particular teachers. It is not that, the teachers I liked were more qualified than others. It was just that, those teachers brought life even in the most boring topic. They use to do it by infusing humour or tell a story that was directly related to the chapter. They engaged us by asking a question, a question that most of us would raise our hands.

I remember once our English teacher asked. “How many of you know Mr William Shakespeare?” everybody raised their hands. He continued “How many of you know that he doesn’t exist?”, the class was shocked. Then he asked “Well, how many of you think, Shakespeare was gay?”, the class burst into laughter. It was after this series of questions, he started telling us the story of Macbeth. Throughout the class, he continued interacting with us and still after 20 years, I remember the story of Macbeth inside out.

Whenever I talk about Public Speaking, most listeners start thinking of it, as an art of delivering a speech to thousands of people. Well, that’s not true. It is not only about delivering a speech, neither it is about the number of people who listen to you. It is about the impact and changes you bring in your audience life, in a single 5- or 10-minute session. You may deliver your talk to a single person or a small group of people and have a big impact on them.

Powerful Public Speaking Tips to impact your viewers

Today I am going to give you 6 powerful and magical public speaking tips that will help you to deeply impact your audience. I suggest you, not to jump or skip points. Examples given in each tip are very essential as it is going to add you to your skill.

1. Be silent and stand Rock Solid when you enter

Be prepared to see people doing lots of movements when you enter the hall or Classroom or presentation room. You will notice people scrolling their mobile, talking with someone, itching their backs. Now it’s your time. Take the center position, make yourself visible, be silent and standstill. Don’t utter a word, and be still with eyes full of expression. Within no time the Hall or Classroom will become noiseless.

Keep it in mind, it is you who determines the nature of energy in the room. Your silence will make the audience settle down with all their ears. It is a tried and proven technique. And please respect yourself by not standing behind the podium or desk.

2. A powerful intro of the subject

Now when you have the attention of the audience, you should deliver a powerful introduction to your subject. You could start by asking a common question related to the topic or a story in which the audience can relate to themselves. You could also start with a shocking fact, humour, I have demonstrated different types of powerful introduction for your speech here. Your primary goal is to arise any one of human emotions like Joy, Excitement, Shock, Awe. Storytelling takes the audience to an imaginative state and a story can easily evoke human emotion. Here are a few examples of brilliant openings.

3. Take long Pauses, with a serious face

Whenever you pause with a stern and serious face, you will get immediate attention from your viewers. It will make your speech very powerful. Do it whenever you are going to mention an important point. The time duration of the pause shouldn’t exceed 5-6 seconds or it will start appearing that you forgot your lines. Irrespective of the topic of your Speech, be it a conceptual speech or data-driven speech, or a sales pitch. Your pauses will make your concept, data or product appear very important. Using it effectively will not only make your speech very important, but it will also make you very important.

4. A powerful Speech has powerful words

Do keep it in your mind that words are magical. What words you use and how you use them creates a deep impact on the listeners. You can make a person dislike you, or admire you with a single word. You can transform a life, motivate someone, persuade someone to take any action with the power of your words. Just by replacing a few words from your regular vocabulary with more effective words, you could create a big change. Words like Clarity, purpose, passion, honesty, focus, respect, integrity are so common but whenever or whoever uses them, it creates magic. I have curated a list of effective words that you could use in your speech to make it powerful.

5. Alter your pitch

Here is a secret, there is one big energy in the room, and you are in complete control of that energy. When you get excited, your audience gets excited, when you are confident, your audience is confident as well and if you are dull, your audience becomes dull as well. Altering the pitch of your voice, particularly at the moment when you want them to take action, or to believe in what you are saying is very powerful. A sudden shift in your pitch gives an element of shock, make your audience more attentive to what you are saying. Making you appear more powerful and grand.

6. Public Speaking Tips: Eye Contact

When you are having one-to-one conversation. It is easy to make eye contact. But when you are talking with a group, be it small or big. The process becomes tricky. Be assured that, whenever you make an eye contact with a person in the group. That person will be highly influenced by you. You cannot just look at one person and finish your entire speech. For a small group of people, spend equal time looking at each person in the group. For a big audience, start with looking at people sitting on the first row and then second and so on. Have a smile on your face when suddenly you made an eye-contact with someone in the row.

Conclusion

You can use these 6 powerful and dynamic public speaking tips in your sales pitch, motivational talks, marketing videos, political stage or even in your simple YouTube video. Remember you are there to connect with the audience and not just recite your speech.

Crafting a great speech is the first step and the way you deliver it makes it powerful or dull. Infusing the element of silence, pause, altering pitch, eye contact, effective wording, and a great introduction will make you appear powerful, effective and grand. How much you impact your audience depends on how much you have emotionally connected with them. The more you practise these proven strategies of public speaking, the more product sales and recognition you will make.