Mastering the Meeting: 5 Steps to Conquer Public Speaking

Does the idea of presenting in a meeting make you want to take a sick day?

Very few of us love speaking in public, but from business meetings to social settings, it’s a skill that’s necessary to several areas of our lives.

That’s why we’ve compiled 5 steps to help you become a better communicator and master any meeting.

Good luck!

1. Talk to yourself.

Come up with a clear message in your own head before expressing it to others.

Knowing what you are going to say is half the battle!

2. Rehearse.

It may be useful to write down your thoughts, then practice them out loud until you find an outline that works.

Once you’ve found what you’re going to say, practice as many times as possible.

This helps you to retain information and be prepared if you happen to lose your place at some point during the real presentation.

3. Be optimistic.

This is a chance to psych yourself up!

Don’t be negative. Know that you have the capability to articulate your ideas confidently.

4. Clarify.

Do not assume that the message sent was the message received.

Ask for specific feedback from your audience. If there are questions, great!

It means people are listening.

5. Learn when to stop talking!

Nerves get the best of us sometimes, which can lead to excess babbling.

However, if you’ve followed the steps above, you’ll have a good idea when you’ve reached the end of your presentation.

End with a relevant quote or rhetorical question, then open the floor for discussion.

Your audience will appreciate that you’ve kept the meeting as short as possible.

Want to really catch their attention?

Make your presentation even more dynamic with tools like Microsoft PowerPoint and Adobe Flash.

You can become an expert in these platforms with the help of 360training.com, powered by QuickStart!