This month we thought we would share with you the most successful way to promote yourself… and to top it all, it’s free!!

The ultimate purpose of any speech is to communicate your message to your audience. If delivered effectively it can be a powerful marketing tool for your business.
Here are 10½ valuable ways to ensure that your public speaking is a success.

1. Know your audience

Understanding your audience is a critical ingredient to writing and delivering a successful speech. The type of speech which is acceptable and appeals to one audience may not appeal to another audience made up of different people. By knowing your audience you will be able to decide the best way to deliver your message.

2. Arrive early

Arriving early demonstrates that you have a professional approach. It will give you an opportunity to get familiar with the environment, and to check that any equipment you require is working before you are on stage. Being the early bird will also give you the time to speak to people as they arrive and you can even ask the host to help with introductions.

Bernard always likes to arrive early when he is giving a speech. From experience he has found that you always stumble across some sort of technical error which takes longer to sort out then initially thought. By arriving early these problems are always sorted before he goes on stage.

3. Speak with conviction

Know your subject area. Live, talk and breath it.

Believing in what you are saying has great conviction and will resonate more with an audience. This is a powerful tool as you can effectively persuade your audience without even knowing it.

4. Control your nerves

Do your palms go sweaty and your knees weak? Do you get a dry mouth at the thought of talking in front of an audience?

These symptoms are well known to even the most experienced of presenters. Public speaking is up there with the worst of people’s fears. People will do anything to get out of getting up in front of an audience. The best way to overcome these nerves is to accept them and devise some mechanisms to help you cope.

Learn to control your nerves before they take control of you. It is important that you find time to relax and collect your thoughts beforehand. Try positive visualization and deep breathing to help your nerves fly away.

5. Less is more

It is very important not to tell the audience everything you know, rather, tell the audience what it is they need to know.

You need to be able to select the most relevant and interesting information to use in your speech which will leave the audience wanting to know more. This is an invaluable skill.

A good speech will be clear, engaging and understandable.

6. Variety is the spice of life

A great way to engage and maintain your audience’s attention is by delivering information in a way that they can relate to.

We have all been to a lecture where the presenter has just read from the PowerPoint slides, which has been very dull and boring.

Create theatre and drama using a few anecdotes and practical experiences to illustrate the points you are making. Add props and interact with the audience. By using a variety of communication tools you will be able to keep your audience entertained and interested throughtout your presentation.

7. Body language

Your body language can speak volumes before you have said a word in front of your audience.

How you hold yourself is critically important and you can use this method of communication to your advantage.

Stand straight and have a relaxed posture. Make sure your hands don’t fidget by keeping your arms by your side allowing the freedom to move them if needed. Be at ease with yourself.

Feel happy to use head and arms as part of communicating the message. This can add life and emphasis to your presentation.

8. Eye contact 

All eyes will be on you, but where do you look?

Maintaining sincere eye contact with your audience is crucial for a successful presentation. Make direct eye contact with a number of people in the audience, and glance every now and then at the whole audience to keep them engaged.

9. Tone

When delivering a presentation, how you say something can be just as important as what you say.

No matter how interesting your presentation may be, if you speak in a monotone voice your presentation will come across as dull and boring and will send people to sleep.

It is important to add drama, change the pitch and character of your voice so it compliments what you are saying and keeps your audience’s attention from start to finish.

10. Communication is the key

Communication is the key ingredient when presenting. There is no point in knowing everything there is to know about a subject if you don’t know how to communicate it effectively to your audience.

You need to be able to speak to your audience, listen to what the audience has to say, respond to their reactions, adjust and adapt.

If your message is not being received by the audience successfully, have the ability to change your train of thought mid stream. This will take time to master and comes with practice.

10½ Practice makes perfect

Practice, practice, practice!

Practice in front of the mirror, practice in front of friends and family, record your speech and play it back to yourself. By doing this you will be able to get valuable feedback and see where you need to improve in order to be more successful and confident.

This month's famous feet

Kate Winslet has had double success at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs, picking up the award for best actress.

Kate Winslet, wears a US size 11 shoe.

Famous feet

Kate Moss
Model
Shoe size: 8