Searching on the web for “public speaking tips” brings up well over 2 million different pages. While there may be a lot of resources out there on the topic of public speaking, all the help in the world just isn’t enough when it’s you who has to step up to the podium and address a group of people. If you have a fear of speaking in public, then it may take more than advice to get you comfortable with this.

Believe it or not, most of those fears are self imposed. What do I mean? The people listening to you don’t really care how the information is disseminated, they just want at the information. It’s the speaker that puts themselves through the ringer weeks before the event. Here are some tips that may seem obvious, but once completed, will really put your mind at ease, trust me.

Public Speaking Tip #1

KNOW YOUR TOPIC! I don’t mean know your topic, I mean inside and out, upside down, what ever question someone could throw at you, you know the answer. You really need to be prepared to reach this level. You need to know your speech almost by heart; you need to know the products you will be discussing. Do your homework, you will know you have reached public speaking Nirvana when you get that “feeling”, it will come with knowledge. Believe!

Public Speaking Tip #2

Instead of pacing back and forth, worrying about your speech going disastrously, talk with as many of the people who will be listening to your speech as you can. Being familiar with the audience will make you more confident in yourself.

This strategy also prevents you from pacing back and forth and worrying yourself to death until you go on. There is no point in cramming now, if you don’t know it, you wont, and it will show.

Public Speaking Tip #3

Despite the conventional wisdom, it’s not a good idea to picture your audience in the nude. This can be distracting and hurt your attempts at public speaking far more than it helps.

Public Speaking Tip # 4

When you find yourself with only a mouthful of uhs and ums, stop yourself, repeat the sentence as if to add importance, and replace the uhs and ums with silence to allow your points to hit home.

Public Speaking Tip # 5

Use body language. A lot of people think that giving a speech is all about what you’re saying. That’s only half of the picture. You need to use gestures and other body language to add emphasis and energy to your speech if you want to be a truly effective speaker.

These are tips can really help you take your next step in public speaking. Do you realize that people pass up promotions because they will be required to speak publicly?

Many even have a greater fear of speaking in public than they do of death! Of course, it’s easier to get your head around the prospect of stepping up to the podium than it is to grapple with an abstract concept like dying – but fear of speaking in front of a group is very real and can be intense. Thankfully, it is possible to overcome this fear and be able to speak publicly. You may never learn to love it, but you can learn to get through it unscathed. As long as you know what you’ll say and can anticipate the most likely questions you’ll be asked, you’re more than halfway to giving a successful speech.