If it is CROWD - This is how you CONVEY ...
Fear is powerfully consuming . it consumes your thoughts ,your judgements , your confidence , it shakes foundations , ruins ideas and innovations . It steals words from the tip of your tongue and makes you go numb and freeze like a tray of ice deep freezed in the frozen section of a refrigerator . Everybody in their lives have once faced such engulfing fear that made it all look blank . Long back ago in the year 2009 , on a cold yet hysterically calm night of December 23rd at about 7:23 pm there was a kid who took her first steps towards a huge dark stage from the green room on the count of 3...2....1...Go..,that night the audience consisted of about 900 parents and students gathered up in the two storey multi purpose grand auditorium cheering for their respective kids performing , among them all in the very near front rows was a couple in their 30's both a mother and a father ready with a camera and a handy-cam respectively desperately waiting for their little one to show up on the stage , it was their kid's very first . Very first time anchoring in her third language when it was barely three months for her being transferred to a English medium school that too mid year ! Straight at grade 3 level after her been trained to speak , right and only use Gujarati as a means of communication for last 5 years in a local convent school .Her tiny little self was shaking standing as she started her first greeting lines , scared of judgments , anxious and sweaty of nervousness in all most mid December .But the girl while her entire speech had one thing in mind " any fear that eats her up alive deserves no chance to stand , she has to chase it " After 6 minutes and thirty two seconds of dead cold silence in the auditorium , it was a majestic round of applause and never have I ever felt that sense of victory in my life again yet . Yes ! it is right the kid was me , that night I won my biggest fear of public speaking in a foreign language against a huge unfamiliar crowd and I couldn't have made my parents and myself proud for giving an opening speech for my school's annual function .
I would not fake it and tell you all it was all rosy and easy - it is to none be it a 30 year old professional or a grade 3 student , because at the end we are all humans with basic common insecurities which are inbuilt but can be overcomed. It was one hell of a challenge specifically for me - where everything was a stranger to start with audience , language and of course 3 months barely in that school so no chance of spoiling my first impression and losing a few admirers I had then . I fumbled at pronunciation as I did come from a school and a to the core Gujarati family where I had no other exposure to any other language but my very own mother tongue . Challenges are a part and parcel of life but when it comes to public speaking my mentor and my trainer Dr Salma Paleja is whom I idealized . Apart from her putting her trust and faith in my raw capabilities then she taught me some golden rules of public speaking .
Today when I start to pen down the 5 basic rules of speaking - ability to use silences , avoiding the unnecessary ( ummm , ahhh , ) , divide the attention amongst the audience , the right posture and projecting the right voice modulation . Rarely I have seen people contributing equal time to practise their speech or presentations as much as they spend writing a speech or creating content . It all begins with projecting your self rightly in front of the audience - hide the turmoil . The very first impression of being nervous is hurrying to wrap it all as if you have a flight to catch , slow down , respect the punctuations and take additional necessary pauses wherever needed , it gives the audience time to critically reflect and connect with the speaker in between , most importantly those pauses give you time to think and reconnect your speech - yes you are allowed to do that while talking but the world definitely doesn't need to know that you just did that ! Ever thought how you will personally end up feeling if in a crowd of hundreds of people someone only kept looking at you ? well embarrassing to them and not really confident for you - make sure to engage them all , of course nobody wants to only listen plus engaging them via frequent eye contact and asking few open ended questions will give a golden opportunity to check on weather your listener is actually been receiving the message or information that you actually intended to convey .
The speaker has wonderfully conveyed with examples how crucial is to have right voice modulation , a change in a tone of a voice can change its entire meaning plus who will really be interested in listening to a monotonous pre prepared speech , be sure to bring on some liveliness , use the throat - it can create wonders .
Apart from these few master tips there are few more things that I have learned from my very own experience of public speaking over the years which shaped me into a person I am today . As I would always say " nobody is born perfect but one can practise well and definitely reach nearby worldly persisting the notion of " perfection" . It doesn't take much all one needs to never forget it its not only words that do the talking , gestures contribute equally ( actions speaks louder then words remember ? said everyone of opus's pre school teacher! ) Additionaly there is a real; thin line that exists between talking and lecturing make sure you identify your audience - know their needs , expectations and capabilities , and along with keeping reality in mind and stick to the topic always . I will not lie here but there is always a bunch of people in every crowd that come with no intention to either contribute or learn either but there is a trick to get the too . Frankly speaking do not judge them for misconceptions try adding examples and personal experiences to your speech it makes the lister feel more relatable and personal , if you got them listening you all most won the battle .
There is no particular key to public speaking that is why we call them tips and not the master key ! Yet all we can do is plan , practise , observe , add and eliminate all with due respect to the demands of the audience , event and the comfort and capability of our own .
I would not fake it and tell you all it was all rosy and easy - it is to none be it a 30 year old professional or a grade 3 student , because at the end we are all humans with basic common insecurities which are inbuilt but can be overcomed. It was one hell of a challenge specifically for me - where everything was a stranger to start with audience , language and of course 3 months barely in that school so no chance of spoiling my first impression and losing a few admirers I had then . I fumbled at pronunciation as I did come from a school and a to the core Gujarati family where I had no other exposure to any other language but my very own mother tongue . Challenges are a part and parcel of life but when it comes to public speaking my mentor and my trainer Dr Salma Paleja is whom I idealized . Apart from her putting her trust and faith in my raw capabilities then she taught me some golden rules of public speaking .
Today when I start to pen down the 5 basic rules of speaking - ability to use silences , avoiding the unnecessary ( ummm , ahhh , ) , divide the attention amongst the audience , the right posture and projecting the right voice modulation . Rarely I have seen people contributing equal time to practise their speech or presentations as much as they spend writing a speech or creating content . It all begins with projecting your self rightly in front of the audience - hide the turmoil . The very first impression of being nervous is hurrying to wrap it all as if you have a flight to catch , slow down , respect the punctuations and take additional necessary pauses wherever needed , it gives the audience time to critically reflect and connect with the speaker in between , most importantly those pauses give you time to think and reconnect your speech - yes you are allowed to do that while talking but the world definitely doesn't need to know that you just did that ! Ever thought how you will personally end up feeling if in a crowd of hundreds of people someone only kept looking at you ? well embarrassing to them and not really confident for you - make sure to engage them all , of course nobody wants to only listen plus engaging them via frequent eye contact and asking few open ended questions will give a golden opportunity to check on weather your listener is actually been receiving the message or information that you actually intended to convey .
The speaker has wonderfully conveyed with examples how crucial is to have right voice modulation , a change in a tone of a voice can change its entire meaning plus who will really be interested in listening to a monotonous pre prepared speech , be sure to bring on some liveliness , use the throat - it can create wonders .
Apart from these few master tips there are few more things that I have learned from my very own experience of public speaking over the years which shaped me into a person I am today . As I would always say " nobody is born perfect but one can practise well and definitely reach nearby worldly persisting the notion of " perfection" . It doesn't take much all one needs to never forget it its not only words that do the talking , gestures contribute equally ( actions speaks louder then words remember ? said everyone of opus's pre school teacher! ) Additionaly there is a real; thin line that exists between talking and lecturing make sure you identify your audience - know their needs , expectations and capabilities , and along with keeping reality in mind and stick to the topic always . I will not lie here but there is always a bunch of people in every crowd that come with no intention to either contribute or learn either but there is a trick to get the too . Frankly speaking do not judge them for misconceptions try adding examples and personal experiences to your speech it makes the lister feel more relatable and personal , if you got them listening you all most won the battle .
There is no particular key to public speaking that is why we call them tips and not the master key ! Yet all we can do is plan , practise , observe , add and eliminate all with due respect to the demands of the audience , event and the comfort and capability of our own .
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