5 Traits of An Effective Public Speaker
Effective public speaking is easy for some, difficult for most, not a lot of people are effective public speakers. The fact is not many people are blessed with the gift of gab. Some are even horrified at the prospect of having to face an audience to relate anything verbally.
But the good news is, for those who are determined to master their public speaking skills and become an effective public speaker, there are ways to do this.
Allow me to share a personal experience. When I was in high school I was a bit aloof and shy, and though I knew that I could speak well if needed, I simply was not confident enough. I realize later, the more opportunities of speaking in public you have, the easier it gets and the more confident you are. For some reasons one day I simply told myself, I was not going to get anywhere, and not accomplish anything if I did not speak up. Being quiet was not going to get me anywhere.
Yes, public speaking is not an easy task. But it is not impossible to learn… you too can be good at it.
So lets start with learning the qualities of a good public speaker. Here are the traits that a person should learn or adopt if he or she is planning to become an effective public speaker:
An Effective Public Speaker Is Resourceful
To be an effective public speaker, you cannot simply rely on stocked knowledge, or what you already know. Knowing where to get new information and how to get it so that you can relay this to your audience easily is one valuable quality of an excellent public speaker.
Preparation is also a part of resourcefulness. The preparation a good speaker makes does not end in his speech. Knowing an audience’s interests and level of knowledge is also a part of his resourcefulness.
Using props is something common with a speaker who is resourceful enough to know how some simple visual aids or items can evoke more interest from his or her audience.
An Effective Public Speaker Always Updates What He Knows
An effective public speaker is always thirsty for new information. You can polish your wisdom by reading, attending seminars, or doing any other kind of activities that would enrich your knowledge.
An Effective Public Speaker Has A Good Sense Of Humor
Very often, your sense of humor is what will actually make your speech or message easier to comprehend and remember. Incorporating a few jokes that touch on your audience’s interests is helpful. No one loves a boring speaker.
An Effective Public Speaker Is Confident
An audience can easily see if you are uncomfortable, uneasy and most of all… not confident with what you are delivering. Sometimes lack of preparedness or confidence shows in a stutter. When confidence exudes from a public speaker, the more enthusiastic the listeners become to understand what that person can help them learn.
An Effective Public Speaker Has A Way With Words
A public speaker can’t be effective at all if if he or she has a limited vocabulary stock. It’s not however, the variety of high-falluting words that make up a good speech, but its content and how you use these words to move people, words that people relate to or identify with, thus helping you even better deliver your message.
Last but not the least, to become an effective public speaker, it is not enough to know all these traits, but to put them into practice by putting yourself in a situation where you have to speak to people or audiences. Effective public speakers are who they are because they constantly go out on a limb to push their public speaking limits.
