How to confidently speak in front of a crowd

Professional speakers still sometimes worry about the effectiveness of their presentations. Luckily, improving public speaking is simple! To confidently speak in front of a crowd, you need to prepare content that is suitable for your audience. Next, you should spend some time rehearsing before presenting. Finally, connect with your audience, pronounce words clearly, and use body language during your presentation.

Table of Contents

Prepare content

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Find out your audience. You will need to know the number of participants, their age, gender, education level and social status. Also, it’s important to find out how knowledgeable they are about the topic you’re about to cover. Finally, try to reflect on how you look to your audience and what they expect from your presentation. ^{[1] X Research Source}

For example, will you give a presentation to people who know nothing about your topic or will you speak at a professional event where the audience already has a background? You need to tailor your content to fit the needs of your audience. You certainly don’t want to say things that are confusing, but you also need to avoid giving information that your audience already knows.
Likewise, your presentation must be tailored to how your audience perceives you. If they see you as an expert in the subject you’re presenting, your presentation should have depth of knowledge and credibility.

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Determine the appropriate tone for the presentation. You can think of tone as the “soul” of your presentation. This is the element created by the audience, the event, the topic, and the purpose of the speech. Besides, you also need to consider your personality to choose a natural tone that suits you. ^{[2] X Research Source}

If your subject is serious, you should use a serious tone. Or, you will choose a funny voice for the speech at the party.
In general, you can use a conversational tone for any presentation, regardless of the topic or audience. The most important thing is still expressing your own identity!
Note that you do not need to use the same tone for the entire speech. For example, you would start out with a serious voice but end with a humorous interaction. In this case, you need to adjust your tone as the presentation progresses.

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Do more research if needed. If you have expert knowledge of your topic, you’ll probably give your presentation using the knowledge you already have in your head or some personal notes. However, research is very important when you have some knowledge gap. Remember that the audience will notice those holes and ask questions. In addition, your audience will also appreciate the facts and facts you provide to make your point clear. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

If you know your topic well, you should write the body of your speech before you do your research. That way, you won’t waste time reviewing known information. For example, a biologist might present the topic of cell division without further study. Likewise, you can compose your parents’ wedding anniversary speech without having to research.
Conversely, if you don’t know much about your topic, you should do your research before you compose your speech. For example, if you’re giving a presentation about a place, find out the historical context and important information related to that place before brainstorming your presentation.

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Make an outline for the presentation. Many people find that planning helps them organize their thoughts and create a coherent statement. First, you’ll write your thesis, goal, or feeling at the top of the page. Next, write down the main points of reference. Finally, write the conclusion you want to convey to your audience.

Present 3-5 main points in the presentation. Avoid providing too much information that overloads the audience.
After you’ve made a general outline, you can add what you want to say under each key point.
You don’t need to write full sentences. Write keywords that help you remember what to say.
The following is a suggested thesis for the speech: “In this new exhibition, the artist’s biography and passion for color will be combined to recreate a world that viewers can almost touch. enter”.

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Compose a narration to capture the audience’s attention. A narration is a sentence or clause that contributes to attracting the listener. In many cases, the narration tells the audience what you think of the presentation. Or, it could also be a question that you will answer during the presentation. It’s important that you give your audience a reason to listen. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Preferably, the narration should appear in the first 30 seconds of the speech. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
For example, “Like you, I used to have a hard time organizing my time. Now I get more done in a day than I did in a whole week”, or “When I started researching, I asked myself how to achieve the impossible. ?”

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Add a few stories or jokes. Even though your audience wants to hear your presentation, it’s easy for humans to lose focus. Stories, especially personal stories and jokes, often attract attention and make your presentation more interesting. In addition, this is a way to help your audience empathize with you. However, you should not say things that are provocative or inappropriate.

Audiences love to hear personal stories! This is one of the pieces of content that creates interactivity and captures the attention of the audience. ^{[6] X Research Sources}
For example, you could start your science presentation by recounting an accident on your first day in the lab.
Or, you would add a funny sentence about meeting in company training.

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Anticipate audience questions. If you anticipate what your audience will ask, you can provide answers in your presentation. Here’s how to make sure your audience gets what they want from your presentation. Besides, you are not surprised in the response to the audience’s questions.

Consider the audience again. What do they expect from your presentation? What is their level of understanding? Use this information to predict audience questions.

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Prepare presentation content such as sticky notes. While you don’t want to read the presentation in a tedious way, preparing notes can help you remember and avoid missing content. Ideally, you should write down the main points so that you can glance at the content when needed. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

You can also write a few keywords to remember important ideas that you can’t miss.
Do not write complete sentences as this often confuses you. Write keywords.
Sticky notes help with presentations, but many people prefer to print out their outline.

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Flexible. Planning is helpful, but you can’t anticipate all possibilities. Don’t let last-minute changes put you off. You don’t have to exactly present the prepared content.

For example, maybe you have prepared a presentation for a group of experts, but the night before the presentation, you realize that the audience has a lower level of understanding than you thought. In this case, you’ll cut down on the prepared content and provide explanations for non-experts to understand.

Presentation set

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Practice presenting in front of a mirror. It’s normal to feel nervous before giving a presentation, even if you’re used to the activity. You can relieve stress by rehearsing before giving a presentation. Present your content boldly when standing in front of the mirror. This way, you can observe yourself to adjust your posture, gestures, and posture when giving a presentation. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Present

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Get to know your audience before you give your presentation. This is your chance to anticipate your audience’s reaction and tweak your presentation, such as cutting out a joke. In addition, you will also somewhat know what the audience expects from your presentation. Finally, the audience also has a different view of you and sympathizes with you. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Stand at the door and greet everyone.
Introduce yourself to the audience while they find their seats.
If you sit with the audience before your presentation, talk to everyone.

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Review your notes before presenting. Go through the notes once or twice during the day of the presentation. Here’s how to review the content to avoid forgetting information.

Do not be stressful! Believe that you remember what you need to say.

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Pronounce the word clearly. Speak in a slow, coherent voice and take the time to pronounce each word clearly. There will be times when you feel like you are speaking very slowly, but this will really make it easier for your audience to follow your content.

Breathing deeply during a presentation is a helpful way to keep you from speaking too quickly.

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Use body language to emphasize your point. It could be intentional hand movements and the way you move on stage. For example, you would use your fingers to introduce the point you are about to make, or lower your hand to emphasize a point. Use gestures that are familiar to you because forcing will make you look fake. ^{[13] X Research Source}

However, you need to avoid nervous gestures. Your movements should be made consciously rather than out of a sense of anxiety. ^{[14] X Research Source}

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Adjust to audience reaction. Sometimes the audience will react differently than you think and that’s completely normal. For example, they are not interested in your funny content. If that happens, partially adjust the tone and presentation to match their response. ^{[15] X Research Source}

For example, if the audience laughs at your joke, wait for the room to go quiet before continuing. If they don’t laugh, just smile or nod, you don’t need to cut the joke. Large groups often react more strongly than small groups because people are less shy around large groups.
If the audience seems confused, raise your voice and explain further.

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Use audiovisual aids only when needed. Unnecessary media can distract the audience. This keeps them from paying attention to your presentation. ^{[16] X Research Source}

Don’t just read word for word on the audiovisual content you’ve prepared because the audience doesn’t like to be read. ^{[17] X Research Source}
You can use audiovisual aids to make your presentation more interesting. For example, you would add a short video about the latest discoveries in your field. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

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Interact with the audience. This is one of the best ways to capture the attention of your audience. This also helps them remember your content longer. You can do this by asking them questions or encouraging them to ask you questions. ^{[19] X Research Source}

Have the audience repeat key clauses.
You can also ask the audience to make a sound or move at some point during the presentation.
Encourage the audience to give examples or suggestions.
Answer questions from the audience.

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Always be yourself. While you often want to show off some part of your personality, don’t become someone else. Spectators come to see you! Be confident in your personal touch in your presentation. You can still present professionally and always be yourself. ^{[20] X Research Sources}

For example, if you are enthusiastic and energetic in life, show it when you give a presentation. However, don’t try to force yourself to act in an unnatural way.

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Reassure yourself when you feel anxious. It’s normal to feel nervous before giving a presentation, so there’s no need to pressure yourself. If you’re nervous, try a few ways to stay calm: ^{[21] X Research Sources}

Imagine your presentation going well.
Focus on the goal of the presentation instead of the thrill.
Breathe deeply to stay calm.
Run in place or swing your arms overhead to relieve feelings of anxiety.
Limit alcoholic beverages before the presentation.

Advice

Don’t let nervousness or anxiety lower your confidence. Appreciate it by transforming it into excitement and enthusiasm.
Remember that no one knows the content better than you.
After each presentation, your public speaking skills will gradually improve. Don’t give up if you don’t perform well in the first few presentations.
Audiences come to hear you speak, so they’re interested in your content. Enjoy the feeling of being noticed by many people!
Instead of seeing public speaking as a task, see it as a great opportunity to share a part of yourself with the world.
Stand up straight to boost your confidence.

Steps

Prepare content

Presentation set

Present

Advice

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