10 Effective Public Speaking Tips for Students

It is never easy to stand and speak in front of a group of people, whether they are 10, 100, or 1000. If the idea of speaking to an audience makes your palms sweaty and your voice trembly, you are not alone. One in every five people experiences the fear of public speaking, making it the most common type of anxiety today.

But we have some good news: According to other studies, you can fight your public speaking fear and deliver a confident speech by engaging in the right public speaking tips. But the question is, why are public speaking skills important? Let’s find out.

Importance of Having Better Public Speaking Skills

Public speaking skills are helpful in almost every aspect of life, from personal to professional. From discussing your ideas with friends and family to presenting vital information at workplace meetings, effective public speaking proves to be a critical and beneficial skill in life. Being a good public speaker can help you grow your business, escalate your career, and improve the quality of your life. The most evident advantage of public speaking skills is obvious - if you know how to speak in public, you can deliver your messages effectively, resulting in your career success. Public speaking skills are especially important because of the following reasons:-

1. Helps You Win Over the Crowd

One of the most important skills in the workplace is the skill of persuasion or the ability to win over a crowd. The power of persuasion can help you in your career, and it all starts with honing your public speaking skills. Mastering the art of public speaking can help boost your confidence, prepare you to answer the opposition, and speak with poise. When addressing any group of people with an idea or suggestion, public speaking skills can allow you to make your case strong and convincing.

2. Helps You Motivate People

You can become an effective public speaker with the right public speaking tips. How? By gaining the power to motivate your audience to do something, stop doing something, or change a behavior. As a public speaker, you must influence the audience and create an environment where everyone feels motivated to make a move. A great public speaker is more believable and likable to the audience, making it easier to inspire the group of people.

3. Helps You Inform

The ability to inform the audience is one of the most important characteristics of a public speaker. Public speaking tips for students and working professionals can help them effectively develop the right skills to get their information across to the audience. From PowerPoint presentations in schools to presenting pitches to clients, providing the information is important for a successful career across all fields.

We know why public speaking skills are important, but how can we become effective public speakers? Let’s delve a little deeper and understand some simple and effective public speaking tips for students.

10 Simple and Effective Public Speaking Tips for Students

Whatever profession you choose, public speaking may be necessary, whether you have to present in a small meeting or address the entire company. But even if you are not confident about how to speak in public or find it daunting, certain public speaking tips can help you improve your skills.

Before the Speech

1. Prepare and Practice to Become an Effective Speaker

Undoubtedly, the best public speaking tip has to be “prepare and practice!” Go over your notes several times. Not once, twice, or thrice, but over and over again. When you become comfortable with the content, it’s time to practice. Each time you deliver your speech while practicing, you become more comfortable with the material. Record yourself or get a friend or family member to critique your performance. If you practice with a video camera, watch yourself to see where you can improve.

Repeatedly practicing your material can help you get used to delivering your speech in a low-pressure environment before presenting it in front of a large audience. Furthermore, practice not reading word for word from your notes. Why? Because this can become quite dull for the listeners. So if you want to get over the dreadful thought of how to speak in public, practice is the key!

2. Meditate Daily to Calm Your Nerves Before the Presentation

Meditation practices are an effective way of calming your nerves. Usually, some simple deep breaths are all you need to calm your mind in case of jitters. You should meditate and relax your mind for a few minutes every day leading up to the event. This is an effective public speaking tip for students who are new to speaking before a group of people.

You can try this simple meditation technique for 10-15 minutes every day to become more confident and relaxed:-

Close your eyes, inhale slowly and exhale deeply.
Practice breath retention: inhale for a count of 5, hold your breath for 5, exhale your breath for 5, and hold for 5 before another round. Repeat this 5-10 times.
Visualize your presentation from start to finish. Imagine the stage, your arrival, the confidence you have, your voice loud and clear, and how your audience is engaged with the presentation. Picture the complete process as a successful event.

No matter how busy you are, commit 10-15 minutes to this activity every day, and you will witness the tension leave your body and confidence take its place instead.

3. Attend Public Speaking Groups to Boost Confidence

Depending on the event, you can use several public speaking tips to deliver a gripping presentation that keeps the audience engaged. Before your big presentation, you can attend public speaking groups to boost your confidence and make your listeners attentive to what you are saying. Public speaking groups can help you understand how to speak in public without fear and doubt.

Various public speaking events can help you develop the required techniques for effective public speaking. For instance, you can attend seminars for a large audience on a specific topic. Usually, seminars are offered by organizations to train professionals. You can even attend conferences where multiple speakers talk about different topics. Or, you can join a public speaking group where you meet new people and develop your public speaking skills.

4. Don’t Focus on Nervousness Because It’s Normal

Every person feels some physiological reactions like shaking hands or pounding heart when on stage. Even the most experienced public speakers can feel nervous. Remember that these reactions are normal and do not associate the feeling of nervousness with you performing poorly in front of people. In fact, some amount of nervousness is good. The adrenaline rush resulting from fear can make you more alert and ready to give your best shot.

To put it simply, here’s an effective public speaking tip for students: Embrace your fear! The harder you try to conceal your nervousness, the more likely it will show through. Admitting that public speaking makes you anxious can actually help you and your audience. Once this information is out there, you will feel more relaxed, giving you the ability to move on.

5. Understand Your Audience to Know What They Want

A huge chunk of public speaking is about connecting with your audience. But you can’t connect with them until you know something about the people in it. Before your presentation, spend some time learning about your audience and what they want to hear. Even when you know how to speak in public, it is essential to know what to speak that adds value to the listener’s life.

So before you begin to craft your message, think about the audience for which the message is intended. Understand as much about your listeners as you can. This public speaking tip can help you determine the choice of words for your content, the level of information to be conveyed, and the motivational statement to help them take action.

During the Speech

6. Do Not Rush Your Speech - Speak Slowly to Help the Audience

Rushing your speech is one of the most common reactions to the fear of public speaking. People who are not confident about their public speaking abilities try to finish their speeches as soon as possible. However, rushing your speech can make it difficult for the listener to grasp your message. Moreover, it shows the audience that you are nervous and anxious. Great public speakers neither talk too fast nor too slow. They utilize a perfect blend of techniques to ensure that their words and messages are heard, understood, and remembered.

If you think you are a fast speaker, you can practice some public speaking tips to slow down. Make sure to include pauses between your speech to make it easier for the audience to understand what you intend to say. Try adding a one-second break after every sub-point, a two-second break after a new visual, and a three to four-second pause between two main points. But once again, the skill of speaking slowly boils down to practice. The more you practice, the more likely you will ace your pace.

7. Maintain Eye Contact to Keep Your Audience Engaged

Never let words come out of your mouth when your eyes are looking down.

One simple thing that can make you impact your listeners and persuade them to see your point is maintaining eye contact with your audience. Meaningful eye contact can help you build rapport with the audience and keep them engaged and entertained. Furthermore, it makes them feel involved in your message.

Some public speaking tips for students can help them maintain eye contact during a presentation. When you look someone in the eye while speaking, they are more likely to look at you and listen to your message. Furthermore, when you focus your eyes on different audience members, you can avoid distractions and concentrate on your message. If you can’t look the audience in the eye, you can’t expect them to believe what you are saying. Therefore, eye contact is the key to becoming a good public speaker.

8. Use Humor in Your Stories to Make the Audience Laugh

Do you know one effective way of grabbing your audience’s attention? Inject a funny anecdote into your presentation! Imagine the effect of laughter when you are addressing hundreds or thousands of people. When used properly, humor can be a powerful tool to help you create a bond with your audience. Humor used at the beginning of the speech can act as a great icebreaker for the speaker and the audience. If you are worried about how to speak in public, a little laughter can help you calm your nerves and boost your confidence.

Adding humor to your storytelling can have tremendous benefits for both you and your audience. When people laugh, their heart rate increases, keeping them energized and engaged. Furthermore, well-placed humor can provide much-needed relief to your audience in the otherwise serious delivery of the message. And the best part - studies have shown that laughter improves cognitive function and memory, i.e., it helps your audience better remember your ideas.

9. Coordinate Your Voice and Hands Effectively and Avoid Nervous Gestures

Have you ever noticed people flailing their hands wildly while they are all worked up? Some people naturally talk with their hands. Nonverbal communication cues carry most of your message, and when you are nervous, this gesture ramps up. While some amount of hand gestures can help you emphasize certain points, it’s vital not to let hand gestures distract you from the message you are trying to convey. Slowing down the movement of your hands can also slow down the words and calm your nerves.

When you deliver your speech to the audience, it’s not only limited to words, but it is also about body language. One of the essential public speaking tips is to use your hands as a storytelling tool and make your speech more trustworthy and compelling.

10. Be Yourself and Let Your Personality Come Through

Be yourself and let your personality come through instead of becoming a talking head in your presentation. You will be able to establish better credibility and trust with your audience if they can see your real personality.

When you are anxious, it’s natural to become a little awkward. However, with practice, you can become more natural and show your personality when you are talking. The audience is naturally drawn to someone who is genuine and can be themselves, even if it means being a little less technical.

Public Speaking - Do’s and Don’ts

The following are some public speaking tips for those who might have jitters about speaking in front of a group of people.

The Do’s of Public Speaking

1. Bring Assistance - Note Cards or Bullet Points

When speaking before an audience, often, you start to feel panic, forget to breathe, and as a result, forget what you were trying to say. This is where your notes can come to your rescue. Jot down bullet points of your speech to help you stay on track and maintain a flow. However, remember to note down only the main points and not the entire content. Furthermore, stick to note cards or index cards instead of paper. Why? Because paper can become distracting!

2. Smile and Have an Open and Welcoming Body Language

Take a deep breath, and do not forget to smile!

As we rightly know, people will forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. When you are welcoming and nice to people, they tend to forgive you even if you make mistakes. The best part is that when you smile at people, they usually smile back at you, boosting your confidence and helping you deliver your speech better.

3. Practice, Practice, and Practice

You may have heard this repeatedly because this is one of the most effective public speaking tips for students to master their speaking skills. While it may take up a lot of your time, it will be worth it. Practice speaking before a mirror or a family member. Do not forget to ask them for feedback. This will help you improve and calm your nerves before the big presentation.

4. Engage With the Audience

Engaging with your audience is an important public speaking tip if you want to learn to speak in public. Maintain eye contact to make them feel involved in the presentation. You can even ask them questions to attract their attention to your message. Another great way of engaging with the audience is by encouraging them to ask questions and share their viewpoints.

The Don’ts of Public Speaking

1. Don’t Ignore Your Audience

You should never ignore the audience’s nonverbal cues as they can help you understand the topics that interest them and those that don’t. If someone from the audience raises their hand, don’t ignore them. Let the audience ask the question or inform them that you will allow questions at the end.

2. Don’t Memorize Word for Word

While you must be well prepared, do not over-rehearse and memorize your speech. Nothing is more monotonous than a person who speaks from the words fed to their brain and does not interact with the audience. Make sure to be present at the moment and not sound like you are reading your speech in front of the audience.

3. Don’t Use Fillers Such as “Like” and “Umm”

Any great speaker will give you this public speaking tip of avoiding verbal fillers. Not using verbal fillers may sound difficult, but it can take the focus away from your speech. While one or two fillers may sound fine, do not make a habit out of it. You will get the hang of things and learn to avoid fillers in your speech with practice.

4. Don’t Be Afraid and Avoid Fidgeting

Don’t be afraid - you know what you are talking about! People have come to listen to you because they think you have something important to convey. Be confident about your message, and try to limit fidgeting. Fidgeting can be noisy and distracting, taking your audience’s focus from your message to your hands. How can you avoid fidgeting? By using a podium or putting your hands behind your back.

Can Public Speeches Ever Become Perfect?

We have always heard that practice makes a man perfect. But the truth be told, public speeches are never perfect. There is always room for improvement, and there is always a scope to learn. Even the people who know how to speak in public and have delivered the most famous speeches in history know that they were never perfect. One reason that the best public speakers are great is that they realize they are not perfect. They understand the need to learn from their mistakes and build upon past successes to become better public speakers.

While you may not become a perfect speaker, you can always improve and become a better speaker. It all depends on how willing you are to work towards it. So practice a lot, in front of a mirror or record yourself, get feedback from friends and family, watch speeches of great speakers, and read blogs on public speaking skills. Adopting some public speaking tips can be an effective way to improve your public speaking skills.

Public Speaking Tips for Kids

Public speaking is an essential skill to help prepare young children for their careers. But how can kids develop public speaking skills from an early age? Some public speaking tips for kids include:-

1. Begin Preparing Your Speech By Writing the Content

The first step for public speaking is understanding that language and words are just means to convey your thoughts and ideas. More than using words, it is more important to organize your thoughts and formulate arguments.

2. Do Not Focus on Grammatical Errors

Correct grammar is a key aspect of effective communication. However, worrying too much about grammar while speaking can impact your ability to communicate fluently and deliver a confident speech. For kids who are entering the world of public speaking, the focus should be on content and delivery and not on grammar.

3. Engage in a Wide Variety of Activities

When people think of public speaking, only debates come to mind. But you can engage in a variety of activities such as extempore, stand-up comedy, poetry slam, etc. It can help them learn to communicate in various settings before diverse audiences.

4. Learn the Art of Storytelling

Today, storytelling is a key skill that comes in handy in all walks of life, whether you want to convince your friends to go for a movie or crack a job interview. Learning the art of storytelling can help kids in all public speaking activities.

5. Break Your Fear Barrier

Everyone has a fear barrier that restricts them from speaking confidently in front of a group of people. If you are scared of speaking before a large audience, push yourself to participate in a small event. Or, if you are scared of being judged by people, practice in front of friends and family who are nonjudgemental.

Bottom Line

It’s natural to feel nervous and frightened for the first time you have to speak before an audience. But the good news is that fear does not need to stop you from delivering an effective speech. The public speaking tips mentioned above can help you calm your nerves and connect with your audience.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to speak in public confidently?

Some people naturally seem to have confidence. For rest, though, confidence is something that they develop over time. People can speak confidently in public by following these steps:-

Breathe
Smile
Slow down
Practice
Visualize success
Congratulate yourself

What are the five tips for public speaking?

Public speaking tips for students can help them be successful in their careers. Five effective tips that can help them become great public speakers include:-

Know your audience
Tell a story
Use inclusive language
Prepare for questions
Attend public speaking groups

What are the three basics of good speaking?

Effective speaking is a way to deliver your message that is clear and can be easily heard. The three basics of good speaking include:-

Prepare: Prepare your presentation with your audience in mind.
Practice: Practice your presentation repeatedly to get the hang of it.
Personalize: Just be yourself.

How can you gain confidence in public speaking?

Confidence plays an essential role in public speaking. You need to be confident to create a long-lasting effect for your audience. Several tips can help you learn how to speak in public - the most effective being practice and lots of it. Other tips for building confidence in public speaking include:-

Deal with your past negative experiences
Draw on positive speaking experiences
Videotape yourself and evaluate your performance
Don’t compare yourself to others

What are the qualities of a good speaker?

A public speaker who radiates confidence is viewed as more knowledgable, likable, and intelligent than a person who lacks confidence. While it is natural to be nervous, a good speaker overcomes their nervous jitters. Other qualities of a good speaker include passion, audience awareness, and the ability to tell a story.