4 C's to Become a Better Public Speaker.

I’m often asked what it takes to become a great public speaker. This question is often asked by people who have struggled with feeling successful in giving a presentation in the past. Maybe they’ve given presentations and felt embarrassed or that the speech didn’t go well.

To grow as a speaker, or anything really, it takes what I call the 4 C’s.

1. Courage. It takes a great deal of courage to stand in front of a group of people and speak. When giving a presentation you open yourself up to all sorts of emotions and possibilities. Something could go wrong with your technology. You could be asked tough questions. You could feel like you failed and will be judged for it. You could also do really well and impact your audience. Courage, according to dictionary.com is the “quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face danger, difficulty, fear, etc…”. The first step is always the toughest and it takes courage. So, muster some courage and follow the next 3 C’s.

2. Commitment. Learning to be a good public speaker, like any skill, takes commitment. One of my favorite public speaking quotes is from Ralph Waldo Emerson. He said, “all great speakers were bad speakers at first.” Commit to learning and growing in the craft of public speaking like you would for any other skill or hobby. In time, your courageous commitment will pay off.

3. Capabilities. Public speaking is a skill. There are identifiable steps to deal with anxiety and to craft an amazing presentation. I teach a 5-step framework for managing fear and mastering public speaking. As you learn what it takes to become a powerful presenter you will find your voice and grow in your capability as a speaker.

4. Confidence. Confidence is key. Confidence comes with knowledge. The more you learn and put into practice what you are learning the more your confidence will grow. Then with a few small “wins” under your belt your confidence will increase. The cycle of confidence begins to spiral upward. So find a framework that helps you build your skills and get some “wins!”

A great place to start learning the skills of public speaking and to grow in confidence is my free webinar, the 5-Step Framework for Delivering Powerful Presentations even if Public Speaking Makes you Anxious.