Mastering the 4 Pillars, Improving Speaking Skills, and Seizing Opportunities
How do you go from nervousness to confidence? This may be a question on many aspiring public speakers' minds. If you are nervous about it, how do you begin your journey to be a compelling public speaker? In this post, I'll show you how. We'll embark on a transformative journey through the world of public speaking, exploring the essential steps to overcome nervousness and become a truly confident speaker. You'll discover the four foundational pillars of compelling speakers, delve into techniques to improve your speaking skills, and learn how to seize every speaking opportunity for growth. Join me as we unravel the art of confident public speaking and pave the way for your own journey to success.
#1: Overcome Nervousness & Anxiety
Every public speaker experiences nervousness and anxiety, whether addressing a large audience, a small gathering, or unfamiliar faces. These feelings are common but can be overcome on the journey to becoming a compelling public speaker, where confidence in public speaking is key. Here are 4 steps.
#2: Master the 4 Pillars of Public Speaking
Mastering the art of public speaking relies on four foundational pillars: passion, power, preparation, and practice. Passion fuels your journey, while knowledge empowers you to connect with your audience. Thorough preparation and consistent practice ensure you deliver compelling speeches every time.
Pillar #1
PASSION
Pillar #2
POWER
Pillar #3
PREPARATION
Pillar #4
PRACTICE
#3: Improve Your Speaking Skills
Enhancing your speaking skills is a continuous journey. A few ways to improve include eliminating filler words, engaging your audience with questions, leveraging the power of pauses, maintaining a confident presence, and developing essential skills like eye contact, voice projection, and clear articulation.
1. To eliminate filler words, such as, “um” and “uh,” head over to my blog post, “Eradicate Filler Words & Captivate Your Audience."
2. Engage your audience through questions and interaction. To dig deeper, click here.
3. Harness the power of pauses for emphasis.
4. Maintain a confident and intentional physical presence. (Body language!)
5. Develop skills like eye contact, inflection, and voice projection.
6. Make speaking enjoyable, use props, and stay inspired.
#4: Speak at Every Opportunity
1. Host your own events, in-person or virtual, to ensure speaking opportunities.
2. Consider waiving fees for networking groups and organizations.
3. Embrace failures as learning experiences.
#5: Just Don’t Quit
1. Passion fuels persistence.
2. Stay committed to your love of public speaking and making a difference.
3. Embrace vulnerability and authenticity.
4. Practice and rehearse for genuine impact.
In the video below, Al Pacino delivers an incredibly stirring speech in the movie, Any Given Sunday. His speech is a perfect example of the 4 pillars, passion, power, preparation, and practice, as well as audience engagement.
He begins by acknowledging what is happening at the moment (called acknowledging what’s so) – a technique that engages the audience. Pacino demonstrates his own vulnerability and authenticity as he “fesses” up to his failings in life – sharing your flaws makes you relatable.
The audience begins to lean in at the very beginning as you will also. Pacino uses pausing, excitement, and passion at the perfect places and in a most genuine way. Although Pacino’s speech is genuine and authentic, you know that it’s well-rehearsed!
As Pacino’s passion reaches a fever pitch, so does the audience’s emotions. At the end, Pacino asks them one question, and the audience goes wild, standing and then running in excitement to win the game. My favorite line in the speech is that “life is lived in inches.” Enjoy!!
Confidence in public speaking is a learnable skill that can transform your life. By overcoming nervousness, mastering the four pillars, honing your speaking skills, and seizing speaking opportunities, you can become a powerful, lovable, and compelling speaker.
As we wrap up this transformative journey from nervousness to confidence in public speaking, I invite you to share your thoughts. Have you faced and conquered your own speaking challenges? Or perhaps you have additional tips to inspire fellow speakers on their journey. Your insights and experiences are invaluable, and by commenting below, you contribute to our growing community of confident speakers. Let your voice be heard, and together, we can empower more individuals to embrace the art of compelling public speaking.
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