Public Speaking Exercises Can Help You Too

If you hold any position of authority at your job or if you happen to be self-employed, it is inevitable that there will come a time where you will be asked to give a presentation to a group of people. If public speaking is something that you are not really accustomed to, you may feel a sense of anxiety and literally lose sleep wondering how you're going to overcome your fears. This article will aim to provide public speaking exercises that you can use to make your public speaking engagement a positive experience.

Love them or hate them, public speaking exercises can really improve your public speaking abilities. The first exercise is to tape yourself with a voice recorder or camcorder. A camcorder will give you the advantage of hearing how you sound in addition to seeing how you look when speaking. Recording and reviewing yourself will provide you with fastest improvements in your public speaking. While this exercise will undoubtedly be your least favorite exercise, it is the most effective and will provide the fastest improvements.

The second exercise is to practice tongue twisters before giving your speech. You may think that sounds silly. After all, what do tongue twisters have to do with public speaking? Of all the public speaking exercises that exist, only by practicing tongue twisters out loud can you improve your diction in such a short period of time. If nobody can clearly understand what you're saying, you can expect your audience to quickly tune you out and ignore what you have to say, no matter how useful or important your presentation is.

The final exercise is all about relaxation. Relaxation can be achieved with purposeful breathing. Before going on stage, inhale deeply through your mouth and exhale very slowly through your nose. Breathing in this manner will help you to relax and calm your nerves. When you're relaxed, you appear very confident to your audience while simultaneously appearing as though you're a complete natural when it comes to speaking in front of groups of people.

Remember that most people fear public speaking and the fact that you are doing what they fear will automatically put you in a positive spotlight. Public speaking exercises like recording yourself, perfecting your diction, and focusing on your breathing will all contribute to you looking like a pro. No longer will you have to experience anxiety or lose any sleep if you commit to practicing the exercises that you have learned here.