How to Speak Well - Understand Public Speaking

What gestures are appropriate or inappropriate? Are there religious factors that should be considered?

There are several things you can do to prepare and research your audience before and at the beginning of the talk that will help you adjust your speech to better engage the audience. Prior to the meeting or event, speak to the organizer or sponsor of the meeting and find out the level of knowledge the audience has on the topic for discussion. Ask about the audience expectations as well as their demographics—age, background, gender, etc.

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• Greet Them at the Door!
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If you are presenting at an industry event, research the event Web site and familiarize yourself with the mission of the event and typical attendees. If you are presenting to a corporation, then learn as much as you can about them by visiting their Web site, reading news reports, and reviewing their blogs. If you are unable to find out much information about the audience prior to the meeting, you'll have to improvise and adjust your talk on the fly based on information you collect at the beginning of the meeting.

Toastmasters International , a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills, suggests that, if possible, the speaker greet people at the door and ask questions to ascertain their level of knowledge and expectations of the audience. You'll also make a few friends in the beginning and it's always nice to have friends in the room.

Toastmasters also suggests that speakers use the "Call and Response" technique at the beginning of the talk. Frame questions at the beginning geared toward learning about the audience. Find out how much experience they have with the topic and adjust the speech accordingly.

And not just for women, but for anyone who might previously have struggled to be heard in public life. Public speaking can sound like a rather stuffy skill, redolent of dreary Rotary Club dinners and those polishing future ministerial CVs at Oxbridge.

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William Hague, Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, the education secretary, Damian Hinds, and universities minister, Sam Gyimah, are all former Oxford Union presidents; for the sake of diversity, former leader Michael Howard was president of its Cambridge equivalent. But the bad news for the one in four who according to a survey by Chapman University is frightened of public oratory is that speaking and presentation skills matter well beyond the obvious fields of politics and the bar.

They regularly come close to the top of employer wishlists when hiring and, if anything, matter more for the self-employed when pitching for work, money or just a higher profile in a world where the art of self-promotion is constantly evolving. Twenty years ago, TED was a fairly obscure annual technology conference held in Vancouver. Now it is a global brand, its minute talks from experts on everything from architecture to the female orgasm downloaded more than a billion times.

From podcasts and vlogs to pop-up feminist salon nights where anyone can take the mike, Generation Z is developing new ways to speak, debate, argue and raise professional profiles. Women and the Art of Brilliant Speaking , who runs workshops coaching businesswomen on public speaking. People want to own the room but not be obnoxious about it, let other people have their turn too. What they do worry about, she says, is doing it memorably enough to be heard. And that raises serious questions about who has the skills and the opportunity to speak up. In theory, anyone can just nominate themselves to do a TED talk, or chip in at a meeting.

One study of male chief executives, in affiliation with Duke University, found the ones with lower voices led larger companies and made more money. But fear of criticism is no reason to duck out of a presentation, she argues; the key is to find a speaking style that works for you.

3. Practice with distractions.

Once I know the content, I like to add a little bit of distraction to test how well prepared I really am. Turn on the TV or rehearse while pushing your child in the swing. Anything that adds a little more challenge. Different events will often require a different approach or style.

Sometimes reading a prepared speech is fine. If that's your style, memorize the content so well that you can go off script if needed -- and so you don't sound like you're reciting a poem.

Use the proper approach for the appropriate event. Know the venue where you will be speaking. Get there well ahead of time. Get a feel for the vibe of the environment so you are more comfortable when its "go time. Nothing sucks more that last-minute technical difficulties.

Avoid adding even more stress by testing any and all equipment and audio visual functions ahead of time. Practicing in front of a mirror is a good way to learn the proper amount of body motion, hand usage and facial expressions. The only way to get better at anything is to do it all the time.

Rehearsing is good, but nothing compares to actually getting up in front of an audience and doing it for real. Remember, communication is much more about tone and body language than the words we say. The words of course matter, but emphasis comes with movement and body language. We have some great sayings in the SEAL teams: If you want to impact the audience in a meaningful way, make sure they actually hear what you are saying.

1. Know your audience.

Make eye contact with as many people as possible. It makes the audience members feel like you are speaking directly to them. And don't just stick to people in the first couple rows. Look at the people in the back too. If your goal is to become a thought leader or actually teach the audience something, only a truly authentic understanding of the material will get you there.

Similar to slowing things down, make a point to take long pauses. And make them longer than you even think is appropriate. It can have a great impact on emphasizing key points and emotionally connecting to the audience. Don't just eek your way through a speech using the same tone and volume. It doesn't matter what you are talking about.