Over time, life's circumstances mean that we have to expose ourselves more, engage with different types of people and develop new skills.
When we are children or young people, the relaxed tone is predominant, we are not so charged with the need for a speech in a certain format or with certain requirements. Time passes and this condition changes.
The biggest responsibilities come, first the school work presentations directed to the whole class until when work arrives with the biggest challenges that require courage, exposure, control, trust, planning and no shame.
common difficulty
It is very common for people to have difficulty speaking in public, whether due to lack of custom or a thousand other reasons, the human being does not feel completely comfortable in front of a large audience at the beginning, normally this is a process that involves training and previous experiences, always with exceptions.
A clear example of this blockage is when we watch some speech by a personality. It's easy to notice lost looks, words stuck together, hands looking for a place to lean on that doesn't seem to exist, strange gestures and postures.
This discomfort is a very frequent problem, especially in the professional environment. Many people constantly complain about having presentations to the boss or speeches to the work team.
Main causes
The causes of insecurity are numerous, they can be both internal and external. However, most of the time, the strongest obstacles are within you.
Those who do not feel confident in any other situations, have low self-esteem, other psychological problems, lack of acceptance with appearance or personal discontent will never be able to convey confidence and credibility.
Other factors can influence, such as crooked looks during the speech, a very large or totally unknown audience, lack of mastery over the subject, pressure for other results and/or the importance and effect of what is said.
Regardless of what gets in the way of group speech, the basis for improvement is within us. With self-control and self-confidence everything can be modified and adapted to the efficiency of your speech.
how to improve speech
Some simple techniques and training can help a lot in improving when talking to more people.
Four important exercises to improve your resourcefulness in front of the audience:
1. Speak slowly
Try to say the words calmly and calmly. Don't amend words but be careful not to make the speech too slow and boring.
Pauses are important for clarity of information as well as for better understanding.
Words spoken in a hurry give the impression of ignorance about the subject and insecurity.
Practice saying the words in full and identify the best moment for silence and text advancement. You can ask relatives and friends for help so they can tell you how the data sounds clearer.
2. Intonation is everything
The tone of our voice is one of the most influential factors in its interpretation. When we are angry we speak louder and harder, when we are sleepy we speak more slowly, when we are in doubt or ashamed we speak softly and without intensity.
Training should be so that the tone of speech conveys confidence. We must not exaggerate by forcing the pronunciation or remedy, as this will sound imposing and unnatural.
On the other hand, low and ineffectual pronunciation only weakens the words.
Aim for a natural tone that sounds friendly and at the same time confident. Give some intonation to any part of the speech that deserves more attention by using a higher tone or a stronger, deeper voice.
3. Gestures
Body language is very important during a speech.
The mouth must be kept wide open, the vowels long pronounced.
The hands can articulate during the entire speech as long as they do not attract more attention than the information itself.
4. Posture
Also being part of body language, posture influences not only appearance and resourcefulness but also comfort and efficiency.
Try to keep your spine straight at all times, with your head in line with your spine. The hips should not fall to the sides and the weight should be evenly distributed on the soles of the feet.
Never bend over, in addition to harming your body, it will harm your image and speech.
In addition to such practices, some other tips can help you to be less shy in different day-to-day situations, check out:
– Feel less victimized:
The most shy people have a tendency to feel guilty or hurt by any unfavorable situation. Seek to strengthen your positive side to face difficulties. Not everything they tell you as guilty will be true. Always evaluate your actions and also draw your own conclusions by getting rid of some unnecessary weights.
– Enhance your qualities:
Don't just praise others, praise yourself and for yourself. Self-confidence is the best path to success and personal fulfillment.
- Nobody is perfect:
In addition to identifying your strengths, identify your weaknesses as well. You need to accept them and work them out for your good, knowing that it's impossible to please everyone and do everything perfectly. We are all human beings full of flaws, doubts and confusions.
– Externalize:
Those who are used to shyness usually spend a lot of time alone and take comfort in their routine and “their world”. Look for new opportunities, new experiences and new people to relate to. Discovering new sensations and trying to understand them will bring you learning and the desire to get out of loneliness.
- Open your heart:
Allow other people to come in and learn from them. Do not fear the unknown and be open-hearted, ready for moments of humor, fun, more serious conversations and new customs and behaviors. Exchanging experiences will only bring you growth and empowerment.
– Be more optimistic:
Don't let shyness or insecurity bring you negative thoughts. Positivity attracts positivity. Try to take care of your thoughts so that they take the right path and help you in your actions.
– Control anxiety:
Being always anxious becomes a great villain in the execution of activities. We create a lot of expectations and make the wait unbearable, in addition, when it's time to act, we do everything in a hurry, which often makes everything go wrong.
Get to know your sensations more and prepare your body to face circumstances differently. Try to control your sensations and interpret small actions that calm you down and minimize high expectations. Distract yourself with other activities that give you pleasure and take the focus off what is expected for a few moments.
Its consequences
A speech delivered with insecurity does not disguise the feeling. You can see in the eyes of the speaker the lack of trust, so the most direct consequence is the decrease in credibility of the information you are trying to convey or even the lack of attention.
The importance of words spoken with confidence and force is indisputable, the effects on listeners and the results they will achieve will be visible, which can be very valuable not only for your professional but also your personal life.
Like any other skill, develop it by practicing, trust yourself and lose the fear of expressing yourself. We are all human beings, we make mistakes and failures, so there is nothing to fear, much less stop doing.
Text written by Júlia Zayas from the Eu Sem Fronteiras Team.
