Tips for kids to master the art of Public Speaking!

You will find a plethora of kids fearing public speaking, the thought of speaking in front of the class or a group of students can be nerve-wracking for them and so it is always suggested to introduce them to public speaking at an early age. As a parent, you can start by encouraging your child to take part in recitation or story competitions or debates, etc. this way your kid will learn to speak in front of the public and will overcome stage fright. But are you looking for tips to help your child in becoming better at public speaking? 

Here are some tips that will help your child in mastering the skill of public speaking:

A lot goes into the preparation of public speaking before presenting it in the room. Here are a few tips which will help a child to make a smooth speech:

1. Write it out

Frame an outline of your speech to help you organise the content. Even if the speech is only one or two minutes long, writing the focal point of your speech can help you focus on key ideas. This way you will be able to convey your thoughts in a direct manner. You can have excellent presentation skills but if your words and structure are not proper, no one will learn what you said. Public speaking is about simplicity because simple words are easy to listen to.

2. Practice

Practice makes a man perfect. The way your speech sounds out loud versus the way it sounds in your head is usually different. Practising, again and again, will help you figure out the rhythm of your speech. It will also help you to learn what you have written which will make you familiar with the words. You can prepare your speech in small parts. 

This way you will be able to focus on your important points and put more stress on them. Constant practising your speech will make you more confident about going on stage.

3. Record while practising your speech

When you record yourself speaking, you can see how you will look in front of the audience. It allows you to be aware of how nervous or confident you appear while speaking. By doing this you will get immediate feedback on where you are going wrong in your speech, your pace, your expressions, etc. 

When you watch yourself on the video you may notice actions you didn't know you were doing while speaking. This gives you a chance to work on such issues before going on to the stage.

4. Get the audience invested in your speech

A public speaking narrative should not only be interesting, but it should also be relevant to your audience's interests. It is important to maintain the interest of your audience in your speech for which you need to be on the same path as your audience.

Here are a few tips which can help you in keeping your audience engaged:

• Divide your audience and focus more on the one who has an interest in the subject.

• Interact with the audience from the beginning of your speech.

• Keep your tone according to the subject of your speech.

5. Leave an impact on your audience

Share an interesting fact or a story related to your speech that will help in delivering an impactful message to your audience. This will also give your audience a perspective to think about. When you share such key ideas it helps the listeners to remember the information for a long time.

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6. Be natural while giving a public speech

Regardless of your natural speaking style, authenticity is essential. You will not be able to deliver the message if you pretend to be someone else. Whether you have a strong voice or not you need to be fluent while narrating your speech and talk in your own tone. Your audience is keen to listen to your point of view so keeping it original is essential.

7. Ask for feedback

Practising your speech is important, but practising with a live audience is better. It can be your classmate or your parents or your teacher or a small group of people. The more you practise with a companion, the more confident you get. You also get constant feedback which helps you to improve on the mistakes so that you don't repeat them again. They can also help you by focusing on your pronunciation, your body language, etc.

Feedbacks are a way of understanding the scope or improvement, they do not mean that you are at fault. Accepting feedback shows your interest in speaking skills and your eagerness to improve.

8. Learn to reduce filler words

Filler words mean using "ums", "ahs", "you know", etc. in your speech to fill in the silence or a gap. Such words work as barriers in a speech. These words don't add any value to your speech, rather they make you sound less credible or believable. 

You can reduce using filler words with practice or by taking a pause every time when you are about to make use of it. You can also ask a friend or your parents to keep a track of how many times you use it while giving the speech.

9. Learn how to Pause

A lot of times a speaker tries to speak fast, they try to rush to finish early because they get nervous. The best tip to reduce this mistake is to learn to pause while speaking. You can strategize the use of a pause in your sentences. You can use them after an important point such as after asking a question, etc. 

This will give the audience time to think or reflect. It also helps in strengthening a point because of the gap added before jumping on to the next point. As a speaker, you need to get comfortable with using pauses because this will allow you to connect with your listeners.

10. Be aware of your hand gestures

The most effective speeches are those in which a speaker makes proper use of hand gestures. When a speaker makes expressive gestures, the effect appears to speak more strongly. As a speaker, you may find it difficult to determine which hand gestures are good to use during a public speech and which are not. 

The first thing to remember is to make expressive movements with your hands while keeping them natural. If you get too involved with your movements, you may lose your attention or miss your lines.

Here are a few suggestions for hand gestures that you can learn to use during a public speech:

• Be Natural: natural hand gestures look better than forced ones. You can enhance your natural gestures with a couple of practices.

• Visualise numbers: use your hands to communicate numbers to the audience. For example, if you are talking in points then you can use your fingers to showcase what number of points it is.

• Open your palms: using open palm gestures during your speech is a simple way to put your audience at ease. This gesture is also used to prove the lack of threat.

• Strike Zone gesture: the term strike zone is taken from baseball. This is one of the most natural hand gestures used during a public speech. In this gesture, you keep your elbows closer to your waist area while your palm stays partially close.

11. Practice with distractions

Practising with a little more challenge is always beneficial. When you rehearse  in silence you get accustomed to a noisy environment, but when you speak in front of the audience you get distracted with the smallest of things such as the ringing of the phone, entering the room in the middle of the lecture etc. 

Keeping this in mind it is suggested to practice with a little distraction so that you get comfortable in such situations while presenting the speech. You can do this by rehearsing in front of the television or in a room full of people, etc. 

12. Find a style that works for you

A natural speaker is more appreciated than the one who copies others. When you speak in your natural tone you are able to express or put emphasis on your speech. But the moment you start copying another speaker you lose your authenticity, this can put off the audience very easily. Since it is not easy to find your public speaking style you can try a few methods which will help you in learning about the style that suits you the best.

• Begin with writing down your best qualities as a speaker, your strengths and weaknesses. This will help you in elevating your performance. 

• Use your unique behaviour as your signature style rather than hiding them and trying to copy someone else’s style. 

• Incorporate your natural flow in your speeches which will help in making your narration sound intriguing. 

• Try to speak the way you would speak with your friends without any hesitation.

• Don't focus on being a perfectionist. Public speaking is an art that varies from person to person so if you’ll try to put emphasis on perfection you will lose fluency. 

13. Practice in front of the mirror

This is the traditional method for improving as a public speaker and also the most economical one (since you don't require a camera to record your expressions) which have been used by some of the famous speakers in history. You can watch yourself in the act and keep an eye on your body language. It also gives you a sense of what your audience will see, and if you have a specific way in your mind, you will experience it in a completely new light. You are most likely to discover areas where you can improve your delivery and speaking style, as well as areas where you improve the style of presentation. 

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14. Take every opportunity to speak

The best way to become better at something is to do it again and again. You can practise the same technique with speaking as well, the more you will participate in speaking exercises the better you will become in it. Don't wait for the right moments or the right age, take the opportunity that comes your way and prepare for it the way you’ll prepare for your dream opportunity. 

15. Make eye contact

Eye contact is the first step in developing a connection with the audience. Eyes play an important role in human social interactions. When you look at another person’s face, the eyes are usually the first feature that is scanned for information. There is a simple way to improve at making eye contact which requires some effort: you can start by recording a video of yourself practising your presentation in front of a small group of people and try to look at their faces instead of looking at your sheet or presentation. This will help you in making eye contact with your audience while giving your presentation or speech and will make the audience feel that you are talking to them and not simply narrating your written lines. 

16. Practice speaking within the allotted time 

As a speaker, you should learn to manage your time especially when a specific period of time has been allotted to you. This is a way of paying respect to the management and your audience. 

Below mentioned are a few ways which you  can use in managing your time on stage:

• Practise to speak within the allotted time: it is always advisable to practise your speech beforehand according to the time allotted to you. This helps in delivering the speech effectively, which involves covering all the points and ending it with a conclusion. 

• Wear a watch: the simplest way to keep a track of time is by wearing a watch while giving a public speech, this way you will be able to keep a track of time and will know when to end your speech.

• Try to keep your speech short and simple: it is not necessary to always speak with heavy words or have long statements in your speech. You can deliver a speech in simple words and direct which will help the audience to understand your viewpoint and are able to connect quickly. 

Fearing from public speaking is a common issue that is faced by a majority of kids, but with the help of these tips, you can help your child in becoming an impactful speaker and overcome his fear of speaking. 

You can also help your child learn more about public speaking by enrolling them on an online public speaking course. Visit PlanetSpark and book a free trial for your child right now in public speaking or creative writing or both. 

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