Most of us feel nervous if we are asked to speak in front of a large group of people. It happens because of low confidence level and poor communication skills. Also we feel nervous because of a little knowledge in that topic. However, one is never too old to develop one’s speaking skills.

Observe yourself as you speak while standing in front of a mirror. This will help to build confidence and spot some of your common mistakes. When you feel you are ready, speak in front of a few people like family members or friends. Their comments will help you see how you can improve. Remember ‘Practice makes perfect’. You can easily acquire all the qualities of a good speaker through practice.

These are some simple steps to follow while speaking.

1) Collect your thoughts prepare your speech and know exactly what you have to say. 
2) Research on your subject well so that you have full command over it.
3) Use simple words and phrases that the audience can understand easily.
4) Present yourself as someone who respects his audience. Never treat them as ignorant people and you are more intelligent to them.
5) You must appear relaxed and stand straight.
6) Look directly at the people in front of you. Maintain eye contact at all times. Don’t look only at one section of the audience while speaking.
7) develop a connection with the audience so that they listen to you attentively. 
8) Speak loudly and pronounce words clearly so that the audience can hear and understand what you are saying.
9) Speak with confidence but don’t be over-confident.
10) vary the pitch of your voice as and when required.
11) Present your speech in a way that appeals to the audience.
12) Speak with sincerity. It is important for the audience to feel that you believe in what you are saying.

You must avoid these things while speaking:

1.    Memorize the speech and recite it.
2.    Read out speech from the notes you have made
3.    Mispronounce words as this makes a bad impression
4.    Speak too quickly or too slowly, or in a monotone.
5.    Slouch, scratch your head, stand with your hands in your pockets, settle your clothes or do anything to distract the audience.
6.    Use slang that may offend some in the audience.
7.    Fill your speech with lots of quotations. Remember the audience wants to hear what you have to say and not what a whole lot of famous people had to say on the subject.
8.    Exceed the time limit.

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