Small steps to improve speaking skill
I have just finished reading The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson and I found it an inspiring read. So inspiring that I am now listening to the audio version in my car too. It’s not a book about how to improve speaking skills per se, but its messages are as relevant here as in any other endeavor.
The core message is that success comes not from miraculous breakthroughs but from doing small things regularly and consistently – The little things that are easy to do but also easy not to do. That got me thinking about what small things I and my clients have done to improve speaking skills so that I can share them with you to help you progress on your own journey towards becoming a great speaker.
So here is my list. It’s not exhaustive and I’d love it if you would contribute your own ideas via the comments option below this post. Perhaps together, our tips to improve speaking skill can inspire reluctant presenters around the globe to take the plunge,
The key thing about Slight Edge actions is that they must be easy to do (and therefore also easy not to do!). You don’t have to do all of them but get started by picking one and committing to it. Here are some simple actions that are proven to improve speaking skills.
- Borrow or buy a book on public speaking and read 10 pages every day
- Join a local Toastmasters club and attend at least one meeting a month
- Say something brief in every meeting you attend
- Watch at least one TED speaker video (www.ted.com) every week
- Subscribe to and read blogs on public speaking skills
- Say yes when given the opportunity to speak or present
- Ask for specific, constructive feedback every time you speak
- Find a mentor and ask for help and advice
- Practice every speech or presentation out loud at least once before doing it for real
- Keep a speaking journal and write something new you learned about speaking or presenting every day
So if you would like to improve speaking skill pick one of these options, or create one of your own, commit to doing it every day and you will be amazed at the difference it can make.
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hello everyone i like the topic so much. i have a theory regarding speaking that speaking skill and confidence is the same thing. if you have the confidence you can speak everywhere everything to everyone. if you a lot of knowledge but you have not confidence you can not express yourself.
please do comment….
Thanks for your comment Humayun, There is a connection between the two although personally I am not sure they are the same thing. I have seen some very confident people who are poor public speakers. This is not because they lack confidence, but because they lack other skills such as editing, empathy audience awareness, etc.
this correct speaking is an art. but one thing…. this skill cont be adopted or learnt if u r not by birth, by my point of view.
Hi Humayun
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I understand where you are coming from but my experience has been different. Having coached many people in presentation and public speaking skills over more than 20 years, I can say that it is my experience that anyone who as a desire to become a better speaker can improve significantly. As a result, I now believe that most people are born with the capability to express themselves. Those people who we label “natural speakers” have invariably just had more encouragement and practice when they were younger.
i like the topic because i am very weak in speaking in front of people. i become blush and heart starts beating, and my tongue do not follow by mind that time. my face become red. i dont know how to face people .
I can feel your pain Humayun and you are not alone. We have all been there and the symptoms you face are surprisingly common. Practice and supportive feedback are the keys to overcoming these feelings. Where aboutd do you live? Are there any Toastmasters Clubs nearby? http://www.Toastmasters.org This international organisation exists to help people like you build up your confidence as well as your speaking skills.
I just starting reading this.yes your point is true in my case.i have good confidence and good grip on subject.but i am very bad public speaker.started implementing the few tips mentioned in this chapter like talk when ever i get a chance and try to brief in each call.
I have confidence…but I cant speak well..can u give me some tips..how can I overcome it.
Hello Abinash
Thanks for asking the question. I would love to be able to help you. Confidence is only one part of being a good speaker. The other key elements are Content, Structure and Delivery. Content relates to “what you say”, Structure relates to how you organise and sequence the information and ideas you present, and Delivery relates to the how you use your energy, voice and body language to bring that content to life. I have written about these elements extensively in the other posts in this blog and also in my book “The Presenter’s Edge”. The book is available in Kindle and Paperback formats from Amazon. I hope this helps. Gavin
small things make a perfection but perfection is not a small thing…
Nice quote 🙂
Hey gavin….
This post helped me a lot.
But I have a problem.i am really bad at extemporizing…..when given a topic I don’t
know anything about…..
Would be really helpful if you could write a post on it
Thanks for the feedback and the suggestion :-). I have made a note of it and will post on this topic shortly!
Hi,
Gavin, iam raghu , my problem is like when i speak to my friends i speak fluently and they say that i have good communication skills but when i try to speak something in the office or in a group of people iam nervous and is not able to express the thoughts properly which are in my mind can u plz help on this
What a great question Ragu..
My first thought is to ask you the question “How do you know that you are unable to express your thoughts properly when in work or in groups?” I don’t wish to be flippant, but I suspect that in reality you are actually much better than you think you are. Our own internal self-critic means well, but it can get carried away and be very unfair! Of course we can always improve, but it’s best to acknowledge our strengths, as well as our weaknesses.
My second question is ” What are you saying to yourself in your head, when presenting at work, or in groups, that is causing you to be nervous?” Our thoughts create our emotions, so if you are thinking “I’m no good…” you are naturally going to think about failure and feel nervous. In your original question you have already stated that friends tell you that you have good communication skills so, next time you start to doubt yourself, replace that negative voice in your head with the voice of one of your trusted friends saying “You are a good communicator, you’ll be fine”. We can’t stop ourselves having negative thoughts, but we don’t have to accept them! Let me know if this was helpful.
Gavin
Hi.
These are great tips to learn speak English i am trying my best as well as i can do. thanks again
Thanks for the feedback Hussain. I am delighted to hear that they are helpful. Please feel free to post any questions or topics you would like be to cover in future posts.
Those are really very good option and easy to adapt. Thank you very much for helping us.
I would like to get more help from you.
Thanks Ratan. I appreciate your positive comments. Let me know how else I can help.
THANKS FOR PROVIDING SUCH TYPE OF ADVICES.IT IS VERY USEFUL TO OUR YOUNGSTERS
As I was having trouble posting links to great speaking resources, I’ve put them all in this post instead:
5 free public-speaking courses (available worldwide)
Hope you enjoy them all!
Hi Gavin, please check your spam folder — I posted a comment with 2 links and it says “awaiting moderation”. Thanks!
Thanks Craig, Even speakers need a holiday! I’ve just got back from a few days up in Scotland and have approved your links today.
Best Wishes
Gavin
Great tips – thanks Gavin.
A couple of former world champs of public speaking offer 52 free weekly tips to help you practise and improve.
Craig Valentine: http://www.52speakingtips.com/
Darren LaCroix: http://www.getpaidtospeak.com
hi, I am suraj.
I am a shy person, so that i am not speaking with everyone for long time. when I am speaking to someone at that time I am not deliver whole thing so can you help me
Hi Suraj
Thanks for contacting me. I hope you are finding the blog posts helpful. I’d love to be able to help if I can. Perhaps you can contact me directly at enquiries@inter-activ.co.uk with some more details including your location, age and what you have tried so far.
Regards
Gavin
Simple task which are not easy to do….hehehe..I know because I am one of them. Thanks anyway because I watch TED to get inspiration, I join the Toastmasters and I am trying to improve my English with a mentor’s help.
Thanks Nate, you are right in that these are simple things but it takes a little effort and focus on our part to apply them consistently. I find that reminding myself of my end goal, helps me to maintain my focus.
Hi!
I’m very shy and therefore I get nervous when having to say something long, not necessary a speech, but even a long phrase. This makes me speak faster, in order to finish sooner what I have to say, which in turn makes my message more confusing the more I talk. Reading your article and the posts here gave me an idea that never crossed my mind before, that I should read out loud my many books in order to get used with my own voice and pronounciation and in time my problem will dissapear by itself. You think it’ s gonna works?
Thanks a lot.
I think there is a very good chance that this will help. Another good tip is to pick a passage of 100 words and then time yourself to see how long it takes to read, A good conversational speed is around 170-180 words per minute. A good public speaking speed is closer to 120 words a minute. Practicing speaking slowly and calmly is a powerful way to retrain your brain. Hope this helps.
Hi Gavin
I have a speech in my class but im scared i dont know what to speak or what to present… what should i do.. im just 15 years old high school.. hoping for youre help (^_^)
a great thanks..
Hi Jevan
Thanks for getting in touch and posting such a great question. Choosing a topic can seem challenging at first but needn’t be so. checkout my post on this very subject https://www.inter-activ.co.uk/speech-writing/choosing-a-speech-topic/ I hope this helps.
Gavin Meikle
THANKS.. a lot Gavin this article help me much…..i know what to discus i will do my best accept for stagefrigth .. (^_^)
Hi Gavin
My problem is even after speaking/giving presentations for more than 50 times in front of people I get nervous and forget what I prepared even when I am using PPTs as support. How to overcome this fear?
Hi Anshul
Thanks for having the courage to share your concerns. The first thing I would like to say is that you are not alone, most speakers still feel nervous when they speak, even if they don’t show it. There is no shame in feeling nervous. Your nerves tell me that you care about the end result and that is so important. It’s not about getting rid of the nerves, it’s about harnessing that nervous energy and turning it into something that lifts your speaking ability to a new level. I also noticed that you say that you have presented over 50 times but forget what you prepare. This sounds like you could be making life hard for yourself by trying to deliver a word perfect script. In my experience, your audience are looking for passion, not perfection so I would suggest you cut yourserlf some slack and worry less about being word perfect.
I hope this helps.
Gavin, The Presentation Doctor.
well…………
i WILL START IT FROM NOW ON WARDS……………
Thanks for your comment Pradeep. Best wishes and please check out my other posts.
thank you for posting this steps 🙂 I’m practicing to speak English fluently and confident…because every time I speak English i feel nervous and my voice become chappy and i can’t even pronounce words correctly and im shy at afraid to talk to others who are fluent in speaking English…sometime others always laughing when i try to speak english…so that i want to learn the real english…
i want to improve my communication skill’s. I understand every thing but not speak. So what i do?
Practice with feedback is the key. Look for a local Toastmasters Club. They offer affordable practice and support to develop your communication skills. The Global site is http://www.Toastmasters.org
Great Article!
I can definitely say that the quote:
The little things that are easy to do but also easy not to do.
Perfectly addresses a major problem in people who want to conquer their fear of giving a presentation.
Thanks for the insights!
Thanks for sharing the love! I’ll check out your blog too.
The Presentation Doctor
it is really grt exp to listen you
Thanks for the comment. Glad you found it interesting. Have you subscribed to get the latest updates?
Really i greatly inspired about how to improve speaking skills.thanks to the team
Hi Ashok
Thanks for visiting and for sharing your comment. Everyone has something worth saying, but it takes courage to share. Good luck on your speaking journey. Get in touch if I can help in any way and please let me know if there is any particular aspect you would like me to write a post on.
i really like your options and hope after doing it my confidence will develop and
my speaking power as well because i really get problem
Thanks for sharing. I am please you found this post useful. Please feel free to share it with your own network. Best Wishes on your speaking journey – we all started as nervous quivering wrecks but practice and feedback is the key.
I would like to read book, magazine or journal and then try to speak briefly in front of the class room before starting to teach my students.
Hi Rio, that sounds like a great starting point. Remember that everyone was nervous to begin with but the more you practice the more confident you become. Susan Jeffers said it so well in her great little book “Feel The Fear and Do it Anyway”. I would also recommend you check to see if there is a local Toastmasters Club Nearby. They provide fantastic support and encouragement.
I always suggest to people I teach that they read the ingredients/cooking instructions on things they come across in the kitchen out loud. For example if you're using a tin of baked beans just read the label out loud. So easy to do and it gets you used to hearing your own voice and gives you a chance to practice articualtion and projection.
Thanks for the Post, Gavin.
I really like the idea that you are listening to the audio of the book.
I’ve recently started recording and posting the audio of my Posts. It is something I recommend to everyone because it will make you a better writer and speaker.
http://www.nosweatpublicspeaking.com/speaking-opportunities-arebusiness-and-career-opportunities/
Great list of simple actions to improve speaking skills. Small action can really add up if done regularly.
I like to read different forms of writing OUT LOUD like books, news paper and magazine articles, blogs, short stories etc. as part of my daily routine. The variation of material and styles of writing challenges how you use your voice. It is a simple action that I find helps in many ways, such as; strengthening my voice, improving pronunciation, emphasis of words and phrasings, my inflection and cadence.
Overall it makes me a better speaker and helps me better understand my voice 🙂
Thanks for the tips.
Cheers
Capital
Thanks for the excellent addition to the list. I too love to read out loud but had forgotten that I do it, when writing this article. Many thanks and keep commenting. Gavin