Public speaking 101: How to be a brilliant public speaker

By Kirby Venlet, PR 2nd year student

The 1st year Public Relations Management students’ speech competition took place on Friday, October, 24.

“Public speaking is like sleeping with the queen, it’s a great privilege to do, but no one is willing to do it,” joked Tom Dawson-Squibb, educational guest speaker who shared his expertise on how to become a brilliant public speaker.

Here are few of the guidelines Dawson-Squibb gave that could help you become a brilliant public speaker:

• In order to be an outstanding public speaker, you should always know what your goals and outcomes are as well as good planning and structure.
• Preparation and planning is vital. You should know your audience, know your occasion and very importantly, practice your speech a few times.
• Always arrive early which allows you time to “mingle with your audience”. Stress is inevitable so deal with it by being s prepared as possible. Don’t apologise for your nervousness, make sure you speak on the correct topic last but not least breathe!
• Grab the attention of your audience with a ‘solid opening’ ensuring you introduce your topic and give your speech a clear structure.
• Keep your speech short and to the point because as the saying goes, less is always more. Avoid being rushed, repetition and clichés as this will lead to losing your audiences’ attention.
• A sense of humor helps hold the attention of your audience. Use humour where appropriate. A ‘wow’ moment, highlighted by humour, grabs while confidence and using the correct tone holds it.
• Use cue cards and don’t overdo visual aids so that you can maintain eye contact with all the audience.

For future Public Relations practitioners, mastering the skill of public speaking gives you a competitive advantage. After the speeches on Friday and the advice from Dawson - Squibb, every PR student in attendance would have a better idea of what it takes to give an excellent presentation.