A private way to practice public speaking

Do you want to become a better public speaker without leaving the comfort of your own home?

Here are three ways you can practice public speaking on a regular basis without leaving your house.

Record yourself practicing

Like most things in life, the best way to become a better presenter is to practice. If you want to take this practice to the next level, try recording yourself.

When you hit the record button, you create a bit of pressure on yourself to perform. While this pressure isn’t the exact same as the nerves you will likely experience on the day of the speech, it’s good to create an environment where something is at stake so you can become comfortable with overcoming anxiety.

Another major benefit of recording yourself is you can watch back the recording and evaluate potential areas of improvement. Does your speech flow well? Are you using filler words (such as “uhh,” “ah,” “umm,” “like,” and “so”) instead of silence between sentences? Are you incorporating vocal variety to capture the audience’s attention?

Next, you can watch the recording with the volume turned off. That will allow you to focus on your body language. Do you have any distracting tendencies (such as hands in your pockets, unnecessary swaying back and forth, or awkward hand movements)? Are you making purposeful movements, which add to your speech? Are you smiling and incorporating appropriate facial gestures?

By recording yourself speaking and then evaluating that recording, you can quickly notice opportunities to take your skills to the next level.

Move around the house

The next way to enhance the practice of your public speaking skills is to change the room you practice your speech in.

If you have an upcoming presentation, you may not know exactly what the room layout is going to look like on the day of your speech. By switching up your at-home practice environment, you will get used to delivering your speech in different settings, which will give you confidence when you present the real thing.

If you do have an idea of the room you will be presenting a future speech in, do your best to re-create that setup at home. As an example, If you’re delivering a slideshow presentation and your laptop will be connected to a projector via HDMI, try connecting your laptop to a television in your house and get used to presenting with large slides on a screen behind you.

You can also practice your speaking skills while looking in the mirror. Similar to watching back a recording, you may become familiar with distracting tendencies you didn’t previously realize you were doing when you’re able to see yourself in real time.

Join Toastmasters…virtually

In many of my columns, I write about the power and benefit of Toastmasters International. The biggest benefit, in my opinion, is the ability to consistently practice speaking to a group of people in-person, week after week. If you are unable to attend meetings in-person, there is still a massive benefit in becoming a virtual member of a club. Those who attend online still have opportunities to speak (and receive evaluations) each meeting.

The best part is you’ll be joining a community of individuals who want to help you take your speaking skills to the next level.

If you’ don’t want to commit to Toastmasters, you can try downloading a public speaking app (such as Speeko). Speeko has various options to practice speeches, interviews and meetings. It also has a random prompt function, which helps you think quickly on your feet for question and answer sessions.

The most important element in becoming a confident speaker is incorporating consistent practice. Hopefully this column has given you some ideas for how you can improve this important leadership skillset from the convenience and comfort of your home.

If you’re thinking about joining Toastmasters to improve your public speaking skills, our Kelowna AM Toastmasters Club is always looking for new members.

If you’re interested in learning more about Impactful Communication, subscribe to my YouTube channel

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.