Improving your Public Speaking Skills: Part III

(Blogger's Note: I apologize for such a long delay. It has been quite a busy (and exciting) week for me. Continue watching the space!)

The Third A: APPLY!

Now for the final step! *Pause for dramatic effect* (Like one week of silence isn't enough...)

APPLY APPLY APPLY! That's right. It is a simple step. Experts have said it repeatedly. You find them in books, blogs and lately e-books too. As you may have realized, this is no secret. But here's the thing. How many of us really put this into practice? Now this is what separates the real experts from the amateurs. Real experts practice non-stop. They find every occasion to hone their speaking skills. As we all may have heard it: Practice makes Permanence. If you want to keep your present skills, you gotta keep practicing else they will just be skills you USED TO HAVE.

Recall the two As I mentioned in the last two entries?

1. Awareness - Be aware of your strengths and shortcomings
2. Ask for feedback - Only then will you know what you are good and weak at

Now come the critical A - Apply. Without the third A, all that you have done earlier will be fruitless. Assuming you have followed my advice and gathered all the feedback from your audience, what should you do with them?

Here's what I do. Have a list that describes all of your strengths. For example, "you have high energy", "you always have a great message", "you are able to connect with us very quickly". With this list, think through what you did that caused your audience to list the above as your strengths. This allow you to repeat the good stuff in your future speeches. As time goes (with practice), you will find it effortless to be good in your audience's eyes.

Also come up with a list of areas you can work on. For example, in my case, my audience always find it hard to catch up. I have a lot of energy but I speak too fast, which leaves them gasping for breath at the end of my speech. And I get this feedback a lot. Similarly, you will also find some "weaknesses" that your audience keep bringing up. This is where you want to start. But do not be ambitious! Work on one thing at a time. For example, in my case, I have to learn to slow down. And they are plenty of ways to do so. That's when you can google for help or look up speaking resources.

Remember to concentrate on improving ONE area in every new speech you make. In that way, you can be focused and not be overwhelmed. And then repeat the 2nd step - ask for feedback. Check and see if your audience notices the improvements. In my case, can they catch up? And if you are satisfied, work on your next area. In no time, you will find your lists of strengths growing and your list of "weaknesses" reducing. Sounds good?

And this brings me to the end of the trilogy. Being a good speaker is really easy. Apply the 3As consistently and you will see dramatic improvements in your speaking capabilities. And believe me, this is just the beginning. Test this out and let me know if it works!